Speedball Art Products Company Speedball is pleased to announce that Ben Lapin has been promoted to President of Speedball Art Products Company. Ben started with Speedball in 1997 as Chief Financial Officer and handled all financial matters during the start-up years. He later took on responsibility for Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service and proved that he was much more than a bean counter. In October 2006, Ben became Chief Operating Officer responsible for all day-to-day activities of Speedball. In the past 12 years Ben has led the integration of several acquisitions while strengthening Speedball’s core business. “Good is never good enough” with Ben; he pushes himself and all…
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MacPherson’s Organizational Updates
We are excited to announce a few organizational updates! Please visit our announcements page to read the full letter from our CEO & President, Dave Schofield. John Stephens has transitioned to Director of Marketing, focusing on brand management, category management, creative services and digital experience teams. Neil McIntyre has been promoted to Director of Account Management and he’ll be joining our Senior Leadership Team. He will continue his management of the national field and inside sales teams, in addition to assuming leadership of our customer service team. Jeff Scholz, MacPherson’s Director of IT, will now serve as a member of our Senior Leadership Team. Jessica Krainert, our EDI Specialist, will…
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Ann Walsh: Colors Exhibition Opening Reception
GOLDEN Artist Colors, Inc. Ann Walsh: Colors opened last week at The Sam & Adele Golden Gallery (THE SAGG) at Golden Artist Colors. This survey of abstract paintings and sculptures by artist Ann Walsh underscores her commitment to the expressive possibilities of color and her investigations of the use of new materials for making art. Walsh has lived in New York City and maintained a studio there since 1980. An illustrated catalog with an essay by artist and critic Franklin Einspruch entitled, “Ann Walsh’s Mechanics of Color” will be available as well.To learn more about Walsh and her artwork, visit http://www.ann-walsh.com/index.htm. Visit The Sam & Adele Golden Gallery website, www.thesagg.org…
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Our New WMS is Going Live Oct. 8
WMS goes live in Reno as of October 8th, 2018! We are excited for this new chapter and technological milestone in our company’s history. As you may know, last year we made the decision to upgrade our Warehouse Management System (WMS). This is the largest technology investment in MacPherson’s history. WMS is the “brains” of our distribution centers that tracks inventory locations and determines how orders are processed and how freight is shipped. We are working with the leader in warehouse software platforms, Manhattan Associates, and our team has devoted hundreds of hours to configuring and testing the system to ensure successful implementation. This innovation strengthens our commitment to service…
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Calling All Staff
You may have noticed an uptick in posts these last few weeks. With support from your Account Managers and Category Managers, our Creative Services team is revamping and revitalizing Art Dog Blog! In addition to industry news and resources you’ve come to expect, some of the features we are introducing include Who’s Who, an opportunity to feature a member of your staff who is doing an incredible job, Best Practices, where we explore trends, merchandising hacks, demo ideas, and other in-store strategies and of course the Art Dog of the Month. Make sure to share Art Dog with all members of your team, because there is something for everyone. Have…
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A Letter From Opus Art Supplies
David van Berckel, Opus Art Supplies Opus is an independently-owned local business, supplying the visual arts community with art materials, digital printing, picture frames, art education, community support, and more. Founded in 1974, they have grown from a single location framing company to seven stores throughout BC and a Canada-wide mail order service for online & phone orders. To our valued vendors, I have known so many of you for decades while I managed to turn a small framing production workshop in Vancouver into a sizeable and important art supply business over the past 50 years or so. But time continues taking a toll on my body and mind and…
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All Hands On Deck: Floods in Madison, WI Impact Wisconsin Craft Market
Catherine Monahon, Copywriter, MacPherson’s Last month devastating floods in Madison, WI impacted Wisconsin Craft Market – employees walked in to discover several feet of water in the store and an overwhelming amount of damaged product. Their staff banded together for several days of drudgery, with family members and loved ones pitching in. Recapping the experience on their Facebook page, owner Paul Zarnikow expressed his gratitude for the team of friends and family who made reopening possible. “Not only did no one complain, the loud laughing and chattering usually heard went on like any other day. I’m lucky to have had these ladies as employees for so many years, luckier still…
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Interconnected Community: Pride, STABILO, Endeavours Art & MacPherson’s!
