PPB March 2016

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‘Okay—people actually buy these?’
I asked, ‘How many did they
buy?’ he said, ‘Five thousand.’ I
did a little bit of math and
thought, ‘Why don’t I sell these?’
Kaspari went home and wrote
a plan about how his uncle’s busi-
ness could expand more into the
promotional products area. “My
brain was going so fast. I explained
to my uncle how it was all going
to work. And he just looked at me
and said, ‘Sounds like you’re start-
ing your own company.’”
Reflecting on his uncle’s role
as a mentor in his life, Kaspari
says, “[That advice] was so
amazing of him—like pushing a
little bird out of its nest. What a
great person. Over the years, I’ve
learned so much from him.”
Now, Kaspari is able to share
advice that he’s learned along the
way by being a mentor himself.
Through The Challenge
Foundation, he was matched
with Noah Jones, a bright 11-
year-old from inner city Denver.
The two bonded over many
experiences during the past seven
years and now Noah is a fresh-
man in college. “I was a 25-year-
old guy with no kid experience.
Now I have a new best friend.
We’re like brothers,” Kaspari says.
Through mentoring, Kaspari
says he has gained more than he
has given. “I learned patience.
I’m very Type A. I just want to
come in and solve problems. And
sometimes you just have to slow
down and listen. I’m a talker. But
there’s a reason you’ve got two
ears and one mouth. You’re sup-
posed to listen more. Especially
me. And that’s made me a better
boss and a better leader.”
Where do you live, and who
are your family members?
I live in Colorado with my girl-
friend, Ashleigh Sawa, and our
dog Brahma, a boxer. My brother,
sister, Mom and Dad all live in
Colorado, as well as 28 of my 32
cousins. We have a big family
and we love to hang out.
What do you enjoy doing
when you’re not working?
I love traveling and being active,
mostly outdoors, as well as volun-
teering in the community. My
favorite activities are hiking, bik-
ing, running, snowboarding,
exploring, racquet ball and tennis.
What do you enjoy most
about your work?
We are a small company and the
people I work with are some of my
best friends, so that is very special.
I enjoy that we are only bound by
our own creativity and that is
exciting. Being creative for our
clients as well as being creative for
our team—I really enjoy exercising
that passion of mine at work.
What was your first job,
and what lessons did you
learn?
I worked for my uncle, Shad
Thayer, at Awards USA from
the ages of 12 to 20, when I
started my company. I learned so
many lessons about life and
entrepreneurship it would be
hard to sum up. My uncle has
been my mentor for a very long
time. Although I’ve had many
mentors, he has been there the
most to bounce ideas off, get
advice from and be a friend. One
of my favorite things he taught
me was to be unique in your
business. When you are unique,
you can charge accordingly.
What motivates you in busi-
ness and in life?
I love learning every day. Each
day brings so many possibilities.
Empowering people around me
has motivated me as a person
since I was 19 years old. My
business ambitions help support
my life ambitions, so I see them
working in parallel.
What is your greatest pro-
fessional accomplishment?
I am working on it. I feel lucky
that so many people have opened
up and taught me what they
knew about building and running
a successful business.
What advice would you
give to an industry new-
comer?
Have fun. Be creative. I think the
best way to be successful in this
industry is to sell promotional
products as an advertising tool
that solves your client’s objec-
tives. And find a mentor. If you
need help finding a mentor or
would like to be a mentor, please
go to
and fill out the mentor/mentee
application.
Julie Richie is associate editor for
PPB.
“I’m very Type A. I
just want to come
in and solve prob-
lems. And some-
times you just
have to slow down
and listen. I’m a
talker. But there’s
a reason you’ve
got two ears and
one mouth. You’re
supposed to listen
more.”
Kaspari and 18-year-old Jones at
Beautillion, an event honoring young
African-American men who have
achieved excellence in high school.
MARCH 2016 • PPB • 81
MATT KASPARI, KASPO INC.