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DURING THE COURSE OF HIS 38 years in the promotional

products industry, Fran Ford, CAS, has touched many lives. As

evidenced by the countless nominations he received from his

colleagues supporting his 2015 Hall of Fame selection, Ford

enjoys helping people—and a long line of industry colleagues

will tell you just how much.

Ira Neaman, president of Avenel, New Jersey-based supplier

Vantage Apparel, says Ford “has tirelessly and selflessly

worked to educate and mentor hundreds of individuals for the

benefit of the industry.”

One of those individuals is Carol Stone, owner of Dallas-

based distributor Corporate Specialties, Inc. powered by

Boundless Network. “Thirty years ago, [Ford] took me under

his wing and taught me the ins and outs of the business,” she

says. “He took precious time to introduce me to key suppliers

and local reps. As a result of his guidance I was able to grow

my company into a multi-million-dollar distributorship. What he

has done for me he has also done for many others, always

helping us along the path to success.”

Active Adviser

In an era where time and energy are in short supply, Ford

has devoted quite a bit of both to mentor industry profession-

als who have sought and received his counsel.

“You have to make time for people,” Ford says. “If you

take the time and the energy to let people see that you really

are listening and what they say to you is important, you will

succeed.”

Greg Muzzillo, founder of Cleveland, Ohio-based distribu-

tor franchise Proforma, describes Ford’s impact as a friend and

mentor in the promotional products industry. “I personally

know of more than 100 people representing almost $600 mil-

lion in sales who would say that Fran personally mentored

them and played a large role in their success,” he says. “That’s

a very meaningful percentage of our entire industry.”

In response to all this acclaim, Ford says simply, “This is a

relationship business.” And he adds, “To this day, I think of

JANUARY 2015 •

PPB

• 29

2015 PPAI H

ALL OF

F

AME

I

NDUCTEE

Fran Ford

LEFT

Fran Ford, pictured here with his dog, Charlie, has

provided leadership for a number of industry companies

during his long career. Currently, he’s president of supplier

Castelli, a division of Magnet, LLC.

ABOVE

While living at

Fort Story in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1963, the Ford clan

enjoyed their time near the water. Ford is pictured top left

with his sister on his shoulders.