Catherine Monahon, MacPherson’s Copywriter The weekend of August 11th, Luke and Tyler Randall, co-owners of Endeavours Art in Fredericton, New Brunswick Canada went all out for Pride week! Their Pride celebration this year was a result of a collaboration between STABILO, MacPherson’s and Endeavours Art. The idea sprung to life during the 2018 Dealer Workshop in Las Vegas. Upon hearing about Endeavours’ yearly celebration where they fundraise for causes benefiting the LGBTQIA2+ community, Assistant Brand Manager Ana McCormick made a connection. STABILO Pen 68 and 88 sets – vibrant, colorful and perfect for Pride. With STABILO as a sponsor, it was an incredible time for all involved. Tyler recapped proudly…
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Golden Welcomes New Education Director Stacy Rosende
Golden Artist Colors Golden welcomes Stacy Rosende as its new Education Director, who oversees all Golden Artist Colors education programs as well as the development of new strategies and platforms. Kevin Greeland will continue to lead the Working Artist and Artist Educator programs and serve as the key contact for lecture demo activities. Stacy Rosende is a visual artist and educator from Florida where she ran an award-winning art program in a public high school, maintained her personal studio practice and exhibited works internationally. She discovered her interest in education while working towards her Masters in Fine Arts degree at Boston University. Stacy has taught students in the visual arts…
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Industry News – June 2018
New Officers at iAmArt iAMart is a coalition of independent, locally-owned art-materials stores committed to helping artists of all experience levels succeed by helping them purchase the best supplies for their individual needs. President: Nick Gallo of Blue Rooster Art Supplies Vice President: Victor Davis of Spokane Art Treasurer: Scott Rote of Herweck’s Secretary: Jessica Dumitru of Art Creations Vendor Chair: Dan Ebert of Central Art Supply Asst. Vendor Chair: Luke Randall of Endeavors Membership Chair: Kate Mitchell of Arch Art and Drafting Past President: Kathy Brennan of Preston Arts Center Art Community Rallies Around Walnut Studios After Fire Oftentimes retailers in the art business have the privilege of forming relationships with local artist collectives, non-profits and studios. One of the…
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MacPherson’s Dealer Workshop – A GOLDEN Success!
By Bill Hartman Director of Sales at Golden Artist Colors, Inc. Thank you to MacPherson’s personnel for hosting an incredible workshop in Las Vegas. Their detailed organization and preparation led to a very valuable event. The demonstrations were interesting and informative for all. The team at GOLDEN was pleased to see so many retailers in attendance. Having such commitment and enthusiasm from our retail partners in support of all three GOLDEN brands is appreciated tremendously! New GOLDEN Staff in Customer Service & Sales Departments I am pleased to announce the addition of 3 new employees joining the Customer Service and Sales staff here at GOLDEN. Taralyn Loewenguth has joined us as our…
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Welcoming David J. Schofield
Today, we welcomed our new CEO, David J. Schofield! We kicked off his first day in Emeryville with a Town Hall meeting and employee breakfast, and we’re all excited to have Dave on board! As we mentioned in our initial announcement earlier this month, Dave has already been working closely with our senior leadership team to ensure a smooth transition. It’s an exciting time for MacPherson’s, and we hope you have a chance to meet or speak with Dave very soon.
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Industry News – May 2018
Allard’s in Fresno, CA hosted their annual Customer Appreciation Day . The event featured great promotional pricing, in store demos, make and takes, and a local Food Truck feeding hungry shoppers! UC Davis hosted their annual Picnic Day. The event features over 200 booths, live music, parades, and a chemistry fair. The UC Davis bookstore hosted a table featuring activities for all ages. Artist & Craftsman in San Diego CA, as a part of their local Art Walk, used POSCA paint pens to create a mural. They had over 1,700 participants! Hyatts in New York is nearing their 60th anniversary! They will be moving to a new 40,000 square (wow!) feet facility in…
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Subscribe to Marabu’s New Quarterly Reseller Newsletter
Marabu Creative USA wants to help you inspire customers and increase sales with quarterly email newsletters that are filled with new product information, creative ideas for artists, great tips for store merchandising and demos, as well as video tutorials and free downloadable lesson plans. Click here to subscribe. Check out the hashtag #madewithmarabu on Facebook and Instagram to see a creative array of share-worthy project ideas from artists all around the country who are using Marabu – your customers will love it! Tag Marabu when you have a project or event that features their products and they will give you a shout-out on social media.
