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PPB
• APRIL 2016
INNOVATE
FEW PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS
MULTI-LINE
reps have a background
as broad in scope and as rich in
diversity as John Bennis. By the
time he founded his own rep firm
in 1981, Bennis’s career was in full
throttle. After graduating from the
University of Illinois, he was hired
to teach scuba diving at the
Playboy Club in Jamaica but was
wooed away by his father’s best
friend to become a premium rep.
Over the next few years he was a
national sales manager for apparel
lines Swingster and Modern
Jacket. Before launching his rep
firm, he opened a hat manufactur-
ing business and later a clothing firm that manu-
factured NASCAR apparel. The latter began his
long sales relationship with the racing industry,
where he learned the ins and outs of NASCAR
sponsorships and product licensing.
His interest in the track waned in 1992 when
his son, Max, was born. He decided to call it quits
with his NASCAR clients because he didn’t want
to spend 20 weeks on the road and every weekend
at the races. Bennis went back to his roots selling
for Klouda-Lenz, the national sales division for
what was then the clothing manufacturer
Munsingwear. The company later became
Premiumwear and eventually was acquired by
River’s End Trading Company.
Today Bennis travels about 30,000 miles annu-
ally throughout Virginia, Maryland, Washington
D.C. and Delaware. In addition to representing six
lines, he also considers himself a consultant helping
customers with their marketing campaigns and
educating them and their clients about promotional
John Bennis
President, Sequel, Inc.
2 0 1 6
P P B
B E S T M U LT I - L I N E R E P
OGETHER THESE SIX MULTI-LINE REPS
rack up more than
158,000 miles a year from Alaska to New England bringing samples, promotional
ideas, case studies, information and solutions from select suppliers to distributors
and their clients. For decades, these individuals and those like them have shared
their expertise through countless personal visits, end-user meetings and trade
shows. Even in today’s world of mobile devices and instant communication their
work fills an essential role in seamlessly bridging the gap between factories and
distributors. The industry couldn’t run without them.
PPB
recognizes the valuable contributions of the promotional products indus-
try’s multi-line reps with its annual spotlight. The individuals, selected by an in-
house panel as
PPB
’s 2016 Best Multi-Line Reps, were nominated by industry
suppliers and distributors for their ability to be creative, knowledgeable, depend-
able, in two places at once and prepared for just about anything.
Each will receive a custom, silver-plated lapel pin generously designed and
donated by PPAI supplier member Gempire/gwi (UPIC: GEMPIRE).
T