PPB July 2021

Ma r y Jo Tomas i n i , MAS+ “It was no contest; I decided being an entrepreneur wasmost important tome and inspiring others and leadingwith character, integrity and grace has been its own reward.” - Mary Jo Tomasini , MAS+ pleasure to lift other people up and make a difference in their lives; that’s what has givenme the most satisfaction andmeant the most tome.” Over the years, Tomasini has built a solid reputation for nurturing and caring about others. “Mary Jo has made it her life’s work to put others, especially women, ahead of herself,” says Wygonik. “In the challenging first years of business, Mary Jo took out a credit card loan to be able to gift and thank her employees; a true woman of achievement knows the importance of appreciating others. She has set up a scholarship endowment at Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor, Michigan, to be awarded to female students who need financial assistance with their education. She's often a secret angel to others giving money anonymously to those in need, as she did for a single momwithout money needing to travel to see a dying loved one. These big-hearted actions are not exceptions but, rather, speak to her values and how she lives her life. Despite strategic foresight and careful planning, businesses around the world couldn’t have prepared for what the pandemic wrought, and when the first closures began hitting in early 2020, they were a gut punch to Tomasini’s business. She found herself working in the shipping department to keep orders moving and revenue coming in, reminding herself of when she used to roll around fromdesk to desk. “The biggest challenge was survival,” says Tomasini. “[The pandemic] came out of nowhere. Before the pandemic was even called a pandemic, we started seeing event cancellations which has typically been the lion’s share of what we do.” She says shifting to personal protective equipment helped the entire company make it through the year. “We were able to help a lot of our customers get what they needed, strengthening our relationships with them,” says Tomasini. “We are going to continue to navigate this pandemic while acknowledging that the world has had accelerated growth. Growth is never going to happen slower than it’s happening today.” She says many of her best memories in the promotional products industry have come from the relationships she’s formed over the years. “When I served on the PPAI board, that was an amazing experience for me. I met people I never would have met, I learned a lot from them, and I got to do a lot of great things, including going to Hong Kong in 2018. We represented the industry to the world. I’ve had somany incredibly cool experiences like that, but the people make this industry.” Tomasini adds that she’s had the honor of receiving consistent recognition throughout her career. “I’ve had the privilege to do a lot of different things,” she says. “All of my accomplishments are important and humbling. When I look at my top three accomplishments, one is growing frombeing a one-woman business and trying tomake a living in a basement office to being this larger company that today employs more than 25 staff members, and being responsible for those individuals and their families. Second, we really do have an amazing company. I’m thrilled that people want to work for this company. I remember, early in my journey, a man telling me, ‘You need to decide right now if making money is your objective or being an entrepreneur is your objective.’ He toldme I would have more free time andmoney if I would just sell versus being an entrepreneur who cares about my team. It was no contest; I decided being an entrepreneur was most important tome and inspiring others and leading with character, integrity and grace has been its own reward.” Looking back over the highlights and accomplishments of the past four decades, Tomasini is simply thankful. “I amblessed by all of the things I have been able to do and experience since choosing this as my profession,” she says. “Competitive Edge is an example of what can happen when you surround yourself with a passionate and highly engaged teamof professionals. I couldn’t be happier with what we’ve done together or more optimistic about what’s ahead.” Kristina Valdez is associate editor of PPB. The prestigious PPAI Woman of Achievement award was presented to Mary Jo Tomasini, MAS+, at a special evening event during the PPAI Women’s Leadership Conference in June. View the video of the presentation and Tomasini’s acceptance by clicking on the link in this story at pubs.ppai.org. 70 | JULY 2021 | THINK