By Rachel Zoch Like many, Brandon Bell says he discovered the promotional products industry almost by accident – or was it fate? Looking for a temporary gig between college and law school, Bell started out with OGIO as the company began dipping its toes into custom products, but he fell in love with the camaraderie of the promotional products business and decided to pursue a higher education on the job. His passion for service and eagerness to learn about the industry earned him a series of opportunities, and ETS Express founder Sharon Eyal recruited Bell to join the management team at the supplier over a decade ago. Now, with ETS having become an independent subsidiary of PCNA and Eyal making his exit, Bell is stepping up to lead the company into its next phase. PPB spoke with Bell to learn about what drives him and what he loves about the industry, as well as what’s next for ETS Express. PPBHow did you break into the industry to begin with? Bell I decided to take a year off to study for the LSAT, and I literally was just trying to find a job that would fulfill me for that year. I put in for a customer service position, and I actually didn’t get the job at the very beginning. I told them I was only looking for employment for a year. I probably shouldn’t have said anything, but I just wanted to be honest. About three days later, I got a phone call from the customer service manager. Fast-forward about seven or eight months into it, they pulled me aside and said, “We want you to stay here, and we’ll create this position for you.” I absolutely fell in love with the industry in that short period and developed great friendships with some dear friends that I’m friends with today still. It’s really cool that you can be friends with customers and go make money together – I love that aspect. Long story short, I decided to cancel the whole law school thing and take on this position helping run this promotional product division. And we had a blast. PPBETS Express is based in California on the coast between LA and Santa Barbara – which happens to be very near where you grew up. When you were recruited to ETS, did that job seem like it was meant to be from the start? Bell I grew up 10 minutes away. I went down to Oxnard and met with Sharon, one of the founders and CEO, and I had a great conversation with him and instantly fell in love with him, his family and how he approached things. And I thought this was a huge opportunity with someone who would show me what they do and how they run the business and let me be involved and take the things that I’ve learned and help apply them there. I felt like I could help make an impact, so it was immediately attractive, and here I am 12 years later. PPBWhere did you learn your work ethic? Bell I grew up in a farming family, so it was always a strong work ethic. You have to work for what you want. And I took a two-year sabbatical [after high school] to do a church service mission in Boston. A big focus of that was finding service opportunities and getting involved with the community, lending an impact, finding those in need and how you can help. I learned a lot, but really from a social interaction standpoint, there’s this weird thing that happens when you get thrown into this mission life. There’s a whole training process of how to interact with FIVE MINUTES WITH Brandon Bell President, ETS Express Full Speed Ahead Brandon Bell, new president of ETS Express, dishes on how he got to his position and what's next as he takes the helm at the California-based drinkware supplier. 56 | NOVEMBER 2022 | THINK
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