PPB September 2018

I t’s hard to have school spirit when the spiritwear itself is lacking. Julie Levi discovered this while a student at Douglass College, the women’s college at Rutgers University, in the 1980s, and set out to find a solution. “While the Rutgers bookstore had cool t-shirts and sweatshirts, Douglass didn’t offer the same quality and variety. So, I made up my own and started selling them,” she says. Levi discovered that her desire for better quality branded gear was shared by more than just students—the Douglass bookstore also began ordering her shirts, boxer shorts and sweats. That move was the official beginning of distributor Progressive Promotions, Inc. (PPAI 107820), which she leads as president and founder. Today Levi lives in Long Island, New York, with her husband, Richard, and two teenage daughters, Rachel and Sara. She makes the hour-and- a-half commute each way to Englewood, New Jersey, as productive as possible, making business calls to fill out each leg of the journey. “When I’m not working, I like to spend time at the beach on Fire Island (but I work there, too!), speaking at various mentoring events for women entrepreneurs and students, and volunteering,” she says. “I am involved in philanthropy, Progressive Problem Solver Julie Levi turned a desire for custom college gear into a 31-year enterprise. by Jen Alexander 104 | SEPTEMBER 2018 | CONNECT Ju l i e Lev i