June 2007

Dear Members:

An ARA retailer member sent an e-mail thanking us for alerting her to the telephone and credit card scames currently affecting the awards industry. Shortly after receiving the May issue of ARA Connection, she answered a relay call through her telephone company from a man claiming to be "Rev. Mark" who wanted to order 400 soccer bobblehead trophies.

"The scenario sounded exactly as you described in the article," she wrote. "I notified the operator of my suspicions. Since the caller was using my phone company's Internet relay system, I was told the call could not be traced. The system is intended for use by deaf persons but I was told the system is often used for fraudulent activity.

"I later told 'Rev. Mark' that I no longer wanted to communicate over the phone and that we could use e-mail for future correspondence. After that, the operator notified me that the caller had disconnected. Our e-mail communication also ceased."

The reader requested we run this information again in hopes of preventing others from being defrauded. The original case involved an ARA member in New York who received an order from someone overseas for $6,000. The order was made with 2 stolen credit cards from two different people. The store caught it and was able to contact one of the cardholders to notify him. Another ARA member was also contacted by a man posing as Rev. John Atkinson from Baltimore, MD. He wanted to purchase 1,000 bobbleheads for the Orphanage of God and shipped to Ghana. The order had all the signs of a scam, so this alert member sent all the correspondence to the consumer protection department of their local sheriff's department. It turned out that some of the seven credit card numbers they were given were stolen.

ARA hopes that publicizing these incidents will keep members on guard. In the meantime, enjoy the summer season, and remain alert regarding suspicious orders!

Ed Hunt
Seeking Perfection

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Sad News
ARA is sad to announce the passing of Orville Armstrong, who was co President of TDMA along with Cal Miller in 1980, and was President of TDA in 1979. Orville Armstrong was also 1983 Trophy Dealer of the Year. ARA Past President Bill Townsend had this to say about Orville's passing:

"I first met Orville in 1982 when my wife Alva and I began our awards business. I always enjoyed visiting with him at the TDMA and ARA tradeshows. He was a wonderful person with great passion for the awards industry. When I served on the TDMA board I often turned to Orville and other past association presidents for counsel and advice. Orville will be missed, but will be but fondly remembered."

For his complete obituary, please click here, then scroll down to find the entry.

ARA 2007 Regional Education Events
ARA Regional Education Events allow you to expand your skills and acquire CEU credits without traveling to an ARA trade show. These one- and two-day events are held at the facilities of hosting supplier companies. Each event is also a good occasion to learn more about the hosting supplier's products and services.

Rowmark will host the next Education Event on July 26–27, in Findlay, OH. Click here to view a PDF flyer featuring the schedule and a registration form.

The following are more ARA Regional Education Events scheduled for 2007. See the list below to find a location near you.

An ARA Canadian Education Event also will be held in Toronto, Ontario, November, 17, 2007. For more information, please visit www.ara.org, or e-mail ARA Education Manager Daniel Weinstock at dweinstock@connect2amc.com.

Special ARA Seminar at the Texas Trophy and Awards Show
Fred Schwartz of Quality One Engravers will present "101+ Shop, Rotary, Laser and Safety Tips" at the Texas Trophy and Awards Show (July 26–28) at the Moody Gardens Hotel in Galveston, TX. Schwartz's seminar takes place on Saturday, July 28, from 8 to 9:30 am

An ARA Speaker of the Year in 2004, Schwartz will share his practical experience about running an efficient and productive shop. This session will be loaded with good tips about ordering, time management, software utilities, tools, and fixturing. Whether you use rotary or laser engravers, you will get a solid 90 minutes of excellent ready-to-use information to make your shop operate more efficiently. You will also receive valuable handout material you can use to help your employees boost their productivity. (Those enrolled in the ARA Education Program are eligible to receive .15 CEUs for attending this seminar).

Click here to register for the seminar, or call 800/ 344-2148. To attend the Texas Trophy Show you need to register separately by calling 800/ 433-0965, or by e-mail: TXShow@claytex.net.

ARA Online Buyers Guide: It's New and Interactive!
Now live, the new ARA Online Buyers Guide provides the best the Web has to offer. This interactive tool lets you search for products by item or by supplier, and to view pictures of all available awards, components, and equipment. Updated continously, The ARA Online Buyers Guide is a valuable member benefit you'll use often. Check it out in the "Members Only" section of the ARA Web site by clicking here.

New Member Benefit! - Download ARA Seminars from ARA Web Site
If you couldn't make it to The 2007 ARA International Awards Market in Las Vegas, ARA is pleased to announce that it has made available in PDF form, with the permission of the session speakers, several ARA seminar downloads.

To access this useful information:

1. Go to www.ara.org.
2. Click on the Education tab on the left side of the home page.
3. Click on "Seminar Downloads," which will prompt you to log in as an ARA member.
4. Choose from seminar title, speaker name, or keyword to find the presentation you want to download.

NOTE: No CEU credit will be awarded to enrollees in the ARA certification program for downloading and reviewing these seminar PDFs.

NEW ARA Educational CDs Now Available
CDs were recorded from three popular seminars at the 2007 International Awards Market in Las Vegas: Showroom Design: Is That All Ya Got? (Roy Brewer, CRM); What Your Rotary Engraver Does Best (Fred Schwartz); and How to Sell Awards to Large Businesses (Gordon Grabill). The CDs (each is sold individually) cost $29.95 for members, $59.95 for nonmembers. Click here to get more information and to order these informative CDs.

Customized Shipping Discounts for ARA Members!
Through a unique partnership, ARA has made it easy for members to save on all types of shipping services. We've teamed up with the leading transportation providers in the industry, including Yellow Transportation, Roadway Express, UPS Supply Chain Solutions, DHL, USF & New Penn. Whether you ship envelopes, packages, or heavy freight, these carriers have a solution.

