PPB September 2021

Most optimistic about for the industry’s future: I am most optimistic about the speed in which this industry continues to evolve. Who really knew that we would be selling personal protective equipment (PPE) and related products just 18 months ago? This product line helped me get my first large order (over $80,000) based on telephone cold-calling. During this time, we have been continuing to evolve and support our customers as business needs change. I am excited to be a part of that evolution and look forward to seeing how suppliers and distributors work together in the future to provide meaningful solutions to businesses. Biggest concern for the industry’s future: I’m most concerned with online suppliers that push an aggressive price model and commoditization of our industry. I go to market by providing value to my customers and then charging accordingly. The plethora of discounted prices online brings some challenges to differentiating with value and custom solutions. Inspiration: I am constantly inspired by my customers and their unique opportunities, along with the entire Mountain West Division team at ASB. I am fortunate to be a part of the Denver Hub, which is supported by incredible leadership, customer-centric account managers and a dedicated warehouse team. I’m also inspired by my father, Mike Kahler, who has been in the industry for nearly four decades. He is a wealth of knowledge and taught me from a young age to work hard, invest in people and take care of customers. Now that I have joined the team, he continues to mentor me, share his best practices, encourage new ideas and inspire excellent work. To accomplish in the next 24 months: I’m working to introduce current and new clients to our ACES ecommerce solutions to build programs that support their marketing needs, employee retention and multi-location fulfillment and distribution. We offer a wide variety of options, and I look forward to sharing best practices and building custom solutions for more clients in the future. Ideas to recruit and retain more young talent: Mentorship is a key element to attracting, recruiting and retaining more young professionals. From the very start, I have received formal and informal mentoring that has made a huge impact on my career. Wayne Martin, ASB’s VP sales - West, saw my potential early on, shared best practices, connected me with colleagues and encouraged me to pursue big opportunities. He always helps me think bigger and better about what is possible when brainstorming new solutions. Taylor Borst, ASB’s director of marketing, events and PR, fosters relationships among young professionals across the industry, and she is always sharing the next trend, idea or partnership. These mentorship examples show the impact that these types of relationships can have on young professionals in our industry. Best advice for them: There is so much to learn and many great resources to learn from (PPAI and ASI programs, PSDA Print Basics and Bella+Canvas FAM, for example). My advice is to jump in feet first and learn what your prospects and customers are trying to accomplish. Once you are comfortable in that vision, utilize all your resources to build them a program that will help them accomplish those goals. In addition, this industry is full of knowledgeable people who are more than willing to help mentor young professionals. They may be in your company, supplier companies or in your network, but these people are ready, willing and able to help—all you have to do is ask. Continued from page 17 Continued from page 20 Kristen Filzer Katie Kahler, CAS industry if we are all going to grow together and develop scalable solutions. We’ve taken huge steps, but we’ve got a lot of work to do. Inspiration: I am inspired daily by an exceptional group of leaders and mentors in my life. Each demonstrates behaviors and skills that I strive to emulate. I’ve been blessed with their patience as I’ve learned, their unwavering support as I’ve grown and their selfless dedication to my success. Each has taught me valuable lessons about the type of leader I want to become and helped me to believe in myself and the impact I can have. To accomplish in the next 24 months: Professionally, I intend to create a more efficient way to manage the accounts I oversee in order to become a better partner and continue to offer solutions that add tremendous value. As a leader, I am learning how to better understand others so I can work more cohesively across different teams. Personally, my focus will be on remaining present in order to maximize the time I am finally able to spend with friends and family. Ideas to recruit and retain more young talent: It blows my mind how many people, myself included, say they never heard of the promotional products industry until they started working in it. We should be offering internships, working with college recruiting offices and showcasing how fun promo is in our cities and communities. To retain great talent, companies will need to go beyond a competitive wage and great benefits. Young people entering all industries right now are looking for purpose, the ability to make an impact and opportunities for growth, connection and fun. Best advice for them: Dive in, be a sponge, ask a ton of questions and never stop learning. There are so many people in this industry who are excited to help you learn and grow. There are an abundance of opportunities to develop personally and professionally. Take the time to invest in yourself. FEATURE | Rising Stars 28 | SEPTEMBER 2021 |