May 2018
PPAMidwest Board Member Spotlight
This month's Board Member Spotlight is on David Shultz. Shultz has served on the board since 2017 and holds the position of our current Vice President. Shultz is employed by DistributorCentral and has shared the following fun facts:

Q: Choose a movie title for the story of your life.
A: The Goonies. Make weird friends, go out, have an adventure and do scary stuff, get into trouble, figure out how to get out of trouble and solve problems.

Q: What was your favorite TV show when growing up? 
A: MacGyver. And yes, I use the word as a verb and can fix just about anything given enough spare parts and ideas.

Q: How old is the oldest pair of shoes in your closet?
A: Well, it was my golf shoes. Ask the people who played on my team at the PPAM golf tournament a few years ago….by the third hole the sole had fallen off one shoe, and by the 8 th whole the other sole had fallen off. I played the rest of the round in essentially a pair of leather slippers that looked like golf shoes.
Q: Can you play any instruments?
A: I can play three, maybe four, chords on the guitar. And take those four chords and turn them into a 3-hour set with my band.

Q: What was your childhood nickname?
A: Shultzie. Still is…as is my dad’s, my brother’s, and my son’s.

Q: When did you accept a dare that you later regretted ?
A: In grade school. High school. College. Last week.

Q: If you could have any one superpower, which would you choose?
A: The ability to fly, duh.

Q: What are three things left on your bucket list?
A: Everest Marathon. Space travel. Time Travel (both directions).
June 21, 2018 - Join your fellow distributors, suppliers, multi-line reps and guests for PPAM’s Annual Golf Outing. Enjoy the ultimate golf-networking experience! 

Individual Entry Fee includes 18 holes of Championship golf, Electric cart, Golfer's Goodie Bag and lunch

Sponsor a Hole and receive a Foursome of golf (including lunch), prominent signage of your hole sponsorship and online promotions including company logos on pre-event marketing. Register here
PPAMidwest News
IMAGEN Brands wins Best Use of Social Media by a Supplier Award.
 
Shelbyville, TN – I MAGEN Brands wins Best Use of Social Media by a Supplier award at the Mid-South Promo Show presented by the Promotional Products Association of the Mid-South (PPAMS).
AAkron Line is pleased to welcome Heidi Forsythe as their Central Regional Sales Manager, and proud to announce the promotion of Tatum Schafer to the new South Central sales territory.
The Magnet Group Named Among PPB Magazine’s Greatest Companies To Work For In 2018
 
Leader in the ad specialty industry and the world’s largest manufacturer of promotional magnets.

IRVING, Tex., The Magnet Group , announced that it has been named one of the promotional products industry’s 2018 Greatest Companies To Work For by PPB ( Promotional Products Business ) magazine. PPB is the industry’s flagship publication published by Promotional Products Association International (PPAI; ppai.org ), the not-for-profit association for 500,000 industry professionals and more than 15,000 corporate members of the $23.3 billion promotional products industry.
Wild Wednesday Webinars - Lunch and Learn at your desk!
 
“Successful Cause Marketing with Promotional Products (The PromoCares Experiment)”
presented by Roger Burnett with Branded Logistics
Wed, May 30, 2018 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM CST

Everyone Younger buyers of Promotional Products have an innate desire to connect to brands with a story to tell and a commitment to social cause(s). Promotional Products Distributors and Suppliers have unique selling opportunities when adding Cause Marketing outcomes to the transaction, and successful execution of this strategy proves to often be a difference maker when End Buyers make a product choice.
 
Learning Objectives:
- Develop discovery questions to uncover passion for philanthropy in your prospects
- Statistical evidence on market demand for Cause Marketing-based product and Industry-specific statistics on current campaigns
- Digest case studies on other Cause-Marketing efforts thru PromoCares participating Suppliers.
Industry News
Legislative Education and Action Day 

Thanks For Your Support During L.E.A.D.

Thank you! PPAI's ninth annual Legislative Education and Action Day has drawn to a close. Approximately 80 PPAI members walked the halls of Capitol Hill having valuable conversations with members of Congress and making a difference for the industry.
 
But you did, too—thank you for joining us by taking action and making your voice heard. Although only a relatively small number of PPAI members were in D.C. this week, your actions proved to Congress that we are an industry nearly half a million strong.
 
Please don't let your advocacy stop here ... use the resouces on PPAILAW.org to remind your senators and representatives that Promotional Products Work! Also, schedule a face-to-face meeting with your member of Congress this summer during the August recess. Keep an eye out for more information by following us on twitter @PPAILAW and using the hashtag #PPAILaw.
 
And remember, consider joining us in 2019.

 
 
Paul Bellantone, President & CEO of PPAI

QCA AND ZOOMCATALOG ANNOUNCE STRATEGIC “BRAND SAFETY” PARTNERSHIP
 
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – Quality Certification Alliance (QCA) and ZOOMcatalog have partnered to help industry distributors easily search catalogs from suppliers with verified responsible sourcing best practices. ZOOMcatalog has created a page that allows distributors to refine their search results to only show catalogs from those suppliers that currently hold the honor of QCA Accreditation. As a bonus, distributors will be able to create custom catalogs for their clients that only contain products from accredited sources. 
SAGE ANNOUNCES SAGE ONLINE 14
 
ADDISON, TEXAS – SAGE, the leading provider of information, marketing and business management solutions to the promotional products industry, is pleased to announce the official launch of SAGE Online 14, which introduces industry distributors to a set of over 150 new features.

8 Books Every Manager Should Read to Become a Better Leader

There's a worthwhile book out there for whatever you need to move forward on your leadership journey.
John Boitnott   •  VIP Contributor • Journalist, Digital Media Consultant and Investor

When you take aIt is okay to admit that  managing other people  is challenging. It requires monitoring multiple emotional energies, personalities and preferences while also caring about yourself. Even people with years of training and experience struggle.
The good thing is that you do not have to figure it out by yourself. There are helpful resources to improve your  managing skills . Among the most useful are the books written by people who have studied what it takes to manage well. 
Product Responsibility Summit 2018
September 16-18 - Alexandria, Virginia - The Westin Alexandria

Product Responsibility. Consumers Are Demanding It.
Now in its ninth year, Let us let you in on a little secret. Understanding the importance of product responsibility in today's economy can help differentiate your business from that of your competition. Want to know how?
 
The Product Responsibility Summit continues to evolve to broaden its educational scope and is considered the must-attend program for safety and compliance professionals by companies throughout the industry.
 
Be among the more than 180 attendees who will take advantage of two days of content-rich education sessions and panel discussions. Topics of discussion will include new developments in social responsibility, the impact of tech trends like IOT and blockchain on the promotional products industry, addressing the new Prop 65 warning requirements and much more.

* Free Resource Manual * Two Networking Dinners (included in reg cost) *
* Become PSA Aware Or Renew Your Designation *
* Industry Expert-Led Sessions * Q&A And Round Table Discussions *