2019Q2_newsletter

QUARTER 2 - 2019 | ISSUE 140
2 Skyline Drive • Hawthorne, NY 10532
AS SEEN ON SKYLINE P: 914.347.7827 • F: 914.347.3183
Jacqueline Johnson - Editor In Chief
www.allstarmg.com
Office Services
Jacqueline Johnson
We hope everyone had a blast at this year’s summer party! We
will be sending out a survey to get everyone’s feedback and
comments. Below are a few pictures and from the event.
Welcome to Allstar Products Group
*The preceding document contains information that may be confidential to Allstar Marketing or be protected by applicable privileges. Use,
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QUARTER 2 - 2019
Brand
Chloe Lowth
Airplane Mode
Ed Katz
Happy Summer! We have been busy over here in Brand
integrating closely with Marketing and contributing to the
development of campaigns earlier in the lifecycle than we ever
have! We’ve successfully been able to commit to 9 items this
year so far with different performance-based marketing strategies
whether they be full or limited, and more coming down
the line!
Before I begin my newsletter topic for this issue, I wanted to share
some interesting data that’s been gathered over the last several
years of clinical research:
Five Fun Facts for Cell Phone Users
• 84% of cell phone users say they couldn’t go a single day
without their device.
• 66% of cell phone owners suffer from Nomophobia -
***This is real***
º Nomophobia – the fear of being without a cell phone or
unable to use it for some reason, such as no signal or
running out of minutes or battery power.
• Mobile device owners check their devices every 6.5 minutes
or 150 times during waking hours.
• 88% of U.S. consumers use mobile devices as a second screen
even while watching TV.
• 60% of people globally have slept holding their phones
And now over to this issue’s newsletter topic…
Coming Soon!
Coming Soon!
We’ve also been working on line extensions of all sorts to keep
developing our products. One of the projects being our PETS
KNOW BEST Pet Brand, “Furry Friend Tested, Owner
Approved”! Through running changes and new development,
we have started to incorporate the brand into packaging.
Another part of line extension development is product licensing!
We’ve done some of it in the past like the Hello Kitty / Star
Wars / Frozen Snuggie® Blankets and the Dora The Explorer
Touch N Brush and are now looking to dive back in and see if
there is opportunity for some of our products that are truly
becoming brands. In June I attended the Licensing Expo in Las
Vegas! It was a great learning experience and opened initial
conversations with many contacts from different brands and
licensing agencies. Paincakes® was a fan favorite that a variety
of types of properties were interested in! For Example; The
Emoji Company, American Red Cross, PBS Children’s Television
all showed interest in Paincakes®! Sharing some pictures below
AIRPLANE MODE
I love flying, with my sweet spot being Coast to Coast flights. I know
it sounds crazy, but it’s truly the most productive time I ever have,
especially when I go into “Airplane Mode”.
For me, airplane mode means several different things. Most times I
use the time to work uninterrupted on a strategic document a
special project that requires attention, or to finally catch up on
e-mail. Other times, I take out a book or magazine (Yes, both of
these still exist) and just unplug.
True unplugging helps me recharge, get inspired from articles I read
and look for ways to apply this information in either my personal or
professional life.
On my most recent flight, the book I was reading - Keep Going: 10
Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad - there was a section
on unplugging and the benefits of it. It was extremely empowering
and validating to read and like I normally do, I dog ear pages to
follow up on future repeat reading.
I have started to use an “airplane mode” philosophy when starting
my day to limit early distractions, an while my daughter is home for
the summer we have turned phones into airplane mode when we
are dining together as a family. Miraculously, all of the Snapchat
messages are still there, the people that e-mailed, called or texted
us left messages and the news that happened while we were
offline, was still current enough to be reported.
Airplane mode…It’s way easier than it sounds!
Some quotes about unplugging…
“The more ways we have to connect, the more many of us seem
desperate to unplug.” – Pico Iyer, Essayist and Travel Writer
“We get sucked into the internet and streaming information, and it’s
time to just unplug and look within.” - Jonathan Cain, Musician
“We’re plugged in 24 hours a day now. We’re part of one big
machine, whether we are conscious of that or not. And if we can’t
unplug from that machine, eventually we’re going to become
mindless.” – Alan Lightman, Physicist
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QUARTER 2 - 2019
Guest Writers
The Honor Foundation
Chris Bean
Caitlin Smith - Director of First Impressions
Hey Everyone! I’m Caitlin & I’m the Director of First Impressions
here at Allstar (aka Receptionist). Excited to get the opportunity to
tell you a little bit about myself!
I started at Allstar in February & it has been awesome. Everyone
has been so warm & welcoming, it was easy to get in the swing of
things here. I will say though, controlling the weather for Tom B.
has been a little stressful. Didn’t see that in the fine print of this
position but I think I’ve done ok so far. Besides assisting mother
nature, I’ve also been assisting a few other departments around
the office which has been really interesting & has kept me busy!
