PPB November 2021

professionals and employees to collect and donate products to those in need, donating hundreds of pallets of product to community centers, schools and churches for hurricane relief efforts. Hirsch is also a co-founder of Patriot Coolers, which has a giveback program that supports Homes For Our Troops. Alongside his service to his community, Hirsch is an active industry volunteer, having served on numerous PPAI committees andwork groups, on the board of the Houston Promotional Products Association (HPPA) and as a participant at PPAI’s Legislative Education and ActionDay in Washington, D.C. Introduced in 2015, PPAI’s Promotional Products Pioneers programhas honored individuals whose business acumen or technological skill played a key role in the advancement of the promotional products industry. Pioneers recognized in the program Hear Canadian Distributor Jae Rang, MAS, On PPAI PromoTalks PromoTalks’ ongoing Entrepreneur Series spotlights promotional products industry business owners who share their individual stories, experience and advice to help listeners learn more about the entrepreneurial side of business leadership. In a recent episode, Jae Rang, MAS, president and CEO of Oakville, Ontario, distributor JAE associates, Ltd., shared how in high school she had a startlingly different career path in mind. In this new podcast, she reveals what it was, how she found her way into the promo industry and her best advice for other business owners who are just starting out. Tune in to listen to these and the full library of podcasts available free on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and at pubs.ppai.org/promotalks. Reader Insights On Email And Labor Shortages PPAI’s PromoPolls gauge industry participants’ positions 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. In September, PromoPolls quizzed industry professionals for their take on various aspects of business. It asked, “What is your biggest pet peeve about receiving emails?” Forty-three percent said emails that are overly wordy and don’t get to the point, 23 percent said emails without the sender’s company name or contact information and nine percent said emails without a relevant subject line, while 25 percent of respondents indicated that their email pet peeves weren’t on the list. PromoPolls also asked readers if they have had to scale back on their company’s offerings because of a shortage of labor. While almost half (46 percent) said no and they don’t expect to, 42 percent of respondents said yes, somewhat, and eight percent said yes to a great extent. Four percent of those polled said no, but it could happen this year. To see all the polls’ findings and participate in the current poll, visit pubs.ppai.org/polls. continued from page 89 Peter Hirsch, MAS 90 | NOVEMBER 2021 | CONNECT