willing to lend a hand, a smile and words of motivation and inspiration to uplift and help others.” Asked about the importance of service, Jones reflects on her own experience. “It’s important to know you can make a difference. You don’t have to change the world, just make a difference for one person,” she says. “It doesn’t have to be anything grand or elaborate. Maybe teach someone to read or provide a meal. And no one does it to get anything out of it. You are a better person because you learn things that you would not have learned if you had not given yourself permission to volunteer.” Jones’ compassion for others doesn’t go unnoticed. “Renée possesses a rare and powerful ability to make people feel seen, valued and inspired,” says Janet McMaster, MAS, regional sales VP at Geiger. Earning PPAI’s 2026 Woman of Achievement award is the crown on 42 years of volunteer service. Over the decades, Jones has been recognized with multiple honors from the DAVA, awarded the Legion of Honor Bronze Medal from the Chapel of Four Chaplains, was a torch bearer at the Salt Lake City Olympic Games, received the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Volunteer Service Award and, this past January, received PPAI’s H. Ted Olson Humanitarian Award. Roni S. Wright, MAS, vice president of The Book Company, says, Jones “exemplifies the very essence of a Woman of Achievement – someone who leads with passion, serves with purpose and inspires those around her.” When she sees a need, she steps up. In March 2020, when the world began shutting down amid the pandemic, Jones created a place for industry women to stay connected. The result was The LIPP (Ladies in Promotional Products) Café, a biweekly online meetup of peers and competitors that’s still going strong six years later. “Renée’s leadership was a career lifesaver to many of these sales pros and suppliers, who still participate today, all while juggling her own client challenges,” says Mary Ellen Sokalski, MAS, an industry veteran. But accolades aren’t what fuels her. “Some people need to be told they are a rockstar,” Jones says. “I’m not that kind of person. I don’t know why, but I’m thankful I’m not.” Being sure of herself has led to taking risks and reaping the success that comes with that kind of bold confidence. Over the next decade, Jones has great expectations for women in the industry. “I want them not to take no for an answer,” she says. “I want them to believe in themselves, to believe they are worthy, awesome, that they can make this industry better, not just sit by and not say anything when something should be said.” At this point in life, she admits she’s ready to pull back a bit on volunteering but knows she won’t sit idle. “I don’t take time to dream, to think about what is next,” she says. “I don’t have a bucket list. I don’t take time for myself to think about what it would look like to take every Saturday off.” Jones often recalls her blessings in disguise: the competitor who propelled her toward certification by bragging about her own CAS, and her former boss who wouldn’t grant the promised time off and drove Jones to open her own company. “These are blessings that have led to an awesome life, an awesome business, an awesome husband. I thank God for my life every day,” she says. Reflecting on the two PPAI awards she’s received this year, Jones is thoughtful: “I am grateful that my competitors thought enough of me to nominate me not for one award but for two awards in this industry. Wow! And not only did they nominate me, but they wrote letters of support. It’s one thing for your best friend or your top supplier to do it, but when your competition says you are worthy – I am grateful. I hope I’m as good as they are.” Filipski is a freelance writer and former director of publications at PPAI. Earning PPAI’s 2026 Woman of Achievement award is the crown on 42 years of volunteer service. PPAI • JULY 2026 • 39 Woman of Achievement | Must Read
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