PPB September 2018

FEATURE | Rising Stars Michael J. Harper, 38 CEO Summit Group M ichael Harper always said he’d never go to work for his family’s business, but after graduating college and working in inside sales for technology company CDW, he decided to give it a shot. He worked hard and generated annual sales of more than $2 million for 10 years before being promoted to group president in 2016 and to CEO last year. As the third generation to work in the promotional products industry (his grandfather co-owned a distributor that his father and uncle later merged with Summit Marketing, now Summit Group), he’s aware of how tricky it can be to navigate the generational transitions. Under his leadership as CEO, profits increased 150 percent, says nominator Cari Miller at Summit Group. “What is most striking about Michael is the way he has brought a 21st-century approach to Summit’s culture and strategic thinking,” she says. “Without hesitation, he began assessing systems, processes and the very foundations of Summit’s mission.” Under his leadership, Summit has launched a cutting-edge recognition and employee engagement technology called LuME and an innovative award fulfillment platform named Rewards xChange, which were recently recognized in CIO magazine. Miller says he’s also realigned company processes to focus on customer-centric outcomes. His Inspiration The costs of raising three children! Seriously, I am inspired each day by the extraordinary lengths to which our associates go to help our clients achieve their goals. We have incredible people helping incredible clients. My job is to help both our clients and associates create a better future. Best Advice Pursue your passion. Find what it is you love to do and make a career out of it. Life is too short to spend most of your waking hours doing something that doesn’t make you happy. ChangeHe’d Like To See As an industry, we need to make huge strides in providing a more seamless client experience. This includes vastly improved integration and a hard look at how we all make money. Our industry will experience marked change over the next several years. If we all focus on enhancing the client experience, we can ensure the change comes from within. 36 | SEPTEMBER 2018 |