ZAG

NEWS
April 2016,
Volume 16,
Issue 1

CELEBRATING EARTH DAY

How will your Retail
Operation celebrate,
support, and of course
sell awareness and
appreciation for our Earths
Environment?
Earth Day was founded on April
22, 1970 to promote ecology and
respect for life on the planet as
well as to encourage awareness
of the growing problems of air,
water, and soil pollution. This
year, Earth Day will celebrate its
45th anniversary, and with over 1
billion people now participating
in Earth Day activities it is the
LARGEST civic observance in
the world. Pretty incredible
right?
At Zoos and Aquariums, every
day is Earth Day, but on this very
special day we can showcase
some of the steps everyone can
take that will truly make a difference for people and animals
across the globe. Most Zoos
and Aquariums will have fun,
engaging, and educational events
planned this day and its important that Retail participate. ZAG
is here to help with a few ideas.

Feature Display

Have a feature display that goes

up front and center a month before the event takes place. Dont
wait! You need to get your guests
interested and talking about Earth
Day before the actual day so that
they want to come back. After all,
isnt that our goal..repeat visitors?
Your feature display should promote
the eco-friendly and green items you
carry in your shop along with discouraging the use of disposable plastics and paper by showcasing refillable mugs and reusable items such as
totes.

Consignment Vendors:
Check with your local nursery as
some of them might be interested in setting up during your
event and offering a revenue
share. One of the biggest activities on this day is planting so why
not offer this to your guests?

Cross Promote:
Inform guests in your shop about the
exciting events your zoo/aquarium
has planned on this special day
through signage in your shop and
handouts at the cash register. Your
marketing department is most likely
working on flyers already, and if not,
your signage can be as simple as an 8
-1/2 x 11 paper you create yourself.
Remember-we are all in this together.

To learn more about Earth Day

please go to http://
www.earthday.org
To learn more about earth
friendly products from our
sponsors see pages 4-8

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A p r iApril
l 2 0 1 2016,
6 , V o Volume
l u m e 1 6 16,
, I sIssue
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Message from the President

Zoos, Aquariums and Wildlife

Facilities may in some cases be
seasonal businesses, but the job
of a Buyer is a year-round proposition. Now as our busy season
begins we can see the seeds of
our labor start to bear fruit. All
the buying decisions we made
during the Fall trade shows, during ZAG Week and Las Vegas
Total Giftall the phone calls
and vendor visits all start to
come into focus. Its an exciting
time to see that new product
start to sell and to see those old
reliable lines still chugging along!
What a great feeling, when that
toy that your sales rep talked you
into turns out to be a big hit.
Take the time to call that sales
rep, let them know you have a
winner. Communication with
your vendors is a great way to
build a relationship, and can be
so beneficial to both of you.
When the business is crazy and
your stores are packed, its fun to
take a minute or two and really

look at your customers. One thing

I absolutely love to do on a bustling day is watch my customers. I
like to see what items the kids are
bringing to their parents, only to
have the parent say nodo I
need to look at pricing for that
item? What toys are the kids grabbing and getting excited about.
What are the parents trying to steer
their kids to? Look at the lines to
pay out, are they moving quickly?
Do you have an employee struggling at the register? Is your staff
engaging the customers, or keeping
their heads down and struggling to
keep the shop clean? In just a few
minutes you get a great snapshot of
your business. You can easily spot
potential trouble, and get a great
view of your staff and guests.
Here on the ZAG Board we are
already gearing up for the 2016
show season. Soon the calls for
Travel Scholarship candidates will
go out. We are already deep into
the planning for ZAG Week 2016.
Weve looked at feedback from last
year, and have determined to make
this year even better. The members of the ZAG Board share a
commitment to you, the ZAG
Members and Sponsors, to make
2016 our best year yet. In January
the Board of Directors met in Atlanta at Americas Mart and engaged in two full days of discussion
and planning. Our meetings are

always spirited, always full of differing viewpoints, and always energizing for me. I know I speak for
all of the Board when I say we are
united in the business at hand
fulfilling our mission and helping
the ZAG community of buyers
continue to learn, to grow and to
succeed.
This newsletter contains a plethora
of information and ideas to help
your business grow. As always,
ZAG exists because of the members and sponsors who take the
time, the effort and the energy to
support us. We hope to engage all
of you this year in our journey!
If you have any ideas, questions or
feedback you can contact me directly
at:
michaeld@cameronparkzoo.com
Twitter/Instagram: @davisplan
Have a great Spring and Happy
Selling!
Michael

