PPB October 2019

Denn i s Co rmany A Behind-The-Scenes Lifetime Staff Member Dennis Cormany with his daughters: Dara Cormany, left, PPAI’s marketing coordinator, who just celebrated her seventh year with the organization; and Darcy Cormany, a college student in nursing school. Controller Dennis Cormany of PPAI celebrates an incredible milestone— 40 years with the Association. by Danielle Renda W hen you ask the PPAI staff what they love about the promotional products industry and working for the Association, many will say it’s the people they meet and work with. Dennis Cormany is one of the “people” they speak of. This year, Cormany celebrates 40 years with PPAI in its accounting department, currently as its controller. He was involved in the headquarters’ relocation fromChicago, Illinois, to Irving, Texas, in the late ‘70s, and after the move, he worked six days a week to help the late H. Ted Olson, PPAI president emeritus—for which the H. Ted Olson Humanitarian Award is named—re-staff the organization. Together with Olson, he even interviewed potential candidates in their cars in the parking lot while the headquarters was under construction. For 16 years, he worked closely with Olson, assisting with the rebranding from the Specialty Advertising Association to Promotional Products Association International, and helping move the Association into the age of technology. Cormany says his role with PPAI has been, and remains today, one of stewardship. “I’m responsible for the stewardship of members’ investments in the Association. Stewardship is the oversight of business systems, business practices relating to financial reporting, budgets supporting the strategic initiatives, and to assure there are adequate funding and resources to do so.” His motto, after all, is, “Your honesty will never be questioned; just constantly verify.” But when reflecting recently on his early days with PPAI, its 92 | OCTOBER 2019 | CONNECT