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Dawn Ol ds , MAS O ne adjective you’ll never hear being used to describe the promotional products industry is “monotonous,” says Dawn Olds, MAS, senior vice president of operations at Sterling, Illinois, distributor HALO Branded Solutions. But it’s the industry’s ever-changing, constantly evolving and highly adaptable nature that adds an element of excitement and appeals to many professionals, like Olds, who thrive on the variety each day brings. Olds, who is serving a four- year term on PPAI’s Board of Directors and will lead the Association as board chair starting in January 2022, began her career working in the office of a local mechanical engineering firm where she quickly learned that she disliked the repetitiveness of the role. In pursuit of something new and much more varied, she applied for an accounting position at Lee Wayne Corp.—now HALO Branded Solutions—before knowing what the company did; something that was typical of job-seekers pre-internet, she says. But the more she learned about the distributor, the more it piqued her interest, and more than 32 years after joining HALO, Olds remains devoted to its purpose. About the industry, she says, “I have loved it from the moment I started.” Throughout Olds’ more than three decades with HALO, she’s held a number of positions, beginning as staff accountant; a role that It’s Always Something New Dawn Olds, MAS, of HALO Branded Solutions, finds her passion in an industry where no two days are ever the same. By Danielle Renda Dawn Olds, MAS, in red, with (from left) her grandson Brady, son-in-law John, daughter Stephanie, granddaughter Lillian, husband Ken, granddaughter Kaydence, son Nick and daughter-in-law Lindsey. 70 | SEPTEMBER 2020 | THINK