PPB January 2018

PPAI 2018 Award Winners | FEATURE its initial outreach to marketers to raise awareness of the power of promotional products and launched its involvement in the annual Ad Week in New York. In 2002, she was instrumental as a member of the Centennial Committee, the group responsible for all efforts that celebrated PPAI’s 100th anniversary. In 2003, she was elected to the PPAI Board of Directors where she continued to make her mark on the industry over the next four years. Nevins was the recipient of many honors throughout her career, beginning with recognition as one of the 30most influential women business leaders in Atlanta in 1998. That same year, she was honored by ASI as one of the 15Most OutstandingWomen in the Promotional Products Industry, and as Counselor ’s Person of the Year in 1999. She was named to ASI’s Power 50 list twice and was honored with the PPAI Woman of Achievement award in 2013. In 2016, she became the first inductee into the Georgia Association of Promotional Products Professionals (GAPPP) Hall of Fame. Her company’s work was also recognized with numerous PPAI Pyramid Awards for outstanding promotional campaigns over the years. A strong believer in the power of community, she helped found PeerNet in 1993, an industry business consortium of distributors and suppliers that brought together leading company principals to share knowledge and best practices. Today the group continues to thrive with more than 400 distributor sales associates and 41 supplier members. She also gave back to the industry in many ways as amember of GAPPP, for which she served on several committees, spoke at monthlymeetings and was a board member in 2000. Even when she became ill, she continued attending GAPPPmeetings as often as her health would permit. Nevins was a joiner from an early age. In college, she became a member of Sigma Kappa sorority; she later served on the Atlanta chapter of the UT alumni board from 1975 to 2012 and was president from 1980 to 1984. In her hometown of Atlanta, she was an active volunteer for a number of organizations including Habitat for Humanity and the Atlanta Union Mission. Simply stated, Janelle was a leader and a doer. “She was masterful; a professional who loved her industry and generously shared her knowledge and know-how,” says Londe. “She thrived on relationships, and each recipient of her talent became a friend, someone whose career she then followed. Janelle simply couldn’t stop herself from helping others, nomatter how busy her personal life or business schedule.” Londe adds that Nevins kept a sticky note on her desk, a daily reminder that she executed perfectly. It read, “Communicate well, lead the way you want to be, and let focus and discipline be your middle names.” Tina Berres Filipski is editor of PPB. Art and Janelle Nevins were married for 42 years and built a thriving distributor business together. Nevins especially enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren, Sears (left) and Cole. | JANUARY 2018 | 35