Prior to Allstar, I graduated from Iona College with a degree in
Marketing, worked in retail for a few years & most recently worked
at a shared office space company maintaining the offices for all
different types of clients…mostly attorneys. Allstar is a refreshing
change!
I grew up in Westchester & currently I live in Mahopac with my
husband, 15-month-old daughter, Ava & our cat, Stella. Every day
is busy (the days really do fly by!) but I wouldn’t have it any other
way!
When I’m not busy ,with the chaos that is my house, I like to read
(mostly autobiographies or true crime stories), do arts & crafts
(with Ava & on my own :P) & listen to 80’s/90’s music. I’ve been
lucky enough to have seen Poison, Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe, Bon
Jovi, ACDC, Metallica, Lynyrd Skynyrd &, my all-time favorite,
Aerosmith in concert so far. I also grew up in a very big baseball
family so naturally I am Yankee fan, know how to score a baseball
game (Thanks Dad!) & was at David Well’s perfect game, which
was pretty cool I must say.
If we haven’t met yet, please swing by the front & say hello!
Keeping the world safe from terror is no small feat, and thousands of
women and men in our Special Operations Forces (SOF) put
themselves in harm’s way to do so. Unless you’ve been there, it is
nearly impossible to comprehend the gravity of their duty, especially
when many pay the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our freedom. When
members of the SOF decide to transition from the intensity of their
service to civilian life, it can be challenging, mainly because most
cannot comprehend how their skill sets translate to roles outside of
the military.
Allstar recently partnered with The Honor Foundation (https://www.honor.org),
an organization who’s focus is transition readiness for
the SOF community, and hosted a networking event for 30 program
Fellows in NYC. We brought over 25 business leaders to the event,
proving the Fellows a platform for networking and continued professional
development. The evening could not have gone better! The THF
CEO shared the event was the finest he’s attended, and appreciated
our efforts. Special thanks to Chloe, Jackie, Fran and Terri for making
the event an absolute success!!
Cinco de Mayo Office Happy Hour
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QUARTER 2 - 2019
Human Resources
Fran Gaul
IT
Brian Arendt
Happy Summer! It’s been a busy few months and we have a lot
of exciting things coming up! Below is a recap of what has been
happening in the HR world and some upcoming events:
• CFR’s – Instead of the mid-year reviews forms we have used in
the past, we are doing something a bit different this time. Going
forward, we will be using a new format called CFR’s (conversations,
feedback and recognition). The objective of CFR’s is to
move to continuous performance management where we
encourage and facilitate open and honest communication
between an employee and his/her supervisor regarding goals,
progress and professional development. Managers will hold
CFR sessions with each of their employees quarterly. Stay tuned
for more information!
• Training and Development – As you know, training and
development has always been a priority for Allstar. We are in the
process of kicking off LinkedIn Learning which is new and
exciting for us! There are a variety of courses to choose from,
anything from Microsoft office training to management
training. We will be scheduling meetings with the different
departments to walk you all through the different courses and
learning paths you will be able to participate in.
• Allstars in Action – We have had 3 rounds of Allstars in Action
and participation has been amazing! Thank you for everyone
who submitted nominations and congratulations to all the
nominees on their well-deserved recognition!
• Allstars in Action – We had a successful first round of Allstars
in Action! Thank you for everyone who submitted nominations
and congratulations to all the nominees on their well deserved
recognition!
• Flu Shots – I know it seems like summer just began, but flu
season is right around the corner, and we are working on scheduling
flu shots for September. Be on the lookout for more
information.
I am always interested in hearing your comments and suggestions
so please feel free to email me or stop by. My door is always
open if you have any questions, comments or just want to say hi!
Have an idea for an article or want to write for
the newsletter?
Contact Jacqueline Johnson or Ed Katz if you have an
idea for a newsletter article or would like to write for the
newsletter. This newsletter is 100% for you, so we thank
all our writers and contributors who keep this newsletter
fresh and new!
How to maintain Account Security
Today, Online services require you to create an account to use their
service. These accounts will often request some personal information
from your full name to your social security number. Some services offer
additional layers of security for your account and should be taken
advantage of if theses security measures are offered. There are also
some general security practices that will help you stay secure while
using your account.
Setting a strong password is a necessary first step towards ensuring
your accounts are safe and secure. Some services will set a minimum
requirement for a password such as a minimum character limit, using at
least one number and symbol, using an uppercase and lower case, and
may prevent you from entering a password like your username. These
restrictions are not meant to be a nuisance, but to help further protect
your account. It is important to make sure you are using unique
passwords across your online accounts. If a hacker were to gain access
to a password for an account you own, your other accounts will be put
at risk. Practice setting different password for your online accounts. It
can be difficult to remember your passwords so you may want to invest
in a password management service like LastPass. LastPass is just one of
many services that will keep a list of your online accounts with your
login information. The information in LastPass is encrypted and security
measures are put in place to prevent unauthorized access to your
account.
