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JANUARY 2017
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85
Celebrating Leadership Excellence
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FEATURE
T
he PPAI Hall of Fame has, since 1977,
honored leaders in the promotional
products industry who have made a
lasting impact on the field and their
communities. And through his advocacy
and support at both the regional and
national levels, in areas as diverse as
professional education and government
relations, Joel Schaffer, MAS, president
of Soundline, LLC, in Randolph, New
Jersey, has left an indelible mark on the
promotional products industry and the
companies and organizations that serve it.
“When you enjoy the work you do for
others and then get recognized for it, that’s
fulfillment,” says Schaffer. “I am so very proud
and thankful to join somanymarvelous
people who are in the Hall of Fame. It is even
better when the award is pre-posthumous.”
Schaffer has worked in the promotional
products industry for 47 years, beginning
his career with positions at companies
including Jostens and Leathersmith
of London. In 1986 he started his own
business, publishing an audio magazine for
the promotional products industry, which
ultimately became Soundline in 1991.
With almost half a century in the
industry under his belt, Schaffer has an
extensive history of involvement in its
regional and national organizations. And
his contributions have been recognized.
The Specialty Advertising Association of
Greater New York (SAAGNY) inducted
Schaffer into its Hall of Fame in 2002
and he was inducted into the SAAGNY
Foundation Hall of Fame in 2005. ASI
presented him with its Marvin Spike
Professional Lifetime Achievement
Award in 2002 and PPAI recognized his
accomplishments with the Distinguished
Service Award in 2011.
“Joel is the most passionately creative
advocate for promotional products, for
the industry and for our Association that
I have ever known,” says Paul A. Kiewiet,
MAS+, executive director of the Michigan
Promotional Professionals Association
and Schaffer’s nominator for the PPAI
Hall of Fame. “I have learned so much
from this man from his educational
sessions. I had the privilege of serving
with Joel on the board of PPAI and
witnessed his leadership and work ethic.”
Schaffer’s volunteerism in the industry
began in the ’70s, with the Association
of Metropolitan Advertising Specialty
Suppliers (AMASS)—he served on the
merger committee that brought it together
with SAAGNY in 1976—and he knows first
hand the value of dedicating time and
energy to causes and organizations that
one believes in.
“Volunteer service has done more for
my professional and business life than
any ad, any email, trade show or online
posting,” says Schaffer. “Soundline has
benefited frommy exposure to thousands
of industry professionals throughout
the world. This serendipitous exposure
has built new and loyal clients. People
want to do business with those of us who
understand what they do for a living and
who reflect a high level of professionalism.
They gain trust in you and your company.”
His volunteer service has included a
term on the PPAI Board of Directors from
2004 to 2008 and he has participated in
several of the Association’s committees,
taskforces and work groups, most recently
the Certification Committee from 2014
LEGACY OF A LIFETIME
PPAI Hall of Fame inductee Joel Schaffer, MAS,
is an icon of the industry.
by
James Khattak
“I am so very proud and thankful to
join so many marvelous people who are
in the Hall of Fame. It is even better
when the award is pre-posthumous.”