PPB September 2019

Rising Stars | FEATURE Gab y Kap l an, 25 District Sales Manager The Magnet Group Deerfield, Illinois Education Degree in interpersonal communication from Illinois State University First Industry Job While in college, she worked for an apparel company called University Tees. She was campus manager for her university— and known as the t-shirt girl. After college, she worked in inside sales at distributor Blue Sky Marketing Group in Northbrook, Illinois, before joining The Magnet Group. Why She’s A Rising Star Her nominators say she’s mature beyond her years and has taken on increasing responsibility in her two years at Magnet. She routinely goes above and beyond for her clients, including sharing case studies and samples to educate them. She is a volunteer leader for the regional association, PPAChicago, and is involved in many events including the Charity Golf Outing, Lunch and Learns, Social Media Committee and Spring Event. She’s running for the board in 2020. What Inspires Her “My mom and dad continue to inspire me. They emigrated from Russia to the United States in the late 1970s and, with no English, no education and barely a dollar to their names, they created the best possible life for me and my siblings. It makes me want to work hard and better myself and my work ethic.” Most Difficult Challenge “As a kid I wasn’t very fond of school or applying myself. My mom told me that when I went to kindergarten, while everyone else was learning how to write and learning the ABCs, all I wanted to do was play. As I got older, it was difficult to keep up with other kids and I didn’t learn as quickly as everyone else. However, by high school, I finally started to ‘get it.’ Although I was never the smartest in the class or the quickest learner, I tried my absolute hardest and look, I’m a college grad with an awesome job.” What She’d Like To Accomplish In The Next 24 Months “Professionally, I would love to achieve and surpass all of my sales goals and grow within the company. Personally, I would love to travel to Thailand, Australia and Europe (but that might have to take a little longer than 24 months!). What’s Needed To Recruit Young Pros To The Industry “This industry is very underrated and underappreciated. It blows my mind that my friends in different industries all have swag and online stores to buy promo products, but they never think about where these items come from, or who the people supplying them are. I think both suppliers and distributors need to make an effort to go to college campuses or networking events and get the conversation started about how important promotional products are, and how it’s a world that no one really stops to think about.” Best Advice For Industry Newbies “At first, [this industry] can be very intimidating and possibly even frustrating. However, once you get your foot in the door and start meeting all of the other industry people, it is truly like one big family. My best advice would be to be yourself and make sure that you are a people person. It is important to really network yourself and talk to people. I love meeting new people and getting to know my customers and even other suppliers, and I think that helps me thrive in this industry.” Tips To Relax And Recharge “I go to any and every country music concert or festival I can. I love to listen to music and go to concerts. I also love to roamChicago and try different rooftop bars and food. I also absolutely love to travel, so if I’mnot enjoying Chicago, you could findme in a different city probably eating, drinking and listening to country music.” | SEPTEMBER 2019 | 29