Must Read | Rising Stars Alex Bradley, 35 Territory Sales Manager Vantage Apparel Woodbridge, New Jersey What do you love about the promotional products industry? I love being able to connect with customers, helping them be creative and stand out for their own customers. I love exploring, expanding, pushing limits and seeing what more the industry can do as a whole. We’ve grown so much as an industry, and it’s fun and phenomenal to see how much we keep going. What excites you in your role? Knowing that my customers are satisfied. I love knowing that we were able to help them and support them, being a true partner and a friend. I also enjoy being able to relate to my customers, establishing friendships to truly build on our relationship and grow not just professionally, but also personally. What is the biggest challenge for you in your career? The travel, which is also a fun challenge. As a supplier, we’re traveling and meeting our customers a lot, which pulls us away from our families. But we also have a lot of technology now to do Zoom calls and other things that we’ve never been able to do before. What does the industry need to do to attract and retain more young leaders? We must stay relevant and know what the younger generations are looking for and wanting to accomplish. Communication is key, but generations communicate differently, so we need to be able to connect to them on their preferred platforms. What does being a PPAI Rising Star mean to you? It’s truly an honor and a privilege. It’s an amazing group of people in this industry, and I feel honored to get to be around them and learn from them, picking their brains and seeing what we can do to be better together. 54 • NOVEMBER 2024 • PPAI
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