PPB May 2015

DAY IN THE LIFE

Adapting To Stay Alive

SCOTT PERRY THRIVES ON THE CHALLENGES OF THE

PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS BUSINESS.

BY JEN ALEXANDER

“Everyone feels the crunch of sim-

ply not having enough hours in the day.

TradeNet is essentially a 24-7 facility, so

there is always something to be done or

something needing attention. I can’t

always be available, so I work hard to

staff my departments with team mem-

bers who embrace the TradeNet vision

of putting top-notch customer service

above all else.

“At the risk of sounding cliché, I

enjoy the fact that every day presents a

new challenge or opportunity,” he says.

“Very seldom is my day the same as the

day before; I identified early on that the

promotional products industry is very

fluid. No two customers, projects or prod-

ucts are the same. The ability to adapt

helps keep you alive in this industry.”

Now a recent empty-nester (daughter

Allison left for college not long ago),

Perry and his wife, Cindy, spend free time

with friends and working at the family’s

35-acre apple orchard—where Perry is

the resident apiarist, or beekeeper.

Jen Alexander is an associate editor for

PPB

OTHING SHOWS THE TRUE NATURE

of a

job like on-the-spot training, and Scott Perry’s

experience occurred in the most typical of promo-

tional products settings—the trade show floor. His first foray into

the field was as a general manager for a flexographic label printer

that purchased a supplier of custom adhesive notes and cubes.

“The company’s sales manager departed the day before a trade show and, with no

one else to work the booth, I was sent to the front lines,” Perry recalls. “I remember

being perplexed when people kept asking if the products were priced on a ‘C’. I just

nodded my head in the affirmative—until I finally broke down and asked the person

in the adjacent booth what they were talking about.”

Fast-forward 10 years, and Perry knows the lingo by heart, only now he devotes

the bulk of his attention to overseeing the customer service, graphic services and mail

services departments, as well as sales staff, at supplier Trade Net Publishing Co.

(UPIC: TRADENET) in Gardner, Kansas. “My most notable personal challenges

are related to time management,” says Perry.

Scott Perry settles in for a successful

show with Michelle Beaver, one of

Trade Net’s customer service reps.

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PPB

• MAY 2015

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