April 2016, Volume 16, Issue 1

Travel Scholarship

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Gold Sponsor
Country Fresh Food &
Confections
Offering over 100 flavors of
Gourmet Fudge in regular and
sugar-free varieties

All Expenses Paid Trip to Trade

Show!
Great Leaning Experience!

Gold Sponsor

Unlimited Networking Opportunities!

Safari Ltd

Dont Forget to Check if you are

Eligible for the

An American Company that

focuses on educational toys and
action figures that spark the
imagination featuring a wide range
of zoo and aquarium figures

ZAG Travel Scholarship

Reminder:
Be Sure To Review the ZAG By laws
At the 2016 ZAG Annual Members Meeting we will be asking
our Membership in attendance to vote to accept the ZAG ByLaws as they are written on the ZAG website.
Please review these By-Laws in order to ensure an educated and
vote. If you have any questions please contact our Governance
committee at Zaggovernance@gmail.com.

Pa ge 4

April 2016, Volume 16, Issue 1

ASK THE SPONSORS

We asked What items do you have that would be a perfect

fit for our Earth Day displays?
Here is what our Sponsors' said:
Renee from OPI want us to
Encourage visitors to use their
souvenir water bottle during their visit
and at home. A water bottle makes a
great upsell item throughout the park.
Contact OPI to see more designs and
t-shirt options. Individual Water bottles are also available.
OPI is also donating a $50 gift certificate towards an OPI purchase to one
of our lucky and talented winners of
Best Earth Day Display 2016 So
make sure you take photos

At elephant-friendly

ivory, every day is Earth Day! All

of our products (www.efivory.com) are
carved from tagua (tree ivory or vegetable ivory) that grows on trees! A typical tagua tree can produce up to 20
pounds of nuts a year and continues to
produce for decades. Therefore, promoting tagua products not only conserves elephants but protects the trees
that provide the raw material. For the
last 16 years, it has been our pleasure
to partner with over 100 zoos and

aquariums to offer eco-friendly and elephant-friendly ivory to

Earth-conscious customers.

April 2016, Volume 16, Issue 1

Art Studio
Company continues to

develop socially & environmentally conscious gifts and souvenirs. . . .

Our vegetable dyed line of
bags,scarves and duffels continue to do well while helping
the water systems in the villages
where they are made. Wait till
you see our new line of animal
inspired vintage look bags
(COMING SOON!). Our recycled products from Indian sari
dresses and blue jeans are really
cool, along with the recycled
wool ornaments that continue to
move. Our digital print bags

Pa ge 5

even have recycled leather embellishments. This year a portion

of these proceeds go the 'Chimp Haven,' helping experimental
and other animals retire in a humane atmosphere.
"Good for the Earth & Good for it's People

Pa ge 6

April 2016, Volume 16, Issue 1

Safari Ltd. we celebrate Earth Day on a

Here at
daily basis.

