PPB January 2020

PPAI TeamMembers Visit Compass, Bulova and DBEBZ During New York Trip With the PPAI staff’s aim of connecting and engaging more frequently with members in their offices and factories, PPAI directors Ellen Tucker, director of business development, and Tina Berres Filipski, director of publications/ editor, visited the offices of PPAI supplier members Compass Industries, Inc. and Bulova while in New York City in October. Tucker also met separately with New York City-based DBEBZ/Backpacker. At Compass Industries, Tucker (center) and Filipski (second from left) met with (from left) Gary Rosenberg, director of sales and marketing; Josh Levy, vice president, and Michael Levy, president, to learn about the 80-year-old, three-generation, family-owned company specializing in tools and outdoor gear. The meeting with Bulova took place in the supplier’s offices on the 29th floor of the Empire State building, which included a look at museum-quality items and memorabilia from the iconic brand’s 144-year history. Tucker and Filipski met with Adrienne Forrest, vice president, corporate sales (center); Patricia Schmoyer, director, integrated marketing (left); and Ryan Roberson, corporate sales coordinator, to learn more about the company’s promotional markets division and its plans for 2020. (From left) David Bebon, CEO of DBEBZ/Backpacker, and his son, Spencer Bebon, vice president, along with Marlene Shapiro, production manager and Binnie Acquicino, customer service lead, hosted Tucker at their offices, where she learned more about the supplier’s line of outdoor apparel under the Backpacker brand including flannel, performance and outerwear. 118 | JANUARY 2020 | CONNECT