aren’t a lot of barriers to entry,” Culp says. “It’s relatively low-cost to get started.” Culp was a battalion commander in the U.S. Army, partially responsible for the overseas deployment of nearly 1,000 soldiers and their equipment. “It’s kind of a miracle,” Culp says. “And then you have to do all that again to come home and get the equipment home.” That type of logistical experience lends itself to promo. Any successful distributor knows about the myriad factors that could prevent a transaction from running smoothly, from supply chain issues to unclear clients to the attention to detail required before finalizing the deal. Culp is a navigator of these types of high-stakes puzzles. In other words, wherever you came from, bring your experience with you to the promo industry. Pam Seidman spent over 25 years in the fashion industry, working with Ralph Lauren, Valentino, Express and Nine West, before bringing her Must Read | New To Promo company BYBBA to the promotional market. More than her extensive experience, though, it was her mindset and values that matched up well with promo. “Our main goal is to replace disposable products that end up in landfills and the ocean,” Seidman says. “We’re really focused on quality, design and responsible manufacturing as our core tenets and love working with businesses that are like-minded and want to echo this ethos.” PPAI’s Education Pushes The Door Further Open For all its enticing qualities, the promo industry’s machinations are not necessarily simple to grasp from the outside coming in. “As an outsider, I had no idea just how big the promotional products industry was,” Rosario says. “Understanding the dynamics between the different types of distributors and the industry partners has been a fun puzzle to wrap my mind around.” PPAI takes the role of helping newcomers solve that puzzle seriously, and the Association is currently revamping that process. Its certification programs are being redesigned with an outsiderlooking-in perspective. New courses are being developed to address different types of learners and help them get a better sense of the intricacies of the industry. “This program is specifically designed to target those who are new to the industry,” says Gibbons-Rauch, “not necessarily new to their careers. Our intended audience for this program is anyone with less than three years in the industry.” Beyond the Trained Advertising Specialist program, which equips users with an introduction to industry terms, supply chain basics and compliance, the PPAI education modules focus on: • Sales • Marketing • Support and technology Soon-to-be-expanded modules will include finance and other roles as well. Qualified newcomers still may join the industry unable to answer questions like What “As an outsider, I had no idea just how big the promotional products industry was." —Rachel Rosario 68 • SEPTEMBER 2024 • PPAI
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