PPB November 2015

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don’t take themselves too seriously. They will
run through a wall for our customers but will
do it wearing their Buffalo Bills, Buffalo
Sabres and University of Tennessee gear
instead of suits.
What kinds of projects or tasks
might you tackle on a given day?
Anything from new hires to sales growth
strategies, from the launch of our new website
and mobile app to marketing campaigns, from
new product development to company admin
and performance analysis—and that’s just
what’s on my calendar. Every day is different.
How do you collaborate with
co-workers?
It depends on which co-worker I am
working with and what the project is. Am I
driving the collaboration or are they? I think
that it comes down to surrounding yourself
with intelligent people who care and whom
you can trust.
How does this job challenge you?
I feel that in life you get out of things
what you put in and this job is no different.
Every day is different, and sometimes
extremely challenging, but through hard
work, surrounding yourself with great people,
and a little bit of luck you can be successful
at whatever you are doing. This is why
AAkron has nearly tripled our business in
the 15 years Danielle and I have been work-
ing together through two, maybe three, eco-
nomic downturns.
What changes or improvements
have you recently implemented, or
are planning to make in the
future?
The only thing that is constant is
change, so with that being said, EVERY-
THING! We are constantly improving our
technology (front and back end); our safety
records and processes (AAkron’s are more
stringent than required); new product and
imprinting development (we have invested
more than $500,000 in moving molding pro-
duction back to the U.S. from China in the
last year); and adding new outside and inside
sales positions, along with more customer
service reps, to upgrade our levels of avail-
ability and service.
What makes AAkron a valuable
member of the promotional prod-
ucts community?
I love this question. I think that for about
10 years now, AAkron has been at the fore-
front of challenging the status quo of this
very established industry. We are different
than our competitors and strive to maintain
that competitive advantage through our
products and services, whether it be through
our nearly 400 “Made in the USA” products,
AAkron’s extensive line of Mood Products
or our patented Zing Line items. AAkron
has been at the forefront of imprinting tech-
nology, efficiency and turn times, being
among the first to offer full-color digital
printing on almost the entire line. I also
think that AAkron’s commitment to our
customers adds value, so that they continue
to look great in their customers’ eyes at the
end of the day.
Jen Alexander is an associate editor for PPB .
88 • PPB • NOVEMBER 2015 CONNECT
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