ALL SYSTEMS GO The largest distributors in promotional products are dueling in a technology arms race. But there are paths for small and mid-size companies to compete on the defining battleground of the industry’s future. by Jonny Auping More than a dozen people are gathered in Vera Muzzillo’s living room. On a muggy June afternoon, Proforma staffers and guests from PPAI and PPAI Media enjoy conversation, blessed air conditioning, a floor-to-ceiling view of Tampa Bay and Chef D’s hot cinnamon rolls – the best cinnamon rolls anyone has ever made or will ever make. The conversation revolves around one of the host’s sincere passions. Over the last several years, Muzzillo, CAS, the Proforma CEO, has invested more than $15 million of the company’s money in a tech solution called ProVision. Billed as Proforma’s fully-integrated business management technology platform, it’s otherwise known as an Enterprise Resource Planning system (ERP), and the underpinning of a company that has firmly established itself among the five largest distributorships in the promotional products space. Piyawat Nuchjumroon / Shutterstock.com Digital Transformation | FEATURE | NOVEMBER 2022 | 45
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzU4OQ==