Promotional products have been one of the most tried-and-true methods of advertising for over a century.

You don’t have to search PPAI’s membership for long to find family-run companies thriving on their third or fourth generation of leadership. Walk the floors of the Mandalay Bay Convention Center during The PPAI Expo and you’ll run into plenty of promo lifers – after finding the industry early in their careers, success and relationships kept them there for the long haul.

But promo doesn’t live in the past. It’s constantly evolving, and that evolution has so much to do with its newcomers. Fresh perspectives bring new approaches, new products and a shot in the arm for an industry that’s managed to adapt without losing its core function.

PPAI is always aiming to equip fresh faces with the tools to avoid feeling like they must play catch-up with industry veterans. Education is a core tenet of the Association’s mission, and it’s made easier by members willing to extend a helping hand to those joining from other industries.

“Our community is so amazing that there is a home for everyone, even those who take unconventional paths,” says Jessica Gibbons-Rauch, PPAI’s professional development lead.

Promo is open to all, from C-suite executives who bring with them the knowledge of other industries to self-starters looking for a career that utilizes their creativity and doggedness to PPAI Board members shaping the direction of the industry. PPAI Magazine caught up with a handful of promo pros who came from careers in other fields to discuss the motivation and adjustment behind joining the promo world.

Where The Creatively Minded Find Resources And Innovation

Joshua Clark, recently hired chief operating officer of S&S Activewear, built what he calls a “toolbox to help companies scale” before coming to the promo world last May. Having served in operations roles for almost 30 years at companies like Target, Grainger and WESCO, he’s something of a supply chain expert.

So why make the leap to the promo industry and PPAI 100’s No. 5 supplier?

“In evaluating any company for potential fit, I examine its culture and speed of operations,” Clark says. “S&S’s culture reflects the creativity of its customers.”

Any industry knows how to chase a bottom line. But promotional products are so diverse in their offerings that achieving success requires finding countless ways to meet a marketing goal.

“Our customers are creatives – we aim to enable that creativity by helping them bring their designs to life across a variety of apparel options,” Clark says. “That makes the overarching goals of our operations and supply chain practices different from other organizations.”

Rachel Rosario’s past lives included roles at the National Mango Board, Home Shopping Network and Best Buy before joining Koozie Group, where she’s now the senior director of marketing and communications.

“I had no idea how different retail would be to promo,” Rosario says. “Initially, I saw it as an extra step to a finished retail product. I quickly learned about all the industry’s intricacies, layers and additional challenges.”

In the retail industry, someone like Rosario was used to having a direct connection with the purchaser. Now with PPAI 100’s No. 9 supplier, she can see the collaboration among partners required to get a promo product to accomplish its final goal.

“As a supplier in promo, we’re creating content for distributors to share with their end-user customers,” Rosario says. “We encourage our distributors to ‘steal our stuff’ and use it in their marketing campaigns.”

It’s the way the industry works together that makes it hum at a speed most industries can’t – Clark called S&S “swift and at a pace unlike other companies I’ve worked for” – and it not only attracts newcomers but engages them in a way that so often sticks.

“Serving creators allows us to be more creative and innovative in our supply solutions,” Clark says.

The reliable need for promotional products also allows people in Clark’s position the resources to realize that innovation.

“Advanced software, robotics and automations solutions allow us to focus solely on efficiency and quality for our customers,” Clark says.

A Home For Self-starters

Perhaps what draws most entrepreneurs to the promo industry is that there are no gatekeepers. Hustle and creativity go a long way, as do relationships.

Joshua Culp recently retired from the military after 27 years, freeing him up to focus full time on his distributorship, Hammerdubs.

“[Promo] is an opportunity for veterans or people looking to start a business because there 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 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 outsider-looking-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 is the supplier/distributor relationship? Or What is a multi-line rep or a business service provider? How do they integrate? How are products decorated?

“These are all things that someone from the outside wouldn’t understand right away,” says Gibbons-Rauch. “From the outside looking in you can’t understand it, and from the inside looking out you can’t explain it.”

PPAI’s long-term goal is to provide educational content through its certification portfolio that addresses anyone at any step in their career.

Not All Of PPAI’s Board Started In Promo

The PPAI Board of Directors is a group of individuals committed to steering the industry toward the future with focuses on sustainability, technology and a pursuit toward consistent growth. Anyone looking for proof that people who started their careers elsewhere are excelling in promo can be found in the current Board.

Dan Pantano, alphabroder president and CEO and current PPAI Board member, joined the company in January 2013 after spending 20 years working for prominent healthcare businesses.

Pantano’s first week in the industry coincided with The PPAI Expo – talk about trial by fire. He joined PPAI 100’s No. 2 supplier as president, leading the commercial side of the business. He played an integral role in multiple corporate acquisitions and became the company’s CEO in spring 2021. Even with multiple decades in healthcare, Pantano found promo to be right where he belongs.

“Once you come into this industry, it’s really hard to leave,” Pantano says. “Hard to believe it’s almost been a decade.”

On the other hand, it was a more circuitous route to promo for Pantano’s fellow PPAI Board member Zack Ottenstein, president of The Image Group.

He graduated at the top of his class from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and began a career as a network TV reporter before transitioning into a role leading marketing for Welltower, a real estate investment company. Looking for a new entrepreneurial chapter in his life, he joined The Image Group in 2016.

“I didn’t expect such a seamless experience,” Ottenstein says. “My role at Welltower focused on helping the company tell its story. Now, I focus on building The Image Group’s platform to help clients tell their stories.”

Now at the helm of PPAI 100’s No. 57 distributor, Ottenstein is further proof of a quality that makes the promotional products industry so continuously successful: By embracing those who are looking for a career shift, it continues to grow and evolve into something that keeps the entire community engaged.