PPB November 2019

Project Pool from 2016-2018 and he helped with the PPAI Awards Work Group in 2016-2017. He also previously served on the Suppliers Committee (2017- 2018), a position he held once before in 2002. But aside from Carpenter’s admirable involvement, what’s also remarkable is what led him to become an active volunteer. It was through a conversation with his former boss and industry veteran Barry Chase, CAS, the longtime president of former supplier World Wide Art Studios, in Hixson, Tennessee, where Carpenter got his start. Chase—who served on the PPAI board, was named to the PPAI Hall of Fame in 2006 and is a PPAI Fellow—knew a thing or two about getting involved and wanted to pass this message on to Carpenter. And one day, when Chase called Carpenter into his office, he did just that. “[Barry] explained that he had a responsibility for our industry to make it a better place for everyone involved,” says Carpenter. “He explained that the professionalism standards they had been training me on were because we were responsible for promoting the future of our industry as a whole.” This discussion culminated with plans for Carpenter to travel to a CAS certification class in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and become involved with both national and local industry associations. “[Barry] stated that he would be completely surprised if I ever felt that I wasn’t getting more out of my experiences in giving back to our industry than the effort and time I would be investing, and he was 100 percent correct. I have always found myself to be a better, more enriched person as a result of my volunteer work.” Volunteering was an effort that Carpenter not only embraced, but one in which he thrived. But it’s also been a journey that’s given him a lot of insight into the complexities of an ever- innovating industry. “I have had the occasion of working with committees and associations that have been through some very difficult times, and I have seen some great successes and, sadly, a failure or two as well. What has always seemed to have been the key to getting through those times was flexibility and being aware of all the available resources,” he says. “You have to start with the realization of the truth—that the only constant we have is change.” Over the years, Carpenter has created a method to finding solutions. “I always suggest stopping, taking a deep breath and then asking the group the basics of “SWOT,” or strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.” It’s only after the bigger picture is identified, he says, that professionals can then redirect themselves and their teams in the right direction. “When the winds of change come, you have to decide to be flexible enough to bend with it and not be broken by it.” PPB spoke with Carpenter to learn more about how he got involved and what his volunteerism has taught him. PPB How did you get started in the industry? Carpenter I moved to a small town near Covington, Tennessee, in the early ’90s. I had been an event coordinator for the Mabee Center, an arena in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where I managed and organized major theater and concert events. There weren’t many major entertainment venues in West Tennessee, so I started looking for another line of work. I saw an advertisement in the local newspaper for a customer service position at a company that manufactured branded merchandise. My mind went to the t-shirts, caps and key rings I saw being sold during various concert events that I managed, and I thought I might actually know a little about that sort of merchandise. The company was World Wide Art Studios and it only took the first interview with the customer service manager, Peggy Davis, for me to realize I had no idea of the scope and depth of the industry. PPB Tell us about some of your experiences with RAC. Carpenter Some of the greatest challenges that I was involved in during my service was the implementation of the RAC Benchmarking Study to help identify the strengths and weaknesses faced by each of the 27 regional associations. We took on the tremendous task of establishing metrics that each association could use to see where they stood and where they needed to focus on maintaining visibility as local nonprofit industry associations. I also helped the regional associations establish a process for evaluating their needs and the performance of their executive directors which helped those associations and directors keep up with “In a world where everyone wants change, the best opportunity to affect that change is to be present and get involved,” Bring who you are with you, like a shovel, and help dig a hole.” —TomCarpenter, MAS | NOVEMBER 2019 | 95 CONNECT