PPB February 2020

IN MEMORIAM: John Schimmoller John Schimmoller, partner and chief operating officer at Huntertown, Indiana-based Certified Marketing Consultants (PPAI 110557), a consulting firm focusing on the promotional products industry, passed away on December 18. He was 59. Born in Defiance, Ohio, Schimmoller was a graduate of Ohio Northern University and a qualified CPA in Ohio. He is the former chief finance officer of Renaissance Corporation, and his professional background includes time on both the supplier and distributor sides of the promotional products industry. “We are shocked and deeply saddened by the passing of John,” says Jamie Watson, MAS, partner at Certified Marketing Consultants. “His kindness and patience made him an amazing advisor, but also a dear friend. You rarely heard John say anything negative. He was a kind soul who would give you the shirt off his back. Thoughtful, intelligent and good-natured, he always gave people the benefit of the doubt. We feel privileged to have worked alongside him.” Jeff Meyer, also a partner at Certified Marketing Consultants, adds, “I have known and worked with John and his beloved wife for 30 years. He was an incredible person and cherished friend. He will be missed but not forgotten until we meet again.” Schimmoller was an enthusiastic hunter, fisherman and sportsman. He was an Eagle Scout and a member of both the Fort Wayne Rifle Club and the National Rifle Association. Schimmoller is survived by his wife, Mary-Ellen; his daughter Amber Mahaffey-Harris and her husband Erik Harris; sons Dylan Mahaffey and Ethan Schimmoller; grandchildren Yvette, Finn and Rosalie; his mother Darlene; sister Tamra Ummel and her husband Greg; and several sisters- and brothers-in-law. Memorials may be made in Schimmoller’s name to St. Martin’s Heath Services in Garrett, Indiana. silver commemorative coins to mark the passing of General Douglas MacArthur. It was in 1986, well past his retirement from Franklin Mint, that he founded QVC—it stands for Quality, Value, Convenience—in West Chester, Pennsylvania. With QVC, Segel created a network that, to this day, reflects his original model. On its website, QVC describes its mission as, “We connect with customers via authentic stories, interesting personalities and award-winning customer service. We invite customers to tell their stories and share their feedback. And we do it live, across multiple networks and platforms.” Today, QVC, now owned by Qurate, reaches 380 million households across 15 television networks. Segel was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Electronic Retailing Association in 2002, listed by the Harvard Business School as one of the “Great Business Leaders of the Twentieth Century” in 2005 and named one of Wharton School’s most influential alumni in 2007. Segel was also among seven inaugural inductees chosen by the PPAI board in 1977 to be the first members of the Association’s Hall of Fame. In 2012, the PPAI Board of Directors voted to create a Hall of Fame Recognition Program utilizing the Promotional Products Education Foundation’s Named Scholarships to honor HOF members for their lifetime contributions to the Association and industry. The PPAI Board will match industry donations up to $2,500 to fulfill the $5,000 commitment needed to create a Named Scholarship through the PPEF. To make a gift to establish a scholarship in Joseph Segel’s name, send a check payable to PPEF mentioning Segel Memorial in the memo line and mail it to PPEF, 3125 Skyway Circle North, Irving, TX 75038. Gifts can also be made online at www.ppef.us. Click on Donate and enter Joseph Segel Memorial in the Comments Section. Segel’s wife Doris passed away in 2018. He is survived by his sons Marvin and Alan, stepdaughter Sandy Stern, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. | FEBRUARY 2020 | 93 CONNECT