Most services today offer an additional layer of security called two-factor
authentication. When two-factor authentication is enabled on your
account, anyone who attempts to login to your account will be
prompted for an additional code which can be sent to your email, text
message, or an app for your phone. If you receive a code and did not try
to access your account, immediately access your account and change
the password, username and email linked to the account if possible.
Setting up two-factor authentication is one of the best ways to ensure
your online accounts are safe and secure.
Account phishing is a very popular method hackers use to access your
account. The most common method of account phishing is email
phishing. If you receive an email from your account provider requesting
information or claiming there is an issue with the account, beware
as this could be a phishing attempt. All services will have an official
method of contacting their users and it is important to be aware of this
official channel of communication. If you are ever unsure of an email,
call their support line and request confirmation that the email was sent
by them. Here are some tips to help you identify a phishing email. Bad
spelling and grammar are signs of phishing as companies often hire
professionals for email communication. If the domain on the email
does not match up with other emails from the company, then It is
mostly likely a phishing email. The email contains a link that may say it’s
going to their website or your account page, but if you were to hover
your mouse over the link it says it will go to a completely different site.
The site could look like your normal login page, but will send your
information to the phisher and fail to log you in. Lastly a phishing email
will never contain an attachment will the following file extensions: .EXE,
.SCR, .DLL, or .BAT. if you were to open a file with the extensions listed
start a virus scan immediately and attempt to close all running
programs.
Online accounts are at risk now more than ever and it is important to
educate yourself on staying protected. The information above will help
you get a head start in protecting your online accounts. Be sure to set a
strong password, take advantage of any additional security measure
offered, and be aware of phishing emails and how to identify them.
Remember to keep yourself informed and your accounts will be safe
and secure.
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QUARTER 2 - 2019
Allstars In Action
Fran Gaul
APG Sales Corner
Tara Ferdico
Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations and
congratulations to all the nominees!
Our next value is Communicate:
We talk to each other in various ways and means, and
appreciate that effective and efficient communication is
essential to operating as one team with one mission.
NOMINEES FOR
ALLSTARS IN ACTION
VALUE “CARE”:
Marie Scaringi
Steven Ferreira
Melissa Scheideler
Liz Angrisani
Jodi Savitch
Chloe Lowth
Fran Gaul
Rita Pardee
Corinne Ruggieri
Mike Cuneo
Jackie Johnson
George Visnyei
David Lock
Terri Gentile
Chris Bean
Tom Gentile
Winner:
David Lock
NOMINEES FOR
ALLSTARS IN ACTION
VALUE “TRUST”:
Liz Angrisani
Nick Calcagni
Matt Capalbo
Shannon Devine
Reagan Eckler
Fiona Egan
Brian Gallaway
Fran Gaul
Tom Gentile
Ed Katz
David Lock
Courtney O’Brien
Herman Pardon
Victoria Salvati
Jodi Savitch
Melissa Scheideler
Teresa Sinapi
Caitlin Smith
Kassy Xia
It’s been a while since you’ve heard from the Sales Team!
What an interesting time to be in sales. With our awareness
of the ever changing and challenging retail and media
environment and our ability to continuously adapt – we
have set ourselves apart of our competitors. While many of
them are looking for that quick hit we’re in this for the long
haul. Building legacy brands is a key component of our
success and no item proves this more than Magic Mesh.
Currently in it’s 8th season and still going strong (we’ll sell
over 1MM units this season); we took a risk and launched
two additional styles (skus in our world) - Double Door
otherwise known as Patio and Garage Door. Strategically
placing in a few retailers, we quickly found that these items
have enough draw to announce full retail rollout in 2020!
And you may even see an American Flag version flying
around very soon!
Heading into Q4 we’re quickly locking up Fall sets and
promotional plans, striving to secure new business opportunities;
expanding our reach and overall striving for success!
Every morning, my husband asks me what’s on my work
agenda and I simply say – I’m going to do my best and sell!
After all isn’t that what sales is? A wise man once told me
“selling starts with no” and a sarcastic man once said, “if it
was easy, we’d all be doing it”. The moral – it may not be
easy; yet the end-result – the win – is very gratifying.
And, with that – I leave you to enjoy your summer!
Winner:
Tom Gentile
Congratulations to all the nominees!
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QUARTER 2 - 2019
Reviews
Dana Platt
The Worst Best Reviews
Calming Comfort
When we send bricks to customers, we make sure they
match their patios PERFECTLY so when they open their
package OUTSIDE (as normal people do), it is always
aethetically pleasing.
