PPB September 2018

Ira Neaman Appointed To PPAI Board Ira Neaman, founder and president of Avenel, New Jersey, supplier Vantage Apparel, joined the PPAI Board of Directors in July. Neaman fills the seat vacated by Lori Kates, who stepped down. He was appointed by PPAI Board Chair Dale Denham, MAS+, and approved by the board to fill the remainder of Kates’s term, which ends at The PPAI Expo 2022. “I am pleased to welcome Ira to the PPAI Board. He brings excellent insights and years of strategic planning and executive management experience across the promotional products industry. I look forward to his contribution,” says Dale Denham, MAS+, PPAI’s chair of the board. Neaman graduated from Syracuse University in 1974 and earned his Master of Business Administration from Harvard University in 1976. He founded Vantage in 1977. An active volunteer in the promotional products industry for more than 40 years, Neaman has served on several PPAI volunteer committees, including the Leadership Advisory Committee, the Strategic Planning Committee, and the Marketing and Research Committee, as well as the Promotional Products Education Foundation Board of Directors and several industry task forces. In 2002, he became the inaugural recipient of the PPAI Education Lifetime Achievement Award. Counselor magazine named him its 2003 Person of the Year and has included him in its Power 50 since 2008. “In joining the board, I plan to learn about both the challenges and opportunities facing the Association and add value to the decision- making process, with the goal to produce the best long-term outcomes,” says Neaman. PPAI President and CEO Paul Bellantone, CAE, adds, “Ira’s extensive experience is a valuable addition to our board. He brings with him the critical perspective of a seasoned senior executive, and I look forward to working with Ira as we continue to build on PPAI’s strategic transformation from a transactional to a relational organization.” MIDTERM MADNESS 2018 CAMPAIGN PRODUCTS 800.507.1907 www.zooprinting.com Ira Neaman 102 | SEPTEMBER 2018 | CONNECT