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Alicia Skipper, CPIM Age 33 PromoGuru and Customer Care Specialist PromoPros/Incent Pros, Inc. Spring, Texas A licia Skipper was a stay-at-home mom who was ready to return to the workforce when a high school friend pointed out a job opening at distributor PromoPros/Incent Pros, Inc. The position was order specialist and Skipper began work in March 2016. “I had no prior knowledge of the industry,” says Skipper, who has a degree in theater from Texas State University, “but now I cannot imagine working anywhere else.” Nominator Leslie Roark, president of PromoPros/Incent Pros, describes Skipper as a jack of all trades and a master of several. “She handles many things for us, and in her four years of employment with us, has become an invaluable member of our team. It was clear soon after we hired her that she had what it takes to be very successful in our business, our industry, our little company. She’s a resourceful, hard-working woman and able to wear many hats on a daily/hourly basis.” Roark adds that Skipper handles pricing for clients, all of the promotional products orders and order tracking, and has become the company’s resident promo guru. “She can tell you who carries what, who to deal with in that company, what new products they have, etc. Because of this knowledge, she is the one I like to have with me at all client meetings. And she does all the client voiceovers for client videos.” Skipper believes in getting involved and has served on the PPAI SPARK Work Group for the past two years. What impact has the COVID-19 lockdown had on your life both personally and professionally? Personally, as a single mother, it gave me the opportunity to spend more quality time with my two beautiful sons (ages six and eight). Professionally, I feel I was able to prove to myself; my organizational skills came in great use while attempting to work from home during the crisis and homeschooling my sons. What have you learned about yourself during this time? I learned that time is just a construct, and that I was most productive at night while my boys were sleeping. What concerns you most about the future of the promo products industry? How we will continue to prove the necessity of our industry (with the associated costs that come along with our advertising medium)? Also, the necessity of no-contact events has affected the way we, as a whole, create, process and deliver the highest-quality orders to our clients. What are you most optimistic about moving forward? I feel this time has given my company a chance to show our clients how to best utilize our services, and how we are able to come up with creative solutions to their new problems. Who or what inspires you and why? My good friend and boss, Leslie Roark. The level at which she insists on treating the importance of every order, no matter how small, is awe-inspiring. I hope to one day be able emulate her grace and care that she so successfully gives every client. What would you like to accomplish over the next 24 months? I would like to build our client portfolio on both sides of the business (promo and incentives), while still giving the same level of care to every client. I would also like to continue to stay involved in volunteering with PPAI, if they will have me. How can the industry attract, recruit and retain more young professionals? I think we are already doing as much as we can with our outreach but continuing to push our industry in conjunction with advertising to schools to get awareness for our industry is a must. What’s the best advice you can give others who are just starting out? Get involved, think outside the box and don’t be afraid to ask questions. The ability we have to learn from those more experienced than us is unprecedented within our industry. But also, don’t be afraid to make your thoughts and experiences known to those around you. And get involved with SPARK! FEATURE | Rising Stars 38 | SEPTEMBER 2020 |