Voting is under way for the PPAI Board of Directors Class of 2023, and the election will run through September 17. Supplier candidates are Dan Edge, director of sales for Peerless Umbrella Company, and Bill Mahre, president of ADG Promotional Products. Distributor candidates are R. Renée Jones, MAS+, CEO of A Creative Touch, Inc., and Craig Reese, senior vice president of Jack Nadel International. One candidate from each category will be elected by the membership and will begin a four-year board term immediately following The PPAI Expo 2019.
Over the next several issues PPB Newslink is taking a closer look at each of the candidates, and the series moves today to R. Renée Jones, MAS +.
Jones has worked in the promotional products industry for more than 15 years and is an active PPAI volunteer. She has served on the Certification Committee, Professional Development Committee, Legislative Committee, Women’s Leadership Conference Work Group and the Woman of Achievement Award Advisory Group. Jones is also an active member of the Carolinas Association of Advertising and Marketing Professionals (CAAMP).
Prior to working in promotional products, Jones worked as a marketing director for an automotive parts manufacturer, purchasing promotional items for motorsports teams participating in NASCAR and Indy Car races.
Outside the industry, Jones is an active volunteer for several local nonprofits, including Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary, for which she was the youngest volunteer ever to assume the role of national commander. Jones also has volunteered with the Cleveland County (North Carolina) Youth Assistance Program, the Greater Clover Chamber of Commerce and the Wilmington Central Rotary.
In her free time, Jones enjoys traveling with her “Prince Charming,” Robert. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Gardner Webb University.
When asked how PPAI can best use its limited resources to fulfill the Association’s mission of protecting and growing the industry, while simultaneously ensuring the success of a diverse and sometimes disparate constituency, Jones says, “We are an incredibly diverse industry and we should find ways to support each other. As association members we need to learn to communicate, educate and share our knowledge with each other. Building relationships inside the industry allows us to exchange information and be mentors to one another. We should not feel that we are in competition with each other, as we are all in the branded promotional products market and there are enough pieces of the pie for everyone.”
The PPAI Board of Directors election gives industry members the opportunity to select the leaders that can transform the Association. To learn more about the candidates, visit PPAI.org/election2018 and follow PPB Newslink for updates on the election.
