PPB December 2015

76 •

PPB

• DECEMBER 2015

CONNECT

successful distributor. Through my life

experiences of the good, bad and the

ugly, I have been able to continue on

the path to build a solid distributorship,

and it is these skill sets which I will bring

with me to the PPAI board.

PPB:

What would you like to accomplish

during your board term?

Wehrle:

I personally feel that our great-

est strength is education. PPAI has been

and is doing a tremendous job in pro-

viding education to our members on so

many levels. There are daily opportuni-

ties through webinars or seminars at

regional shows, and The PPAI Expo is

packed with prospects to further one’s

personal growth with education, speak-

ers, networking occasions and so many

other chances to build knowledge.

Perhaps the most interesting thing is

that most of this is at little or no charge

to the individual. This is truly one of the

biggest benefits of being a member of

PPAI. As a board member I will work

toward continuing the education

through communication.

PPB:

Are there any industry challenges

or issues that you’d like to see renewed

focus on?

Wehrle:

Our industry has to work hard

to prevent outside influences from

breaking apart our traditional business

model which supports the supply chain

as we know it. I see a greater threat

from manufacturers (outside of PPAI)

that want to eliminate the supplier and

distributor, and go to the end user

directly. These temptations are a wake-

up call to all of us that we need to be

the best we can so that outsiders don’t

have the opportunity to infiltrate the

marketplace.

Suppliers will need to present the

distributors with innovation in products,

design and imprint capabilities. Stocking

issues should be pushed hard so to mini-

mize the voids which occur. Distributors

will need to increase their depth of serv-

ices so that the client will never be

tempted by others. Look to see what

other opportunities are left on the table

so that the client will never feel the need

to look elsewhere. We all need to take

an active role to protect what we have

and understand that we need to be flexi-

ble and be willing to accept change as

we move forward.

Brittany David

David has worked in the promotional

products industry for the past nine years

and has participated

in a number of the

Association’s com-

mittees and events.

She was a panelist at

the Women’s

Leadership

Conference in 2012

and this year served

as a member of the

event’s workgroup. She is also a past

chair and member of PPAI’s Events

Committee. Outside of PPAI, David has

been active in numerous regional associ-

ations, and served as a panelist at the

ASI Power Summit.

PPB:

Why do you want to serve on the

PPAI Board?

David:

Getting involved and giving back

are things that have always been a part

of my life. Service is in my heart. My par-

ents taught me at a very young age how

important it is to give back. From service

projects in Girl Scouts, to visiting retire-

ment homes, it was always good times

with friends doing good things for oth-

ers. I spent much of my extracurricular

time in college mentoring incoming

freshmen and participating in fundraisers

and events for a battered women’s shel-

ter, and I was very involved at the execu-

tive level in a safe ride/designated driver

program called CARPOOL. Throughout

the years I have continued to give back.

Currently I am involved in the SnugZ

GiveZ community service committee. It

has been an awesome opportunity to

not only give back to the community but

spend quality time with coworkers across

our company.

The landscape of the industry is

changing as a result of how readily

available information is on the internet.

This is an important time to get

involved and see what I can offer and

bring to the table. I love this industry

and the people in it, and I want to

make a positive impact to help maintain

and propel a healthy, strong and thriv-

ing association.

PPB:

What unique strengths and

experiences do you bring to the PPAI

board?

David:

I started my industry career at

SAGE Quick Technologies as the event

coordinator and eventually moved into

the SAGE TMS manager role, managing

MAPPS, SAGE Showcase and the PPAF

and then SACDV Expos. Five years later,

I moved to Utah to join SnugZ USA as

the national accounts manager and am

now the vice president of sales. The

knowledge I have gained from both

companies, our customers and other

supplier colleagues has helped me get

where I am today.

One area where I would be a great

asset to the board is to serve as the face

and mind of a new generation. We have

identified this new generation of buyers

and buying habits as a challenge that we

must adapt to in order to keep our

industry strong, healthy and moving for-

ward. I am that generation and have

nearly a decade of experience in this

industry. I am eager to participate, listen

and lead. Hard work and dedication

don’t change from generation to genera-

tion. They are either something that is

instilled in your work ethic or something

that is not. I am eager, engaged, excited

and willing to work hard to keep us mov-

ing forward.

PPB:

What would you like to accomplish

during your board term?

David:

I think having an “agenda” com-

ing into this process would be short

sighted of me. There is much to learn

and much to catch up on before I dig in

and find my way. Ultimately, I want to

provide value and make a positive

impact for our industry. There are many

new challenges we face that I think we

can focus on to keep our industry strong

and relevant.