We have a company culture that constantly promotes

recycling, upcycling and overall environmental awareness.
Some examples are:
- 5-10 recycling bins are located in each department so we make sure that everything that can be recycled, is recycled.
- We reuse the backside of all computer paper that has already been printed on. We do this by keeping a tray next to our main
printer and stacking used paper up that can be re-used for incoming faxes or other internal documents.
- While renovating one side of our building, we decided to take all of the existing doors, sand them down, and create new desks for
all of our employees. Adjustable legs have been drilled into the doors to make some pretty nifty stand/sit desks.
- Motion sensor lights are located inside and out of our building in an effort to not be wasteful with respect to our energy resources.
- Weve incorporated high-efficiency hand dryers in all of the restrooms to reduce waste and save trees one paper towel at a time.
- All paper plates, plastic cups, and other disposable kitchenware has been eliminated. We now have drawers filled with glass cups,
ceramic plates and stainless steel silverware which can be used time and time again.
- Over the past few years weve reduced the amount of plastic used in packaging our products.
- Were in discussions with the city of Miami Lakes in order to show our green spirit by designating a day for Safari Ltd. to
plant trees around our building.
- Every year for Earth Day, our HR department sends out a infopacket to every employee with tips and tricks for living a more
environmentally friendly life.
And how can we forget? Our products being realistic replicas of our animal friends are designed to inculcate
principles in our young ones to begin caring for planet Earth from an early age.
Through the joy of play, they learn about these animals,
fall in love with them, and grow up to be more environmentally aware adults.
Lastly, Safari Ltd. has been a supporter of some very
important organizations that work hard to help keep our
planet healthy. These organizations include The Nature
Conservancy, National Eagle Center, Loggerhead Marinlife Center and Big Cat Rescue just to name a few.
And of course were a huge supporter of our wonderful friends at ZAG who work very hard to educate and
share with others the ideas and values that make Earth Day what it is!

April 2016, Volume 16, Issue 1

Green Kids Club,

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At
Our motto is
Growing up Green! Teaching the children the
importance of environmental stewardship and ecosystem preservation as they grow up to help save our
planet!

American Gift

has nice selection of

reusable totes that are made with recycled materials. They are priced to sell and can name drop to
customize for your facility. We offer a low minimum of only 24 pieces.
Call 1.800.262.4438 to order yours today.

Pa ge 8

April 2016, Volume 16, Issue 1

Stoneage Arts offers a wide variety of recycled items including recycled can animals, animal wall
hangings made with recycled bottle caps and their line of Pata-Pata animalscolorful and unique carvings using recycled flip-flops

Sakroots doesnt

Supports

ARTIST CIRCLE CAMPUS

TOTE MSRP $49

CAMPUS MINI
MSRP $39

ARTIST CIRCLE
SMARTPHONE WRISTLET
MSRP $35

ZIPPER JOURNAL
MSRP $20

ARTIST CIRCLE FLAP

BACKPACK MSRP $79

RHYME RAIN BOOTIE

MSRP $39

sionate about during

checkout. Sakroots then
just support the earth on matches all donations. We
Earth Day, we contribute also spotlight our charities
year round with our
monthly in newsletters to
Choose Your Karma pro- our customers and on sogram. With our program, cial media. Our Peace
customers have the abil- Print supports the Earth
ity to choose between the Day Network.
11 charities in our circle
and donate to the one
www.sakroots.com
they feel the most pas-

April 2016, Volume 16, Issue 1

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Building the ZAG Brand

One of the crucial goals of the ZAG Board of Directors is to increase
the awareness of ZAG and independent gift shop buyers within the industry. It is vital to our continued growth that ZAG and ZAG Members have a voice at the table in the ever changing climate of attraction
retail. To that end two of our Directors were able to bring the message
of Mission Based retailing to large audiences at some recent Industry Trade Shows.
Board V.P. Tommy Lee Brown, of the St. Louis Zoo, presented a Conservation Seminar and Buying Tour entitled Can Conservation Drive Your Mission While Driving Sales at the Seattle Gift Show on January 23rd in Seattle, WA.
Tommy also hosted a ZAG Regional Meeting during the Windy City Gift Show in Chicago IL. Special thanks to Urban Expositions for all of their logistical help and support
with these efforts.
Our current Board President, Michael Davis of Cameron Park Zoo
Waco, TX, presented a seminar entitled: Mission Based Merchandising: How Retail Can Support Vision on January 26th at the Las Vegas
Winter Market in Las Vegas, NV. Michael would like to thank the Staff at
IMC/LVMkt for their support of his seminar.
All of these events were attended by ZAG Members and other Gift Shop industry professionals. This is the
type of exposure ZAG needs to build our presence as vital part of our industry. These seminars also had the
added benefit of promoting one of ZAGs key purposes; to encourage sustainable, conservation minded and
mission based merchandising. This is an area where independent buyers can provide their institutions with
support only an in-house buyer can deliver.
ZAG will once again have a strong presence at the AZA Annual Conference, and some Board Members have
been initially approached for involvement in presentations and panel discussions there, so stay tuned for details! The ZAG Board of Directors will continue to look for creative ways to get the message of Independent
Buyers in front of our industry leaders!

