PPB April 2017

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In Recognition Of Mary Jo Tomasini, MAS
At The PPAI Expo 2017, Mary Jo Tomasini, MAS, took
up the gavel as chair of the PPAI Board of Directors for
2017-2018. Tomasini is CEO of distributor CE Competitive
Edge, LLC (PPAI 103776) in Stevensville, Michigan, and a
30-plus-year veteran of the promotional products industry.
My sincere appreciation and congratulations to you, Mary
Jo, for accepting this position and giving of your time and
talents to our organization. I know you will bring all your
knowledge and passion to the position and will move our
industry forward. I feel privileged to have you in my circle
and wish you the very best in this coming year.
ELAINE GRUNDHAUSER
President
One 2 One Marketing
Burnsville, Minnesota
PPAI 164159
Congratulations, Mary Jo Tomasini! You have accepted
the reins of a very important position and are to be
congratulated, and deeply thanked, for the necessary
involvement in terms of expertise and time.
MARGARET CUSTER FORD, MAS
Founder
MARCO Ideas Unlimited, Inc.
Portland, Oregon
PPAI 106680
Above And Beyond
In the February issue of PPB , the penultimate installment of
Abigail Tiefenthaler’s series on entrepreneurship, “Cultivating
Bigger, Better Sales,” looked at the right way to approach sales
when starting a new business. Tiefenthaler is the founder of
Aiken, South Carolina, distributor Sweetspot Strategies, Inc.,
and is a speaker and consultant helping entrepreneurs run the
businesses they really want to run.
I reached out to Abigail after reading this article and she spent
an hour with me on the phone helping me with even more
great information on kickstarting my promotional products
business. She has so much experience and knowledge in the
industry and is a great resource. Thanks, Abigail!
SCOTT KOCH
President
PrintWorks Screenprinting
Lincoln, Nebraska
PPAI 701607
Young Professional POV
In February, PPAI Diversity Development and Engagement Manager Seth
Barnett joined the Promotional Products Association Southwest (PPAS)
in Dallas for a young professional panel discussion. On the panel with
Barnett were Mike Eaton, ; Farrah Vargas, Allied Affiliated
Funding, and SarahThomas, American Solutions for Business.
Seth and the panel members were terrific. Far from being of one mind,
they offered differing views and opinions of industry practices. From
marketing ideas to impact other younger demographic buyers to what
platform or device to use to reach out, they provided enlightening
insights. Seth did a wonderful job in probing for deeper reactions. [It
was a] wonderful event.
STEVEN MEYER
Vice President of Sales
RiteLine
Dallas, Texas
PPAI 198224
8 | APRIL 2017 |