PPB August 2020

for a new store they were opening there, he accepted, and remained with that company for 13 years. But in the early 1970s, when Ofsowitz lived in South Africa, he worked in promotional products; an industry he describes as vastly different from others he’s worked in. In South Africa, the industry did not consist of suppliers and distributors as separate entities, he explains, but rather, all services were offered by a single company, which employed their own sales reps who contacted clients directly. It was also an industry that Ofsowitz admittedly “knew nothing about.” “I bought into the business because I used to be a customer and I loved to see all the promotional products—I’d get excited—and an opportunity came for me to buy an interest in that business.” The company specialized in all promotional products, but the best-selling item was a zip-up vinyl suit bag imported from Taiwan and screen-printed in-house. “Back in those days, the only embellishments you could offer were silkscreening, debossing or engraving,” he says. Ofsowitz was involved in the business for four years, which he describes as “one of the largest promotional products businesses in South Africa” at the time. Ofsowitz circled back to the industry after his role at the furniture business became increasingly stressful and started to affect his health. It was during this time, he says, that he met Lesley Sattin, MAS, owner of Monkey Joe Speak, a business she started by selling t-shirts to PTA moms on the playground of her children’s school—and the person who really motivated and encouraged Ofsowitz to earn his certifications. “Les encouraged me to do the CAS. She let me know that PPAI was offering the courses at no- charge,” he says. “I admired people who had this behind their name, so I said ‘I am going to have something behind my name and show Les that I can do this,’” and accepted her challenge. At press time, Ofsowitz has just earned his MAS certification; a goal he had pledged to achieve by July 12, his 77th birthday. “My main motivation is this: if I can do it at 76 years of age, anyone can do it, and you’re never too old to learn. You have to have the curiosity—you can’t teach that to people—you have to want to learn, and you have to accept that you don’t know everything… That’s what motivated me to go and learn and better myself.” He adds, “I hope I encourage everybody to educate themselves.” Ofsowitz earned his certifications when PPAI was waiving fees for education sessions and certifications from April to June, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and to help industry members take advantage of the Association’s educational offerings. During this time, there were a record 1,106 certifications, recertifications and lifetime certifications awarded. Danielle Renda is associate editor of PPB. CONNECT | AUGUST 2020 | 89