PPB October 2021

Da l e Denham, MAS+ An Opportunity To Grow D ale Denham, MAS+, constantly reminds himself that, in matters of both business and life, it’s all about perspective. No two people will ever see a situation in the exact same way, he says, and therefore, it’s all a matter of how you choose to, or are able to, receive it. In his 30 years of experience, Denham has learned the importance of not resting on his laurels but to stretch, grow and evolve as needed— even if it’s uncomfortable. Entering into this high-profile leadership role after key positions with major industry companies, most recently as senior vice president and chief information officer of Lewiston, Maine, distributor Geiger, Denham sees his new journey with PPAI as a way to continue to drive “meaningful change.” “Good leaders are constantly looking at the environment around us and where it is going to lead, and while you don’t have a clear roadmap, the more you are listening to experts, both in and out of the industry, the more prepared you are for the need to change, either when that time comes or before it,” he says. “So, the way I’m preparing right now is a lot of reading, listening and observing, and trying to understand where the market will go and what people need from us. This is the job of a leader. The problems and the challenges have changed, but the role of the president and CEO is to be constantly looking to where we need to go and to prepare the team to execute on that.” Denham wasn’t looking for a change when he was approached about the top leadership spot at PPAI. He was content in his position at Geiger, where he’d been for more than a decade. But in considering the role with PPAI, he realized that the rich experiences and skillset he had honed while working with one of the industry’s largest distributors had also prepared him for the role. “I’ve been in multiple businesses in the industry, and at each one I’ve been able to drive meaningful change,” he says, adding that Geiger, which focuses on giving back to its community and reinvesting in the business, shares cultural similarities to PPAI. “It’s been an established company since 1878; so much like PPAI, it has been around for a long time and is well-respected, also much like PPAI is. One of the benefits of working at Geiger is that I have been in the role and seen the day-to-day of what the majority of our members go through. Even as large as Geiger is, the company is made up of 400-plus salespeople and all the individuals and systems that support them.” Geiger is considered a large distributor, but Denham says that it deals with the same challenges as most other PPAI member companies, including vendor relations, sales and technology challenges. “Since I was responsible for vendor relations, my work at Geiger gave me real insight on what to look for when working with suppliers. It also gave me a whole new respect for the importance and value of each person’s role in the supply chain,” he says. Denham’s area of expertise is leveraging technology to solve business problems and he enjoys exploring the potential that innovative solutions can bring to the promo space. After graduating from University of South Florida, Denham became a partner and director of a consulting group, and later was general manager of a large semiconductor and electronic component distributor. He entered the promotional products industry in 1995 as president of Impact, Dale Denham, MAS+, comes to PPAI as its new president and CEO during a time of unparalleled potential for restructure and growth. With three decades of experience, he brings to the Association a commitment to understanding the unique perspectives of all, from staff to members to supply chain partners. by Danielle Renda THINK 58 | OCTOBER 2021 |