Hinda Welcomes Gregg O'Neill to the Team!

We are pleased to announce the hiring of Gregg O’Neill as Business Development Director (BDD). In his most recent role as Vice President, Business Development at Brandmovers/Rewardian, Gregg was responsible for the growth of a major client’s consumer/employee platform business. Prior to that, he was in a similar role at Americas Points International, where he led business development efforts and expansion of Points loyalty currency management in the company’s major verticals, as well as opened expansion efforts into the financial sector.  

Gregg also spent 25 years at Maritz, where he held roles including Senior Account Manager, Field Sales Director and Business Development Director (Financial Sector). Some of his accomplishments during this tenure include leading the team effort that led to securing the largest loyalty contract in Maritz history, maintaining all business revenue in 2008 and 2009 during the financial market crisis and leading the project team that launched a major new airline credit card loyalty program which grew to 20,000,000 members over two years. Additionally, Gregg was the recipient of the Maritz Masters Award 18 times and won Account Executive of the Year twice.  

"Gregg is a true industry expert and professional,” says Mike Donnelly, President of Hinda Incentives. “His experience supports our Value Chain approach and his ability to create best-in-industry solutions for his clients makes him a trusted and valued partner."  

Gregg earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science from Fairfield University in Fairfield, CT. He currently resides in Metuchen, NJ. Gregg has been married to Ellen for 36 years and they have four children – Drew, Mark, Cara and Ryan. When not busy with work, Gregg is an avid sports fan and enjoys basketball, baseball and golf. He also loves theater, good restaurants, cooking, wine and travel – he’s been to over 20 countries around the world! 

“I have been involved with rewards for the past 30 years of my career, in both the consumer and employee space,” says Gregg. “The power of incentives is incredibly tangible and beneficial in driving real business results when delivered by the right partner. I am most impressed with Hinda's reputation and its forward vision as it continues to bring change and innovation to the market and its customers.”

Welcome to the Hinda team, Gregg!

Hinda Incentives Announces Closing of Its Acquisition of Universal Rewards Exchange

Hinda Incentives has announced that it has closed its acquisition of the Universal Rewards Exchange (URE) from Engagement Technology (ET) LLC, a division of Engagement Enterprises. The URE will become a division of Hinda and its current management team, including Vice President of Sales Jim Kilmetis and Andrea Lightman, will lead the new Hinda division, and will report to Mike Donnelly, President of Hinda Incentives.

“Hinda is excited about the early reaction to the news of this acquisition, says Donnelly. “While Hinda’s customer’s enjoy a full-service solution to their rewards and recognition programs that enables them to focus primarily on selling or on their other core businesses, the URE provides a unique, transparent marketplace for the incentive, recognition and other types of do-it-yourself solution providers who seek to have their own relationships with vendors, or who wish to utilize their own catalogs or front-end program management technologies. We are excited to be in the role of helping bring this invaluable industry marketplace to the next level to address the do-it-yourself solution providers who might not have considered Hinda in the past. We look forward to working with all of the wholesale suppliers in the URE marketplace to produce more volume for all and to improve industry efficiencies.”

Hinda will immediately add to its Value Chain Network strategy the technology and marketing services of the URE’s parent company, Engagement Enterprises. These include the Solata Engagement Express and Portal program management technologies and the Engagement Agency licensee program, both of which are designed specifically for marketing, HR, recognition and other solution providers seeking to help clients achieve specific goals by integrating all of the traditional levers of engagement. The program management technology is specifically built to support the engagement framework created by EE’s Enterprise Engagement Alliance Curriculum Development Program and to help solution providers and their clients profit from engagement.

The acquisition and marketing agreement demonstrates the commitment of both companies to helping incentive, recognition, loyalty and other engagement solution providers maximize their business opportunities by having access to the most complete suite of technologies and methodologies to help their clients of all sizes achieve the most measurable results.

Jim Kilmetis, a co-founder of the Universal Rewards Exchange, will join Hinda as Vice President of Sales. “My goal has always been to help the solution providers and vendors in this marketplace expand their businesses and enhance their customer relationships by providing the tools and support they need,” says Kilmetis. “The sale of the URE to Hinda helps not only the solution providers by providing them with even a broader range of services and support, but also the leading rewards suppliers who participate in the URE by expanding the potential marketplace for the benefit of all.”