Gold Sponsor

Gold Sponsor

Out of Hand Graphics

Wildlife Artists

Designing for
the Future
Screen printed
apparel for Adults,
Youth, Toddlers
and Infants

For over 40 years Wildlife

Artists Inc. has supplied
gift shops and animal lovers of all ages with CORE...
Creative, Original, Realistic
and Educational Plush

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April 2016, Volume 16, Issue 1

Gold Sponsor

Gold Sponsor

Great American Products

Moksha Imports

A Proven Leader in the souvenir

industry producing a wide variety of
acrylic, stainless steel, ceramic and
glass drink ware.

A Conservation and Mission based

company featuring hand-made
wind chimes, jewelry, apparel and
other crafts from India

Chicago Regional Meeting

ZAG for the first time had a presence at the Windy City Gift
Show by
Urban Expositions. ZAGs VP Tommy Brown presented a conservation lecture and tour for the Show and shared the importance of conservation in product procurement. ZAG also had a regional meeting
where our mid-west members were able to share ideas with a board member and enjoy some famous Chicago style pizza. This was a start to reach out to our members in
the middle of the country and we hope that other ZAG regional meetings will follow
at other regional gift shows. Thank you to all the members that came to the lecture
and the meeting.

A Lost Art
A.T. Storrs
Adventure Planet/Rhode Island Novelty
Art Studio Company
Aurora World, Inc
Cool Jewels by Phillips International
Doodle Pants
Fiesta
Green Kids Club, INC

K&M Intl/Wild Republic

Odle Group-Gravity Graphics
Pampeana Glass Art & Green Living Tree
Peek A Zoo
Sandy Creek Mining Company
The Petting Zoo
Tree-Free Greetings
Tropical Seas Inc/Reef Safe
Village Originals

April 2016, Volume 16, Issue 1

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Meeting our Members

Marla Molinelli

Lincoln Park Zoo is a free zoo open

365 days a year located along Chicagos
lakefront between North Avenue and
Fullerton. My full time staff consists of
myself as Director of Retail Operations, a Warehouse Manager, Warehouse Coordinator, Shop Manager and
two Assistant Managers. We also have
2 part time seasonal staff that helps us
as Sales Supervisors
Our main shop, Wild Things, is open
daily except for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and for our
annual inventory in February. This
shop is 5600 square feet and nets over

$1.4 million with over 82,000 transactions.

By net sales, plush is our top seller, but by
individual SKU, rock candy from PA
Dutch is our top seller, with Pucker Powder and rocks from Village Originals close
behind.
We also have a shop in our lion house,
Safari Shop, and a kiosk. Next fall, with
the opening of our new Polar Bear and
African Penguin exhibits, we will have a
second kiosk open.
Our best spring sellers are again candy and
plush rise to the top of the list, with custom souvenirs for the out of town guests
as a close second.

I carry at least 36 of the ZAG Sponsors including:

A-B Emblem-new for us in 2016patches

AT Storrs-jewelry
Acacia-fair trade items
Rhode Island Novelty-plush and toys
Allan H. Rose/Leosco-plush
Art Studios-ornaments, bags, scarves
Aurora-plush, Fancy Pal bags
Bears 2 Go-stuffing animals
Charles Product-custom products
Cool Jewels- all jewelry
Doodle Pants-new for us in 2016-child apparel
EF Ivory-tagua nut figures
Fiesta-plush
Folkmanis-Puppets
Impact-custom products, 3D postcards
Jaco-tiles and glass,
Jacobson-hats
K&M-plush and toys
Lantern Press- new for us in 2016,
Little Critterz-small porcelain figures,
National Design- pens and pencils

