PPB October 2019

promotional products division—from being able to be in the present, dealing with people and where we are as a company with the economy, as well as wanting to climb a mountain.” Alan Tabasky, vice president and general manager at Bel USA, also spotlights the programming. “My key takeaway from this NALC was learned through the educational and motivational speakers the Association aligned with. I came back to my of ce with notes on improving our employee engagement, overall company strategy, focus, vision and culture, as well as the importance of taking care of yourself rst—before you are able to properly take care of and lead others. Overall, the quality of the speakers was great, and I am really looking forward to next year’s NALC.” Networking was valuable for Howard Cubberly, general manager of Goldstar Global. “For me, it is always great to network and this year, more than ever, I felt many of us are wrestling with the same issues of how to add enough value to scale and build process and culture that drives and supports the growth. The presenters were as good and on point as I can remember. I have returned re-energized to put in place some new leadership initiatives to create better clarity on our mission supported by better communication and employee engagement plans.” Mike Malinowski, vice president of sales at Gill Studios, Inc., says the speakers were really on track for today’s challenges. His key takeaway was from a session presented by speaker Don Rheem, CEO of E3 Solutions. “In today’s environment, validation, recognition and feedback are more necessary than ever to build a culture that will keep you relevant. This is critical for the long- term viability of any company as employees are the key to building your brand and sustaining it. As leaders, this forum is an awesome exchange that I look forward to attending next year.” For Nikki Stella, CEO of Altitude Group plc, NALC delivered on its promise. “The event, as always, delivered great value in networking time with peers as well as valuable content that will provide industry leaders great insight into marketing, leadership and economic trends to take into 2020 and beyond.” Michael Harper, CEO of Summit Group, says his biggest takeaway was a lesson learned from the session on design experiences. “The best design experiences are those that adapt to the problem you want to solve (don’t ght the dirt path). This is something we can focus on immediately to improve our client experience.” Brian Porter, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Starline and a member of the NALC workgroup, wrapped up this year’s event: “Once again, NALC has proven to be an invaluable place to not only connect and recharge with fellow industry partners, but the content was so diverse, from corporate culture and economics, to IT solutions and high school football coaching philosophy. It had something for everyone.” Top Left: NALC 2019 wrapped with a tour of the AT&T Stadium and an opportunity to spend time on the field with various games. Top Right: Gary Garfield, former CEO of Bridgestone Americas, spoke on leading a company through change and growth. Above: Keynote presenter and mountain climber John Beede drew on lessons learned scaling the world’s highest peaks to speak on leadership and decision-making. 102 | OCTOBER 2019 | CONNECT