PPB October 2018

PPAI’s Cook Visits Jack Nadel International’s Los Angeles Office PPAI Director of Expositions and Meetings Darel Cook visited the Los Angeles, California, headquarters of distributor Jack Nadel International (JNI) in August to discuss the company’s participation at The PPAI Expo 2019. Each year, JNI brings more than 200 members of its team to Expo in Las Vegas. Cook (center) met with Debbie Abergel, chief strategy officer (left), and her team to discuss PPAI’s large-distributor program, which assists them with registration and housing, and to brainstorm new ideas to add extraordinary experiences to attendees’ time at Expo. Scottish Rite Hospital For Children In August, PPAI staff visited Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas to deliver donations to the Center for Excellence in Hand Disorders. The center provides specialized care for children with hand and upper limb anomalies and children who need complex reconstruction following trauma. Mandi Valdez and T. Burell Poston, development officers at the hospital, treated the PPAI visitors to a tour of the facility, which cares for over 70,000 children annually. PPAI staff members Natalie Clark, (center) membership director; Khris Harris, expositions operations manager; Amy Bramhall (right), marketing manager; and Terry Ramsay, PPB associate editor, delivered boxes of socks and stuffed animals. The stuffed animals, which were provided by supplier Douglas Company (PPAI 233600), will be gifted to patients and visiting siblings. “It’s so important to have things that we can give to the families that have a personal touch,” says Valdez. “We couldn’t do it without the support of the community.” 112 | OCTOBER 2018 | CONNECT