PPB July 2021

Ma r y Jo Tomas i n i , MAS+ Mary Jo Tomasini, MAS+ (front row, third from left), with Paula Wygonik, MAS (front row, fourth from left), is proudest of her stellar team at CE Competitive Edge, LLC. F or decades, Mary Jo Tomasini, MAS+, has championed the promotional products industry. “When I started in the industry, it wasn’t very prestigious to sell promotional products or ad specialties,” says Tomasini, CEO of distributor CE Competitive Edge, LLC in Stevensville, Michigan. “People would say negative things like we are ‘trunk-slammers’ selling ‘trinkets and trash,’ and I always took that on personally because I wanted people to know that this was a chosen and dignified profession.” Back when businesses could buy an ad in the Yellow Pages, it was Tomasini who fought for years to change the ‘advertising specialties’ section to ‘promotional products.’ “I remember before we started calling it promotional products, I was calling it promotional products. Being listed under that header was so important tome,” says Tomasini. “Advocating means doing what you can to keep the industry visible and in front of people so that we’re relevant. The advocacy has been an evolution for people to understand that we are marketing professionals, and the value that we bring to the table.” Thirty-seven years ago, Tomasini got her start in the promotional products industry by working for aMichigan distributor. In October 1993, she opened her own distributorship in Southwest Michigan. “In the beginning, it was just me,” says Tomasini. “When I started, I did everything. In fact, when I bought used furniture for my first office, I got three desks. I would literally roll my chair fromone desk to the other. One desk was all about sales and one was all about billing and accounting. The other was for artwork because, at the time, artwork wasn’t done on a computer. It was a piece of film and you had to overnight artwork to somebody. So, during the day, I was selling and at night, I was rolling aroundmy office, working.” Over the next 27 years, Tomasini grew CE Competitive Edge to be an industry standout, drawing praise and recognition with its many accomplishments. Her company has been recognized by PPB as one of the industry’s Greatest Companies ToWork For and by Counselor magazine as one of the Best Places ToWork. MichiganWomen’s Business Council named the company a Top 50Women- A Generous Heart In May, Mary Jo Tomasini, MAS+, was named PPAI’s 2021 Woman of Achievement in recognition of her nearly 40- year career that’s opened the doors for countless other women to be successful. by Kristina Valdez 68 | JULY 2021 | THINK