The Universal Rewards Exchange, launched by Engagement Technology in 2010, is a virtual marketplace of rewards consisting of over 70 vendors and growing. It offers solution providers a choice between receiving real-time reward feeds or utilizing customized catalogs and a highly automated redemption system powered by a virtual logistics platform that serves up millions of merchandise, gift card, travel and digital rewards on a real-time basis. The URE is ideally suited for solution providers seeking a do-it-yourself, highly transparent pricing model and direct connections with suppliers.

The URE will now be able to offer its customers Hinda’s complete suite of full-service, customer service, award customization, pricing advantages and personalization services as needed for maximum program engagement. In turn, Hinda’s solution provider network will benefit from a new catalog platform for those who wish to manage award administration on their own, as well as a suite of front-end program management technologies to better measure the ROI of traditional incentive, recognition and loyalty programs.

CES So Far...

It’s only Day Two of the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, but Hinda’s merchandise team has already reported back with lots of great pictures and info about the cool new tech they’re seeing on the show floor. Here are just a few of the highlights – in no particular order – with more to come!

 Samsung®’s Galaxy Tab® S display featuring Marvel’s Avengers

Relatively new to the US market, TCL has been doing extremely well at Hinda. The company offers affordable price points and its line of Roku TV is hot. Here TCL is showcasing its Curved 4K TVs.

Load up your own beverages with the Chill personal soda machine from Hisense.

Not just a camera company anymore, Canon® showcases its Connected Home.

The Polaroid Fotobar offers “Instant Printification.”

Virtual Fitting Solutions from Toshiba

Headphones are big at Panasonic®!

Crosley®’s old-school booth proves vinyl is popular as ever.

Check out our Facebook  page for more images from the show floor at CES!

Consumer Electronics Show Opens in Vegas

The 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is underway in Las Vegas, where 160,000 visitors and 3,500 exhibitors will flock to check out and showcase the latest and greatest in consumer electronics. According to USA Today, anticipated highlights inlude drones, 4K TVs, app-based entertainment and high-tech cars. CES runs through Friday and Hinda is on the show floor reporting on cool new gadgets and tech trends, so stay tuned for updates this week!

Hinda Welcomes Greg Whitacre on Board as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing

Hinda Incentives is pleased to announce the hiring of Greg Whitacre as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. During the past five years, Greg held sales leadership roles with Marriott International, Inc., most notably its Global Individual Incentives business.

Prior to Marriott, Greg amassed an impressive career in the incentive marketing/employee engagement industry, spending 13 years at Maritz and 10 years managing his own company, G-FORCE Incentives, Meetings and Events. His undergraduate degree and graduate studies were at Northern Illinois University while on a full football scholarship, followed by a graduate assistant coaching position.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have Greg join our senior executive team,” says Dave Peer, President of Hinda Incentives. “He’s a tremendous leader who has a great passion for incentive marketing and employee engagement strategies. Hinda, as well as the whole industry, will benefit greatly from his experience, knowledge of the business and long-standing industry relations.”

PPAI 2013 This Week!

Opening on the heels of last week’s Consumer Electronics Show, PPAI 2013 starts today at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. An array of professional development workshops, keynotes and other events are on offer at the expo this year – not to mention over 11,000 promotional consultants and 1,400 suppliers in the exhibit hall. PPAI is the largest promotional products show in the industry, and if you’re looking for something new, you’ll find it here!

Representatives from Hinda have taken up residence on the show floor this week, so come check us out at Booth #8311, located on the Shorelines (level two) level right by PPAI’s brand.™ exhibit. We’ll be here Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., so come talk to us about the latest and greatest from Hinda Incentives!

CES 2013 This Week!

Today marks the opening of 2013’s International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, and Hinda’s merchandising team is scouring the show floor seeking out the latest technologies and trends across multiple product categories.

With more than 3,000 exhibitors showcasing everything from wireless technologies to home audio to headphones, the team is working with global brands for innovative product solutions. As a merchandise incentives company, one of Hinda’s prime responsibilities is translating ideas for all demographics , from retired and mature recipients to Baby Boomers to Gen X and Y – and now the new demographic, Gen Z.

Everything we do is focused on giving our recipients the product solutions they want and the service they deserve. Stay tuned for our wrap-up of CES when our merch team returns, right here on HindaBlog.com!