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Tiffany Wu Age 25 Sales and Marketing Manager Bagworld El Monte, California T iffany Wu grew up in the promo industry as the daughter of supplier Bagworld owner Danny Wu. He founded the Los Angeles-based family-owned bag supplier when she was five years old. Over the years, she helped with administrative tasks in the summers but never expected to join the company full time—her interests were wedding photography (she had her own business while at the University of Southern California) and was a marketing intern at Lionsgate, a major film studio. After graduating from USC in 2016 with a degree in business administration, she joined Bagworld’s sales team part-time while continuing her photography business. “I found myself loving the promotional products industry, and in 2018, I officially joined Bagworld full-time in the sales and marketing department,” she says. Molly Neises at Maple Ridge Farms, one of five nominators, explains why Wu impresses her as a Rising Star. “Tiffany’s thirst for knowledge is unmatched. She seeks out opportunities for both networking and knowledge building. At the 2020 PPAI Expo, she attended the PromoKitchen mixer and spent a large amount of time engaging in thought-provoking questions, and enlisted in the PK Mentorship program. She now comes to each of those meetings with a long list of questions on varied topics (from marketing to operations to sales), eager to learn and ask the tough questions. I learn from her during each meeting as well— as she forces me to think about ‘why’ we do something, not just how. She is continually looking for any and all opportunities to grow her company’s exposure, clientele and business.” What impact has the COVID-19 lockdown had on your life both personally and professionally? From a personal level, COVID-19 has brought my family closer since my younger siblings have been home from school. We’ve been watching more movies together and trying to motivate each other to stay healthy by swimming and running together. On a professional level, Bagworld has recently switched into PPE products including masks, thermometers and sanitizers. These products are new to our industry, but I’m happy that suppliers are responding to COVID-19 by pivoting to provide these essential items. I’m also thankful to see that our bags have found new uses during COVID-19. While I knew that our clear bags would be used as security bags for employees, I didn’t expect to see them used as bags for medical supplies. With many restaurants delivering, we have also seen an increase in our grocery and cooler bags. We have seen so many changes over the past few months, and I appreciate our marketing team for adapting so quickly to provide relevant sales tools for our distributors. It’s a great feeling being able to provide essential items during this time. What have you learned about yourself during this time? I learned that I’m able to adapt more quickly than I expected. Our company has never added in so many new products over the course of a few days, and we have been busier than ever. My dad has been in charge of sourcing all the new PPE products, and I have had to take over in implementing the new products into our line. It’s been a challenge, but I’m excited to see so many opportunities for Bagworld to answer the need for these products during this time. What concerns you most about the future of the promo products industry? My concern is the drop in large events. The promotional products industry thrives on events, so it’s going to take some time for us to recover as events continue to get cancelled or postponed. A lot of stock items will stay in the warehouse and it may be difficult to find a use for them without those events. What are you most optimistic about moving forward? I am optimistic seeing how both suppliers and distributors have responded to COVID-19. None of us have really been involved in the PPE business, but it’s amazing seeing our industry respond to the need and providing those services. Who or what inspires you and why? My dad has been a huge inspiration to me during this time. As many companies went through huge layoffs, our staff was scared they were next. He reminded them that in 2008, during the recession, he was able to take Bagworld to the next level and this time would be no different. Since most of the staff has been with the company for Continued on Page 43 FEATURE | Rising Stars 40 | SEPTEMBER 2020 |