PPB September 2018

Rising Stars | FEATURE Her Inspiration I have been very blessed to be surrounded by many mentors and friends who offer unconditional support. The people I keep close in my life—my family, friends and colleagues—are my true inspiration. I am also inspired daily by those I work with in our industry. I keep in constant communication with friends on each side of the business and have no hesitation to pick up the phone when I need advice. Best Advice Be a sponge. This industry is unlike any other and it takes some time to become accustomed to how it operates. I am a rm believer in reaching out and utilizing the resources available to help you grow. There are many people, programs and outlets to help those entering the world of promotional products. Volunteering for regional associations, participating in industry trade shows and attending educational sessions are a great way to build your network and tap into your resources. I have learned that if you live your business and immerse yourself in this world, this industry will become second nature to you and it will show in the way you work and operate. Changes She’dLike To See I would like to see our industry work on bringing in the next generation of promotional professionals. I believe that we can work through our regionals to implement processes that will tap into the post-grad market and attract a new round of young, educated individuals who will bring a fresh perspective to the industry. I am also hoping for more uniformity in our order processes. Every company has their own method of sending in purchase orders to suppliers, whether it’s through some type of API, integration, email or fax. In turn, suppliers must con gure a way to get each method entered into their system [and that can] cause transactional issues. Processes like PromoStandards will be in uential in the next ve years. Meghan Kory, 28 Territory Manager Hit Promotional Products M eghan Kory graduated from college unsure about her career direction, but, following the advice of her father, supplier veteran Paul Kory, she sent her resume to several suppliers. CJ Schmidt, president of Hit, immediately responded. Kory flew to Tampa for an interview and came away with a job offer. She worked in customer service and inside sales at Hit for almost two years, then moved to a position in outside sales at supplier Admints & Zagabor. Her career came full circle when, less than two years later, Hit acquired Admints & Zagabor and she came back to her original employer as territory manager for five southeastern states. Kory’s quick grasp of the industry and ability to build critical business relationships has made an impression on many—including David Shultz, vice president of industry service provider DistributorCentral. Shultz has worked with her as a customer, as an exhibitor at the Promotional Products Association of the Mid-South (PPAMS) trade show (Kory is a PPAMS volunteer leader in charge of the show) and as a colleague in regional board volunteer service. Shultz first met Kory at PPAI’s Leadership Development Workshop and spent two hours listening to Kory’s ideas about how to better the industry and regional associations. “She is a rare combination of salesmanship and intelligence, with a volunteerismmindset and an overall positive attitude,” says Shultz. “Meghan has blazed her own path and earned the respect of her customers, colleagues and industry peers, and has continued to add value to this industry in ways that were born from her own work ethic and desire to succeed rather than any doors that were opened by her father.” | SEPTEMBER 2018 | 39