PPB January 2020

2019, the annual event had swelled to encompass nearly 80 volunteers and more than 300 meetings with legislators and their staffs. With even more to give, Brenner stepped up to lead the PPAI Government Relations Advisory Council and was tapped for PPAI board service in 2012. In that capacity, he served as board liaison to the Marketing Information & Research Action Group, Certification Committee, Leadership Advisory Council and the Promotional Products Education Foundation. In 2015, he was named PPAI chair of the board and served a fifth year as immediate past chair in 2016. What led him to devote so much time to the promotional products industry? His explanation is simple. “Each of us has a range of talents, experiences, expertise and intellectual gifts that others can benefit from, for the betterment of the whole industry,” he says. “I have been fortunate to have enjoyed success in my career and enjoy sharing whatever I can that others may benefit from.” Unlike many of PPAI’s other volunteer leaders who have come from within the promotional products industry, Brenner honed his expertise in other fields. While still in college at Michigan State University, he founded a building maintenance business. Using a technology platform he developed, Brenner expanded the business to five states with 1,600 employees. He later sold the business and moved to New York where he was hired as “entrepreneur- in-residence” at Prospect Street, a New York-based venture capital firm. Little did he know that position would open a whole new world of opportunity. In the mid-1990s the World Wide Web was making daily headlines and companies were jumping at the opportunity to take full advantage of the new technology. Prospect Street had an investment in the promotional products industry—an e-distributor—so Brenner was sent to the PPAI Dallas Show (as The PPAI Expo was called at that time) to learn about the industry. One of Brenner’s colleagues at Prospect Street was related to Bob Lederer, founder of supplier Prime. Lederer needed advice on a transaction, Brenner was recommended and over the next several years he did a significant amount of consulting with Prime, including its 2003 acquisition of Logotec, which later became Prime’s bag division. In early 2004, Lederer and his wife Gail asked Brenner to become president and CEO of Prime, the first outsider to lead the family-owned company. He remained at Prime for 12 years until January 2016. Today Brenner runs a consultancy firm, RFBrenner LLC, in Mamaroneck, New York, where he works throughout the industry with distributors and suppliers. His practice is equally divided between clients who rely on his advice for business, growth and exit strategies and clients Rick Brenner, left, presents the PPAI gavel to incoming chair Tom Goos, MAS, in 2016. PPAI’s Top Awards | FEATURE | JANUARY 2020 | 43