• Save at least 52% with Yellow and Roadway on North American LTL freight
• Save 20% on International air freight and 45% on heavy North American air freight with UPS Supply Chain Solutions
• Save up to 25% with DHL on express air, ground, and international services
• Save at least 52% with USF and New Penn on regional, next day less than truckload freight services throughout the U.S. and parts of Canada regional next day less than truckload

To take advantage of your ARA member benefits, or to find out how much you can save on your next shipment, call your shipping benefit consultants at 800/MEMBERS (636-2377), ext. 303. For more information about the ARA Shipping Program, click here.

ARA Encuesta: Seminarios en Español
ARA le gustaria ensanchar las maneras que nosotros entregamos entrenamiento educativo a miembros de la Asociación de Premios y Reconocimiento (ARA) y a otras personas en la industria de premios y grabado. Es importante que usted nos diga lo que usted necesita. Tome por favor un par de minutos para contester las siguente encuesta. ¡Gracias por sus sugerencias!

Tome la encuesta pegando este URL en su navegador: www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB226FXT8DWJY

ARA Industry Trends and Price Survey Report
The ARA 2006 Industry Trends and Price Survey Report is now available! The results are fascinating and they are available only to ARA members here.

Here are just three of the findings from the survey, which asked both members and nonmembers detailed questions about the state of the industry and their particular business:

• ARA member businesses make more money than nonmembers.
• ARA members are more optimistic about their businesses than nonmembers.
• ARA members spend less on labor than nonmembers.

The 70-page report is an objective look at our corner of the business world. It is more than a snapshot of trends in the industry; it is a guide that you can refer to over and over to improve your business practices and learn how you compare to others in your region and across the nation.

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July 26–27
ARA Education Event
Rowmark LLC
Findlay, OH
877/ROWMARK
www.ara.org
www.rowmark.com

July 26–28
Texas Trophy and Awards Show
Moody Gardens Hotel
Galveston, TX
Set-up Day, July 26
Exhibits Open, July 27–28
800/433-0965

August 11
ARA Education Event
N & R International
Metro Atlanta
678/560-4008
www.ara.org
www.etchedstone.com

September 7–8
ARA Education Event
Plastic Dress-Up
South El Monte, CA
800/800-7711
www.ara.org
www.pdu.com

September 15
ARA Education Event
Continental Trophies
Dallas, TX
800/289-0400
www.ara.org
www.continentaltrophies.com

September 28
ARA Education Event
Digital Art Solutions
Tempe, AZ
800/959-7627
www.ara.org
www.smartdesigns.com

October 20
ARA Education Event
Johnson Plastics
Minneapolis, MN
800/869-7800
www.ara.org
www.johnsonplastics.com

January 14–17, 2008
CorelDRAW Boot Camp Cruise
Miami/Eastern Caribbean
800/736-8973

February 25–29, 2008
2008 ARA International Awards Market
Las Vegas Convention Center
800/344-2148
www.ara.org

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In the June 2007 Issue:

2007 ARIEF Scholarship Winners
ARA has awarded another five $1,000 scholarships on behalf of each of its cornerstone donors. The application process included writing an essay response to the question, "How can the practice of recognizing or awarding individuals build character in today's society?" Read more...

Having Fun with Typographic Frames
A little imagination can relieve the monotony of engraved small plates with a plain line border and single names or occasions. Get ready for some typographical gymnastics!

Shape Up!
Having covered both Artistic and Paragraph text in detail in recent articles, Pradhan Balter thinks it's time to whip that text into shape—literally.

Who Are 'They?'
What types of customers do you most want to do business with? Some of us have never given much thought to this question and don't have a good idea of what group of consumers we want to grow our business. Read more...

Laser Engraving: Answers to Commonly Asked Questions
Diane Bosworth spends a fair amount of time talking and writing about lasers, and answering queries from first-time laser users. Here are some of her most commonly asked questions, and her responses to them.

Preparing Vector Files for the Web
Foster Coburn covers the SWF format, also known as Flash, which can output vector artwork. He also looks a the scalable vector graphics (SVG) format as another way to put vector graphics on a Web site.

Making the Most of 'Down Time'
June provides a breather from those long work hours during the past few months. This month is the time to plan, organize, and get ready to be productive and successful during the next season.

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If you're an ARA member with computer access, simply visit www.ara.org, log in to the "Members-Only" section using your member number, and select ARA Ask an Expert. Find the topic and expert you're looking for, then ask your question(s). More often than not, the ARA expert will have the solution you need.

? Can you provide some information on potential laser hazards and compliance with national and local regulations?

Diane Bosworth of Access Business Solutions responds: When it comes to laser safety it is important to know what the law requires. The Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) has determined that lasers do emit a small amount of radiation. Therefore, manufacturers and users alike are required by law to comply with certain regulations as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and CDRH regulations.

Because most of the laser engraving equipment that is sold into the awards and related industries are built as Class 1 enclosed units, the regulations are less restrictive than those for defined as "non-enclosed" units. However, users and manufacturers are still required to comply with certain federal regulations.

Manufacturers are required to include certain safety features, warning labels, and documentation. Users are required to operate the equipment only as recommended by the original equipment manufacturer and to comply with certain operating procedures as defined by OSHA, ANSI, and the CDRH. Tampering with or altering certain built in safety features could result in violations. Applicable regulations can be obtained through the various governing agencies. Users and laser owners should also be familiar with all state and local regulations regarding laser safety and comply accordingly.

Awareness of potential laser hazards and compliance with national and local regulations will allow you to provide a safe environment for all personnel, visitors, and your community. Being laser-safety conscious will also result in clean and efficient engraving, so it truly is a win/win situation for all concerned.

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