Out of Hand-adult and children t-shirts

Pucker Powder-and Whackies great margins
Lantern Press- new for us in 2016,
Little Critterz-small porcelain figures,
National Design- pens and pencils
Out of Hand-adult and children t-shirts
Pucker Powder-and Whackies-have both
machines excellent margin
Puzzled-toys
Safari-PVC toy
Stephen Joseph-apparel and gift
Stoneage Art-fair traded gifts and custom totes
Mountain -t-shirts
Petting Zoo-plush
Toysmith-toys
Village Originals-loose rocks
Warm Fuzzy-toys
Wildlife Artist -plush
Wildlife Education Zoobooks
Wishpets-plush
World End Imports-Jewelry

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April 2016, Volume 16, Issue 1

Made in America Fair Trade for the American Worker

As citizens of the United States of America we have all heard the slogans Made in
USA, Buy American, or Proudly Crafted in America, but do we really understand what these slogans mean? Sometimes we are so bombarded by cute little slogans or buzz words that we never take the time to understand why these words
are so important in our everyday American vocabulary. This handout will address
the main issues of what these slogans should mean to every American buyer in
easy to understand bullet points.
Fair Trade in America When we buy products made in America we know that workers rights are protected under laws. We are also reinvesting back into our own country to better American lives. We create more jobs to help our own people and grow stronger economies nationwide. When American
people work our pride grows as a country and American families can flourish.
Conservation In America we have laws in place to protect the environment through the EPA
and many countries do not have such laws thus destroying the environment and the wild life
around them. We also reduce carbon emissions and pollution by not transporting products from
other nations to America.
Safety In America we have governmental organizations to protect us from hazards in products produced
in this nation. We can also control if the money is being used to fund terrorism from sales of products
within the county and that cannot be said about some international goods. In America we know the
factory where work is being performed but in China, substandard factories can be outsourced by larger
factories to create the goods for America using unsafe materials or substandard working conditions for
the workers. Lead and other toxins seem to always get into our product lines via Chinese manufacturing because safety standards are not as high as they are in America.
National Debt Our National debt is the largest it has ever been in the history of the
United States of America and that is because we keep importing goods from China and
other countries. Our import to export ratio has to change if we want to build a strong
Nation once again and control our national debt.
American Facts The fact is there are so many facts out there to look at on American jobs, relocated
and outsourced jobs, American unemployment rate and what is a living wage, that is can be hard to
really know the truth. Because politics play such a large role in our culture, numbers are constantly being manipulated to reflect good or bad to the American people. Just use common sense and not statistics. If a factory in your town shuts down and they move operations to China that is an extreme blow
to your local economy and that is real. Again, if we keep a local and a grass roots mentality to always help and buy from the community we live in, recovery from a major job
loss can be lessened. Also, if the American people want change in their working lives and
want to prevent our companies from relocating to overseas, then we as a people must ask
our leaders for changes in American policies. If Americans always stayed silent we would
not have things like OSHA, child labor laws, minimum wage laws and many other working
laws we now take for granted. We are Americans and we can still create our own change
and vote with our wallets on what we buy. Because we are Americans we have choices, so choose
wisely where your next dollar goes, as it does affect you.

April 2016, Volume 16, Issue 1

Buy Local There is nothing better for a community than to buy from within
support local jobs, keep transportation emissions low, keep agriculture
fresh/natural, strengthen small business and support small farms. All these
efforts can keep Americans working, improve the small American businesses and help protect our country and environment.

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to

Gatekeepers Buyers are the gatekeepers between manufacturing companies and the consumer. Buyers can make conscience efforts in what they buy and present to the public
for sale. Yes, price does drive sales and that is why buyers are drawn to factory made foreign products,
but that price has a cost on the environment, human rights, loss of American jobs and the possibility of
supporting terrorism that endangers the lives of Americans.
Beware of Imposters As with any products, international marketing teams out there want you to believe
some items are made in America but they really are not. They will have the American flag with Made
In and in small print say Made in China. They can market our American Branding however they
want as long as they disclose the country of origin on the garment. If you want to be 100% sure if an
item is really made in America ask the manufacture for written confirmation on the origin of the product.
Crafts and Heritage As Americans we have pride and traditions through our arts and
crafts. America has been a country of woodworkers, glass manufactures, ironworkers, candle/soap makers, embroiders and food producers from the founding of this great nation.
These by hand traditions should not be forgotten and preserved for future generations,
as we should never forget that our own hands help build America. Buyers need to commit
to buying traditional products to keep our past heritage alive for future Americans. Simple
signs that say why a product is so important to America will help sell that particular item
because then it becomes a story and not just a consumable good.
Our American Flag There should be some items that should only be Made in America. For example:
our American Flag should never be produced in China. The Flag is our icon and a
symbol of our people, only our people should be making our Flag. When we outsource the manufacturing of our Flag, we are symbolically selling out our nation.
Our freedom should not be manufactured in China. Please support any legislation
that prohibits The American Flag from being produced outside of America.
These points are here to get you thinking of what it is to be an American in an American economy and to
think about our American values and obligations to each other in the great country. We are Americans and we
can do anything, so next time you shop think about helping your neighbor through what you are buying. If
Denise works at a mop factory and you work at a canning plant, if you go out and buy one of the mops she
made, she will have the money to go buy the canned tomatoes you canned, thus creating jobs for all of us internally. Buy American, for Americans and keep America strong!

ZAG BOARD MEMBERS

Contact Information

PresidentMichael DavisCameron Park Zoo, Waco, TX

Vice PresidentTommy Brown Saint Louis Zoo,
Saint Louis , MO
SecretaryMissy Rosevear Lehigh Valley Zoo, Schnecksville, PA
Treasurer Brent WalterHenry Vilas Zoo, Madison, WI
Board Member-Theresa Danneffel-John Ball Zoo, Grand Rapids, MI
Board Member-Laurie Vanderwal-Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge,
Eureka Springs, AR
Board Member-Yvonne Miles-San Diego Zoo, San Diego, CA
Board Member-Denise Lamoureux-Southwicks Zoo, Mendon, MA
Board Member-Kim Gefre Lowry Park Zoo. Tampa , FL

Email Addresses:
Sponsorship Committee: zagsponsorship@gmail.com
Membership Committee: zagmembership@gmail.com
Communications Committee: zagcommunication@gmail.com
Finance Committee: zagfinance@gmail.com
Governance Committee: zaggovernance@gmail.com

Follow us on:
www.facebook.com/zaggift

Website:
www.zaggift.com

We are Here to Help You

ZAG MISSION

ZAG is a collection of merchandise buyers for zoos, aquariums and other wildlife-related institutions and attractions. The goals of ZAG are to increase and
improve communication between buyers, and to raise awareness and professionalism of the field within the zoo and aquarium industry.

Upcoming Trade Shows

International Home Furnishings Market
International Home Furnishings Market
Charlotte Gift & Jewelry Show (Winter)
Global Sources Gifts & Home Show
London Stationery Show
Columbus MarketPlace (April Market)
National Stationery Show
Mississippi Market Wholesale Show
ACRE Las Vegas
Showtime
Dallas Total Home & Gift Market (Summer)
Surf Expo Preview Days
American Made Show (Summer)
International Christian Retail Show (ICRS)
Columbus MarketPlace (June Market)
Summer Fancy Food Show

April 16-20

High Point

NC

USA

April 16-21

High Point

NC

USA

April 16-18

Charlotte

NC

USA

April 18-21

Hong Kong

April 26-27

London

April 30-May 1

Dublin

OH

USA

May 15-18

New York

NY

USA

June 2-3

Jackson

MS

USA

June 2-4

Las Vegas

NV

USA

Dec. 6-9

Hight Point

NC

USA

June 22-28

Dallas

TX

USA

June 22-23

Orlando

FL

USA

June 23-26

Dallas

TX

USA

June 26-29

Orlando

FL

USA

June 26-28

Dublin

OH

USA

June 26-28

New York

NY

USA

China
UK