PPB May 2021

PromoTalks’ March Podcasts Examine What The PRO Act CouldMean For Promo, AndThe Effect Of VolunteerismOn Leadership PPAI’s PromoTalks podcast series reached its first anniversary in March. Over the past year, it has brought industry thought leaders, business executives and subject matter experts together for insightful, engaging conversations important to promotional products professionals and their businesses. In the first of March 2021’s podcasts, PPAI’s D.C.-based lobbyist Cliff Andrews and PPAI’s Public Affairs Manager Maurice Norris discuss the implications of The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, H.R. 842, that makes significant changes to current labor law that will harm the promotional products industry by banning the independent contractor model. In “ PPB Presents: Why The PRO Act Is Detrimental To the Promotional Products Industry,” PPB ’s Associate Editor Kristina Valdez moderated the podcast, sponsored by Kaeser & Blair, as Andrews and Norris answer some of the most commonly asked questions and explain how industry members can take action to oppose it. The second March episode of PPAI PromoTalks welcomed three of PPAI’s Distinguished Service Award recipients to discuss how industry volunteerism helped them hone their leadership skills and expand their networks to be better leaders in their own businesses and, in turn, to share that expertise by mentoring others. Director of publications and editor at PPAI, Tina Berres Filipski, moderated the conversation, “ PPB Presents: The Exponential Effect Of Volunteerism,” with the 2021 DSA recipient Mark Abels, MAS, CEO and owner of Selco; and the 2020 DSA recipients Kippie Helzel, MAS, and Rick Brenner, MAS+, president of RFBrenner, LLC. Tune in to listen to this 39-minute podcast and the full library of PromoTalks’ insightful and helpful discussions, available free on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and at pubs.ppai.org/media/?tab=podcasts. TopMarkets, Sales Efforts AndMore Examined InThe Latest PromoPolls In March, PPAI’s PromoPolls transitioned from a twice-weekly frequency to weekly, giving industry members more time to participate in the series’ questions, which gauge opinions on a wide variety of promotional products and business subjects. The poll, included in every issue of PPB Newslink and on the PPAI Media website, provides an anecdotal snapshot of insights on key issues. Several PromoPolls questions sought to paint a picture of where industry businesses were devoting their focus as 2021 ramped up. A question directed toward distributors asked, “Which market are you expecting to be your top performer in Q1?” Thirty-one percent said health care, 19 percent said education, 12 percent said construction, six percent said real estate and six percent said nonprofits. Another question asked, “If you are now selling PPE, do you anticipate making it a permanent part of the products you sell, even if face masks are no longer required at some point?” Fifty-eight percent of respondents said yes. A question posed to suppliers 92 | MAY 2021 | CONNECT