Proforma Celebrates Owners’ Accomplishments At Annual Convention

Above photo: Proforma’s convention brought together a record number of the Independence, Ohio-headquartered distributor’s member owners, sales representatives, support staff, supplier partners and special guests, with nearly 700 attendees coming together to celebrate their business successes.

Proforma held its ‘Inspire U’ collegiate-themed 2019 Convention & Family Reunion in July at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Along with more than 80 educational seminars and experiential, hands-on technology demonstrations from ProVision, Proforma’s business management technology solution, this year’s convention included a private supplier showcase, featuring more than 300 suppliers as well as supplier roundtable discussions, and the New Product Spotlight, which allowed owners and sales representatives to network with industry suppliers and to take an exclusive look at hot, new products from each supplier partner.

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CPPA Philanthropy Committee Leads Regional Association's Charity Support

CPPA Cares, the newly formed philanthropy committee for the 700-plus members of the Chesapeake Promotional Products Association (CPPA), has made summer a little brighter for children attending the daycare program at Sarah's House, a supportive housing program offering emergency shelter and project-based supportive housing and other services for families experiencing homelessness in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The center has a full schedule planned for the summer, including several field trips and a sleepaway camp for the older children.

Above, left: Sarah's House had an immediate need for t-shirts for the children attending field trips.
In less than 10 days, a logo was created, and shirts were made and decorated for both the children
and the staff. Above, right: In addition to the t-shirts Sarah's House needed, CPPA collected flip
flops, beach towels, water toys, backpacks, water bottles, lip balm and pillows to complement 
planned activities for the children.

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SAGE Staff Donates School Supplies, Helps Metrocrest Prepare for the Upcoming School Year

Staff at Addison, Texas-based SAGE donated school supplies in July to Metrocrest Services' back-to-school drive. Metrocrest Services assists individuals living in Carrollton, Addison, Farmers Branch, Coppell and parts of Dallas who are coping with crisis situations, need help stabilizing their lives, or who require support to live independently.


Above, left: Pictured are some of the supplies that SAGE employees donated to Metrocrest
Services. They also provided pens, notebooks and other products, as well. Above, right:
A team of SAGE employees also volunteered at Metrocrest's warehouse for an afternoon,
where they stuffed boxes with school supplies and helped sort the donated items.

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PPAI Welcomes PPPC, BPMA And APPA Heads At Association Headquarters

On July 25-26, PPAI hosted the leaders of its international peer organizations at its headquarters in Irving, Texas. John Birrell, CEO of the British Promotional Merchandise Association (BPMA); Jonathan Strauss, president and CEO of the Promotional Products Professionals of Canada; and Steve Granland, CEO of the Australasian Promotional Products Association (APPA) met with PPAI's executive team and department heads to learn more about shared challenges and opportunities facing the organizations and how they can collaborate on them going forward.


Above: Participants in the meetings of PPAI's headquarters included (from left) PPAI Public
Affairs Director Anne Stone; PPAI Executive Vice President Bob McLean, CPA, CAE; PPPC 
President and CEO Jonathan Strauss; BPMA CEO Jon Birrell; PPAI President and CEO Paul
Bellantone, CAE; PPAI Vice President of Business Development Alan Peterson; and APPA
CEO Steve Granland, among others.

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James Khattak is news editor of PPB.