Now, that’s one BIG baby!
What is a WEIGHTED BLANKET
supposed to do again?
Socket Shelf
Changing lives…one outlet at a time
Are you sure you know how reviews work?
Think of our NPS scores if everyone rated our products like Mike England!
Or, when they hated us, they had “gagavickie’s” mindset…
When you just.don’t.know!
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QUARTER 2 - 2019
Merchandising
Corinne Ruggieri
Guest Writers
Hello Everyone!
Happy Summer! Finally, we are getting some nice, warm weather to
enjoy!
Always a lot of nice, and exciting things going on in the Merchandising
Department.
I attended my first Housewares show in Chicago this past March.
Everyone was right when they said “wear comfortable shoes”. I went
for the whole weekend and walked over 30,000 steps in 2 days!
What an amazing, but big show! Overall, it was an awesome
first-time experience to see what the Housewares show is all about.
I was able to meet with my current contacts, as well as I met new
contacts. There were a lot of great items as well at the show, from
cookware to cleaning supplies – you name it, we saw it!
Employees- please don’t forget about our Employee Referral
Process! This gives everyone a chance to pitch their products to the
Merch Team, Scott Boilen, and our DR consultant Jordan Pine. Since
everyone is in the same room at the same time, this allows everyone
to get immediate feedback on the items they bring in. This is a
great learning experience for the company to not only become
experts at the types of items we are looking for, but to shed some
light on what has been tried in previous years – because A LOT has
been tried! Also, there are great incentives if your product goes into
our testing process! The Merch Team looks forward to great new
items to come through the process, so make sure you submit your
forms! Any questions regarding this process, please feel free to
contact me.
Tom Burghardt – Controller / Director of
Operational Finance
Hello everyone! My name is Tom Burghardt and I joined the AllStar
operational finance team in the middle of January. Prior to joining
the team, I worked downtown in NYC for Convene; a company that
provides flexible-term office spaces, coworking locations, meeting
spaces, and event venues currently located in six different cities. I
started at Convene as Corporate Controller and eventually moved
into the role of Director of Finance. Prior to joining Convene, I
worked at the Chefs Warehouse in Ridgefield, CT where I worked
with the CFO and owners of the company to take the company
public in July 2011. A lot of long hours and hard work, but an
experience I will never forget. Before Chefs’ Warehouse, I worked
ten years at Ethan Allen (the furniture company) located in
Danbury, CT responsible for the financial reporting of the company’s
150 corporately owned retail stores and warehouses.
As my job tenure describes, I seem to excel in fast paced highly
dynamic entrepreneurial companies. My love of operational
finance in rooted in my drive in understanding the “nuts and bolts”
of the finance department systems to provide data to key stakeholders
throughout the organization. As we continue to grow and
scale here at AllStar, feel free to stop by my office and ask any
questions if I can help. As I get up to speed, I’m sure I’ll be stopping
by to ask you questions no matter what department you work in.
When I’m not in my office here at AllStar, I enjoy spending time
with my wife of 19 years and my 2 daughters; 17 and 12 years old.
As for recreational activities, if I’m not working on latest household
project I can be found at the gym.
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QUARTER 2 - 2019
Birthdays
Jacqueline Johnson
Allstar Gives Back (continued)
Happy Birthday
June
Jodi - 6/9
Glenn - 6/21
Caitlin - 6/27
Victoria 6/30
August
Corinne - 8/10
July
Terri - 7/1
Liz - 7/10
Ed - 7/16
Julie - 7/17
John - 7/20
Josh - 7/26
Here is a link to the event page: http://www.spca914.org/events/spca-events
Allstar Gives Back
Jacqueline Johnson
MY BROTHER VINNY DONATION
This event was a huge success we had a Breakfast and Bake Sale
Fundraiser and raised $730 and Allstar donated $270 to bring us to a
total of $1,000! Also, Allstar sponsored a team for this event. Below are
pictures of the Breakfast and Bake Sale along with the SPCA sponsors.
We wanted to update everyone on everything the Volunteer - Philanthropy
Committee has been up to. First off, I would like to give a shout
out to all our members who work hard to make these events successful.
We have a lot of new committee members this year. If you are
interested in joining the committee at any time, please e-mail me.
We will be sending out an e-mail soon with more information on our
next event!
SPCA WALK AND RUN FUNDRAISER
This event was a huge success we had a Breakfast and Bake Sale
Fundraiser and raised $730 and Allstar donated $270 to bring us to a
total of $1,000! Also, Allstar sponsored a team for this event. Below are
pictures of the Breakfast and Bake Sale along with the SPCA sponsors.
Thank You letter
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