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INNOVATE
26 •
PPB
• JANUARY 2016
AFTER WORKING IN
SALES in the corporate world
for many years, Teresa
Moisant—a self-proclaimed
workaholic—started to ques-
tion whether she was in a
place where her talents were
going to be valued long-term.
“I knew some women in
the promotional products
industry, and I saw what they
were doing and knew I could
be successful,” she says. Plus,
she says, her late husband,
Bill, pointed out that if she
was going to be a workaholic,
she should work for herself.
The two combined forces to
start Moisant Promotional
Products in 1990.
While Bill focused on the
financial details—“he had a
form to design a form”—
Teresa brought her sales skills
and big-picture thinking to
the table. It was a great
match. Bill passed away sud-
denly in 2007, but Moisant
continued to run the business
and now both of her daugh-
ters, Christi and Shelly, work
with her and manage the
company.
“I love sales and I’m a
huge sports fanatic,” Moisant
says, having grown up with
four brothers. “I grew up
being very athletic and very
competitive. Sales is very
competitive. You can meas-
ure whether you’re getting a
bunch of first downs, or a
touchdown or a champi-
onship or a national title. I’d
probably be a good coach. I
know how to motivate and
I’m passionate. Those are the
qualities of a good CEO as
well as a good coach.”
They Call Her Mom
Moisant was brought up
with the adage, always do
something nice for someone
every day. And, she says, it
came very easily to her. “I
just can’t not help people,”
she says.
Mentoring others is one
of the ways she helps. She
The Connector
PPB
talks with Teresa Moisant, MAS, winner of the 2016 PPAI
Distinguished Service Award
BY JULIE RICHIE
BELOW
Twenty-five year indus-
try veteran
Teresa Moisant,
MAS
, co-founder of Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma-based distributor
Moisant Promotional Products
(UPIC: MOISANT1) is the 2016
PPAI Distinguished Service
Award winner. She is pictured
with her late husband and busi-
ness partner, Bill.