PPAI’s Bellantone, Stone, Join The Allen Company Strategy Meeting

In December, PPAI President and CEO Paul Bellantone, CAE, and Public Affairs Director Anne Stone visited the Blanchester, Ohio, headquarters of The Allen Company to meet with leadership and staff, participate in strategy discussions and learn more about how the Association can assist the supplier.

The session brought Bellantone (second from right) and Stone (right) together with Stan Dohan, MAS, president of The Allen Company (center) and several of the company’s staff—including CEO Allen Dohan (second left) and Preston Dohan, quality control manager (left)—to speak on strategic foresight in the promotional products industry. The conversation focused on looking to the future and spotting emerging trends to help companies be in the best possible position to take advantage of them or prepare for the disruptions they may bring.

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PPAS Luncheon Celebrates Community, Accomplishments

The Promotional Products Association Southwest (PPAS) volunteer luncheon in November drew PPAI President and CEO Paul Bellantone, CAE, to deliver a town hall-style presentation on the state of the industry and the key issues and opportunities in play, the Association and its member companies, and celebrated the accomplishments of PPAS volunteer Larry Krause.

Larry Krause (center), president of multi-line rep group LDK Marketing Services, was named the inaugural inductee into the PPAS Hall of Fame. Krause has been an active volunteer with the regional association since 1982.

PPAS members also raised funds for the Homeless Veterans Service of Dallas at the luncheon. The regional association collected $200 through the sale of Antiqua jackets provided by Krause and custom embroidered by Rodney and Georgina Bogart of All About Bikers. Steven Meyer, MAS, (right), PPAS president, says, “A large part of the luncheon’s focus was understandably on veterans. Both PPAS tradition and the times make it very important to our membership to recognize and thank those who have served our country.”

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UMAPP’s Volunteer Event, Roundtable Discussion Brings Together Business Leaders, PPAI’s Bellantone

PPAI President and CEO Paul Bellantone, CAE, joined the Upper Midwest Association of Promotional Professionals (UMAPP) in December for a community event, board dinner and roundtable breakfast discussion with members.

 

UMAPP’s Connect events bring members together throughout the year (above, left). Its December event brought together 14 members from industry supplier and distributor companies to pack food for Feed My Starving Children, a nonprofit organization providing nutritional meals for children across the globe. This was UMAPP’s fourth Connect event in 2018 and more than 100 members have participated.

The breakfast roundtable Bellantone joined (above, right) while with UMAPP drew owners and senior management from distributors, suppliers and multi-line rep firms, and featured a higher-level discussion about topics, including what is happening in the economy, employee issues, products and tariffs. Spurring on the conversation, he asked attendees about the best and worst things that had happened to their businesses in the past year and how PPAI can help them.

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Promo Expo Hosts 2018 Annual Holiday Party

Promo Expo, a group of multi-line and supplier reps who share space and work together, brought industry distributors and suppliers together in December for the Burlington, Ontario, organization’s annual open house and holiday party.

Promo Expo’s holiday party was also a celebration of Sally Piitz (center), who recently retired after 31 years in the industry.

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James Khattak is news editor of PPB.