The PPAI Board of Directors held its spring meeting on May 8-9, 2019, in Park City, Utah, with Chair Brittany David, MAS, presiding. Board members spent a portion of the first day in a strategic planning session where they examined various global and national issues and their impact on the promotional products industry.

The board meeting itself included a full agenda. Following are some highlights:

  • Executive Vice President Bob McLean reported that Promotional Products Education Foundation has received a request to establish a named scholarship for a living Hall of Fame recipient. After review and discussion, the board voted unanimously to change the Hall of Fame-named scholarship program to establish a $5,000 PPEF associate-named scholarship in honor or in memory of a Hall of Fame member. The scholarship will be in the Hall of Fame member’s name. The PPAI board will commit to a one-time match of industry donations up to $2,500 to fulfill the $5,000 commitment.

  • McLean also provided an update on the Association health plan, reporting that census letters have been sent to members and will be followed by a webinar and telemarketing efforts to continue to gauge interest in such a program.

  • Director of Public Affairs Anne Stone reviewed PPAI’s government relations efforts noting that tariffs continue to dominate national discussions. She provided some history regarding the current tariffs applied to Chinese goods and reviewed the implications of the Supreme Court’s Wayfair decision, which allows states to apply taxes to online sellers. She stated that the Association’s position is to encourage business certainty and stressed that disparity between states creates a hardship on small business. Staff will continue to provide education resources to members.

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James Khattak is news editor of PPB.