👋 Welcome back to This Week in Print-on-Demand Presented by Brand Sauce! 🎉 We’re dishing out a little bit of everything this week: how the federal shutdown could shake up swag, creative ways companies are sparking employee engagement, and a yummy stat about Halloween candy consumption. Grab a cozy fall drink and let’s jump in!

NEWS & NUGGETS: A DASH OF INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

⚠️ Shutdown Shakes Up Swag: The U.S. government shutdown (yep, it happened) is rippling into the promo merch world. PPAI warns of delays in federal swag orders and general chaos in procurement. Regulatory agencies like the SBA and GSA are on pause, meaning uncertainty for businesses that supply them. Flashback: the last big shutdown in 2018 burned a $3B hole in the economy – ouch.) Source.

🏒 Merch on Thin Ice: The NHL’s brand-new Utah “Mammoth” team hit a mammoth roadblock – a small Oregon hockey company (named Mammoth Hockey) wants them to stop selling team merch. Lawyers are facing off: the team filed a lawsuit, and the company shot back with an injunction to halt jersey sales before the season opener. With 30,000 Mammoth jerseys ready to go, we’re all waiting to see who scores the winning goal in court. Source.

🤠 Big Tex, Big Trends: Impressions Expo Dallas just wrapped up (Oct 1–4). This massive trade show drew thousands of apparel decorators and promo pros deep in the heart of Texas. From cutting-edge T-shirt printers to blinged-out giveaways, everything’s bigger (and flashier) in Texas. It’s the place where brands scout the freshest merch and printing tech. Source.

🏆 Recognize = Retain: Here’s a simple HR hack: say “thank you” more often. A survey finds 71% of employees would be less likely to quit if they were recognized more frequently. That’s right, frequent shout-outs and kudos can dramatically curb turnover. Authentic, specific recognition (think: “Great job leading that project!” rather than a generic “thanks”) gives people the warm fuzzies and a reason to stick around. Source. 

🍬 Sweet Stat: Americans have a huge sweet tooth this time of year. We collectively buy about 600 million pounds of candy for Halloween every year. That’s roughly the weight of 6 Titanics in fun-sized Snickers, candy corn, and chocolate bars. (Don’t forget to book your dentist appointment, folks.) Source.

 🎉 Giveaway Winner Alert: Shout-out to the winners from last week, Kirstin Heutmakerand Jennifer DiPietrantonio. We’ve got another giveaway below!

SWAG INSIDERS

📸 85SIXTY’s Picture-Perfect Recognition

How do you turn employee recognition into a mini-Oscar Awards? Digital agency 85SIXTY nailed it with a creative photo competition for their team. They encouraged employees to snap photos and reward winners with $ to their store.

The result: tons of engagement, friendly rivalry, and a whole lot of laughs in the company Slack. Winners earned credit to spend in the company swag store, fueling even more team spirit. By gamifying recognition, 85SIXTYproved that a little creativity (and maybe a goofy selfie or two) can make values and appreciation come alive.

“At 85SIXTY, we’re always looking for creative, meaningful ways to engage our team, and this photo contest has been a perfect example of that. What started as a grassroots idea from one of our team members has grown into a monthly tradition that sparks creativity, connection, and a bit of friendly competition. Each month, we post a themed prompt in our company-wide Slack channel, often tied to the season or a fun cultural moment, and invite submissions over two weeks. The team then votes on their favorites, and the top three win gift cards to our branded swag shop, powered by Brandsauce. It’s a fun way to highlight team voices and bring personality into our remote culture, while also driving excitement for the gear we’ve created for staff. It’s low lift, high impact, and keeps engagement fresh and authentic.”

WEEKLY POLL + GIVEAWAY

🎁 Giveaway Alert: Stuff A Mug Gift Baskets

We’re treating a lucky reader to their choice of any gift basket from Stuff A Mug’s Gift Baskets. Whether you’re into wine & cheese, a cozy spa set, or a movie-night snack basket, you’ll get to pick your favorite from their collection of goodies.

Details:

👉 To enter, just answer this week’s poll below.

📊 Poll of the Week

CLIENT SPOTLIGHT

🤝 Meet Forgen

Forgen, a powerhouse in environmental and geotechnical construction. With expertise in heavy civil projects and environmental remediation, Forgen (headquartered in Colorado) is the team that builds the literal foundation for communities to thrive. They’ve grown to hundreds of employees across North America, tackling complex projects like stabilizing dam embankments and cleaning up contaminated sites. Forgen is all about innovation and safety – and they wear their core values (like integrity, excellence, and teamwork) on their sleeve. It’s no wonder this company has a reputation for taking care of both the earth and its people.

📣 Our Collaboration

We helped Forgen bring their recognition program to life with a custom swag store that turns kudos into prizes. Here’s how it works: high-performing employees earn branded poker chips as a token of appreciation. Those chips can then be cashed in for real rewards—apparel, drinkware, gear, and more—through their company store. It’s part gamification, part celebration, and 100% on-brand.

🤝 Connect With Forgen

Shoot me a note at Ross@brandsauce.io to get connected with the team.

WEEKEND UPDATE

Around the Water Cooler With Ross AKA The P.O.D. Guy

This week, Jewish families around the world observed Yom Kippur—the holiest day of the Jewish year. It’s a day of fasting, prayer, and deep reflection. A day to pause, to look back on the past year, and to ask forgiveness—from God, from others, and sometimes from ourselves.

This year, for the first time, I sat down with my kids to really talk about it. We spoke about what it means to make mistakes, to feel regret, to ask for forgiveness, and to try again. These are big conversations for little hearts, but they are conversations worth having.

With Bo, who is 11, serious talks don’t come easy. He often feels like he’s being judged or told what he’s done wrong. Maxie is more open, but even she sometimes feels that way. Still, I wanted them to hear me say it:
“I’m sorry. For the ways I’ve hurt you. For the times I could have done better. I will keep trying.”

I asked them if there was anything they wanted me to apologize for. And I meant it.

The moment was tender. I could feel in my body that my words reached them. They saw that I wasn’t lecturing, but opening my heart. They saw that apologizing is not weakness—it is love, it is humility, it is courage.

Yom Kippur gave me the gift of that pause. Without it, I may not have slowed down enough to say the words that matter most. Words that connect. Words that heal.

Max told me I should apologize for making them cry “100 billion times” last year. We laughed through the tears. And in that moment, I realized: this is what the day is about—not perfection, but the promise to keep showing up better than before.

Here’s to carrying that promise forward, one heartfelt apology at a time.

THAT’S A WRAP

Thanks for joining us for Episode #50 – we covered a ton, from government shenanigans affecting our beloved promo industry to the sweetest Halloween stats, plus some pro tips on keeping your team engaged and happy. We hope you’re walking away with a few new ideas (and maybe a craving for candy corn). 

Until next time, stay saucy! 👋 

– Ross & the Brand Sauce Team.”

If you missed our last few editions, you can find them here: