Industry News

Educators Resource recently announced a planned product line expansion that will provide full coverage of the stock catalogs produced by Catalog Solutions Inc. (CSI). ER will also continue to stock the full product assortment found in the catalogs produced by Creative Catalog Concepts (CCC). Brad Summersell, executive vice president, said, “Our support of both CCC and CSI involves a close working relationship with each cataloger. Not only do we coordinate to make merchandising decisions so that the dealer has full product coverage, but we also exchange data and resell non-imprinted versions of the catalogs. This positive change will allow our customers to continue working with us regardless of their catalog decision.”

For more information, please call 800-868-2368, ext. 383 for Frank Trice or ext. 387 for Ali Hartselle-Reid.

The Orb Factory Limited, a Canadian designer and manufacturer of innovative toys, won the Manufacturer Excellence Award at the recent ASTRA show and convention in June.
The Orb Factory was recognized as a company that provides safe, fun and educational toys for children all over the world. This summer, the company released new products in the popular SparkleUps and StoryCraft lines, brand new Sticky Mosaics kits, Stick’n Style purses and the company’s first Curiosity Kits products.

The Orb Factory celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2011. Learn more at www.orbfactory.com.

One Minute Mysteries: 65 Short Stories You Solve With Math! by Eric and Natalie Yoder was just selected as an International Best Books Award Finalist. The book, part of the Science, Naturally! series, has also been selected by the Library of Congress to be produced in Braille. Only a handful of books are chosen for this format. Blind readers will be able to request copies from their regional/state Braille library. The Library of Congress will also have the Braille edition available for their Web Braille subscribers. The book will also be available for order at the William A. Thomas Braille Bookstore in Stuart, Florida.

Several other Science, Naturally! titles are available in Braille, including 101 Things Everyone Should Know About Science and One Minute Mysteries: 65 Short Mysteries You Solve With Science! All of these titles are NSTA Recommends. Learn more at www.sciencenaturally.com.

Dr. Melissa Hughes has been hired as the new online marketing manager for Chicago School Supply. Melissa grew up in a small suburb of Akron, Ohio. She obtained her teaching certificate in elementary education and landed a fourth-grade position at the same school she attended as a child. Her passion for education prompted her to go on to earn an M.S. in educational leadership and an M.A. in instructional technology. Throughout both programs, Melissa focused her research on effective learning communities. She obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Akron in curriculum and instruction with a research focus on summer learning loss and the achievement gap.

After spending 10 years teaching at the elementary level and four years teaching at the university level, Melissa began to explore other opportunities for personal and professional growth. She has spent the last 10 years in the educational publishing field.

Melissa takes pride in her classroom roots and has utilized those valuable experiences in various research, product development and marketing positions throughout her career. She has authored and co-authored more than 10 resource books for teachers. She has also developed several online communities as vehicles for teachers to learn from and share teaching ideas and strategies with one another. She has a particular interest in social media and has enjoyed developing her skills in that area.

Thames & Kosmos, the Providence-based publisher of science and technology kits, recently received two awards from the Parents’ Choice Foundation. The Stirling Engine, a unique solar-powered car and experiment kit, received a Silver Honor, while Little Labs: Stars & Planets was awarded a Parents’ Choice “Recommended” seal.

To learn more about Thames & Kosmos, visit www.thamesandkosmos.com.