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Star Products Sales Supports the Wounded Warriors Project
Star Products will be supporting the “Wounded Warriors Project” during BTS. We will give a donation for every portfolio sold during this time. MacPherson’s will be offering our “50 Pack” WWP – POP displays which included our #1 selling portfolios during BTS on a drop ship deal for 66% off. 220H (20 x 26 x 2 red rope) V420H-BLK (20 x 26 x 2 Black) Star Products is proud to support the “Wounded Warriors Project” during our “Back to School” season. Sales of portfolios will help benefit wounded service members, their families & caregivers. Warrior families and caregivers are provided comfort, care & education to help support the recovery of their…
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Industry News
Julianne Eastman, the appreciated southern California Manufacturer’s Sales Representative passed away on August 21st after a valiant battle with cancer. She leaves 3 young children, Noah, Savannah and Charlie. Her dad and mom, Ken and Diane with brother John Mark Eastman have announced a life celebration called Remembering Julianne Eastman for Friday, September 9th at 2:00 pm (doors open 1:30 pm) at the First Christian Church of Huntington Beach 1207 Main Street Huntington Beach, California 92648 Reception Following. Read here for full details http://www.strugglingtostand.com/2016/08/25/an-invitation-to-attend-juliannes-celebration-of-life/ Aubin and David Van Berckel of Opus Art Supplies in Vancouver, BC have created a wonderful edible garden that surrounds their property on Bowen Island, just…
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MacPherson’s News – Transitions
I am sorry to report that Rich Rusnack is no longer with MacPherson’s. His accomplishments and insights are greatly appreciated and I wish him well in his next endeavor. In August of 2014 I announced the news that our board of directors and I had begun to create a succession plan that would provide for a strong managerial foundation at MacPherson’s long beyond Stu Beattie’s and my retirements. Back then I shared that while I was in no hurry to slow down it would be prudent to establish a succession roadmap for a gradual transition to a new leadership structure. That announcement was followed in March by the news I had appointed Rich Rusnack as President to lead the areas of Finance, Information Technology and Operations.…
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Industry News
Last weekend’s 6.0 magnitude earthquake damaged vineyards, homes and restaurants to the tune of over $1 Billion in Napa, CA and surrounding areas. Our industry was touched as well, when Napa Valley Art Supply’s store interior was devastated by the Sunday night tremor. Owner Jeff Holmes is hoping to appeal to the Northern California rep, retailer and supplier community for help in getting the store mess sorted out and back on it’s feet. Luckily the building did not suffer any structural damage. MacPherson’s heard the call and will be sending a team of people headed by Account Manager George Bethurem and Credit Manager Kendall Nolan. If you can help, call (707) 224-2775.…
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Industry News
From MacPherson’s Elgin, IL Distribution Center Manager Jeff Zwerenz: “Last week we closed our Elgin distribution center. Friday was the end of an era and a day filled with pictures, hugs, crying, laughing, and just about anything else that accompanies an event in which 23 great people will not only set out to start a new chapter in their individual lives, but will forever remember and appreciate the team and family that they became. This was a team that I, as most I’m sure, will never forget. It was truly difficult to see everyone walk out of our warehouse for the last time. I will say, however, as I watched a group of…
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Industry News
Nina Deckert succumbed to her battle with cancer on March 14, 2012. From Mark Golden: We lost a remarkable person as Nina finally yielded to an illness that took her away so quickly. To all of us who had the great fortune to know Nina, this news leaves in all of us, a hole in a life full of creativity, passion and love cut much too short. After hearing the news of her illness in the fall of 2011, it was assumed that no matter the seriousness or aggressiveness of this illness that Nina, ‘the fighter,’ would overcome this challenge as she had overcome so many challenges before. Nina was a fighter for all of us. My conversations and emails are full…