August 2021
August 25, 2021 Wild Wednesday Webinar:
“How to Stand Out from the Competition" 

For most companies, attracting quality customers for your business has never been as challenging as it is right now. When mere survival is first priority, spending money to promote yourself seems like a waste of precious resources, yet there are enormous opportunities to grow under the right circumstances. Join Red Goldfish: Promo Edition co-author Roger Burnett for a look at the ways businesses using purpose-based philosophies are outperforming the marketplace and producing results shareholders cheer about.

Attendees will learn:
  • The case for purpose as an organizational philosophy
  • Best in class examples on how to organize around purpose
  • Ways to start the alignment process 

Mark your calendars to attend our upcoming Fall Holiday Showcase!
 
PPAMidwest is proud to bring you and your clients multiple opportunities to attend trade shows throughout our region. The Fall Holiday Showcase is a great opportunity to connect with vendors and discuss projects. Also, PPAMidwest Distributor members are encouraged to invite clients to attend as exclusive guests. 
 
For event details, click here
Distributor registration is opening soon!!
PPAMidwest News
American Solutions for Business Promotes Branden Johnson to Sales Support Manager

Glenwood, MN – Branden Johnson has been promoted to Sales Support Manager. This new position will involve the managing and coordinating activities of Sales Hub Sales Support Reps, including taking part in the onboarding process for Sales Hub groups, enterprise accounts and individual sales reps.
 
Branden has a background in sales, finance and leadership and hopes to bring that expertise to his new role. He will continue to build his knowledge in 3rd party ecommerce, reporting and billing.
 
"I am excited for Brandon to bring his experience to the next level by supporting the Sales Support team into the future. He will do a great job representing this team and ASB," expressed Director of Sales Support, Lori Rogge.
 
He is most looking forward to contributing to the continued growth of the department and ASB while growing personally within the organization.
 
“The biggest lesson I think I have learned in my time with American is to embrace change," adds Branden. "We’ve all dealt with some tough times in the last year and half, but the way leadership was able to change direction for the company so fast really did wonders for us.”
JournalBooks Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Pittsburgh, PA – Fifty years is a long time by most any measure. For JournalBooks, it’s a measure of the company’s uncompromising commitment to quality, service and innovation in the promotional products industry.
 
Established as Timeplanner Calendars by Jerome O’Boyle in 1971, JournalBooks is proudly marking its golden anniversary this year, celebrating five decades of made-to-order paper products. Today, its made to order journals and planners are a key part of an industry-best product offering for PCNA, which acquired JournalBooks in 2007. Distributors can order popular inline JournalBooks products through PCNA, or create unique solutions directly from the 80,000-square-foot JournalBooks facility in Charlotte, NC. Distributors can also include JournalBooks products in Perfectly Packaged™, a popular PCNA service offering decorative packaging and unlimited drop shipments.
 
JournalBooks President Tim O’Boyle – Jerome’s son – says the focus 50 years later is the same as it was on Day 1: customer solutions.
 
“At JournalBooks today, we still believe that our wide array of U.S.-made paper products helps build brands and deliver an end-customer’s message,” O’Boyle says. “We have always been a solutions-driven company, and since launching our JournalBooks line in the mid-’90s, it has given us a much wider platform to create unique custom products for our customers.”
 
Over the years, Jerome O’Boyle’s six sons – Jim, Tom, Larry, Joe, Tim and Patrick – built on the tradition of creating custom paper products, pioneering the category of custom journals and notebooks. That commitment to innovative solutions has won JournalBooks numerous industry awards – and, more importantly, many loyal customers.

“We certainly want to take this opportunity to express our appreciation to all the customers who’ve made this milestone possible,” O’Boyle says, adding that several special offers are planned to celebrate the anniversary. “Along with our amazing employees, of course, our customers are the ones who’ve made 50 years possible.”
PPAMidwest Members....
Did you know that we have a Member Directory that you may access any time to fin other PPAMidwest Members?
 
Click here for details
on this and other
PPAMidwest Member benefits
PCNA Introduces New Vice President of Sales

Pittsburgh, PA – PCNA has announced that Bill Peterson has joined the company as Vice President of Sales. With more than 30 years of sales experience, Peterson comes to the promotional products supplier from Direct Sourcing Solutions, where he was Vice President of Sales and Chief Revenue Officer, overseeing sales in both North America and the European Union.
 
“We are thrilled to add Bill to our team,” said Holly Brown, Chief Revenue Officer. “With his customer-centric approach, Bill is laser focused on making things easier and delivering real value for our distributor partners. He’s an outstanding leader whose experience and expertise will be an immense benefit to both our organization and the customers we serve.”
 
Having spent much of his career with Staples, Peterson brings a long track record of success to PCNA, leading new business development and account management in the United States and Canada. He takes over as Vice President of Sales for David Grobisen, who spent 16 years with PCNA.
American Solutions for Business Hires Eric Gorghuber as Sr. Director of Technology

Glenwood, MN – Branden American Solutions for Business welcomes Eric Gorghuber as the company’s Senior Director of Technology. In this new role, Eric will manage the Enterprise Solutions group in technology. This team is responsible for all technical aspects of PeopleSoft (APS) and other systems that interact with it.
 
Eric explains, "I am most looking forward to providing guidance to an already strong technical team. Also, being a part of the ERP system direction at ASB."
 
“We are excited to have Eric back on the Technology team to continue his American journey. As Sr. Director of Technology, he will be leading technical efforts with PeopleSoft, Vertex, M-Files, and other solutions supporting our Enterprise Resource Planning team. Eric gained valuable insight into PeopleSoft 9.2 while with the State of Minnesota that will be helpful for American as well move forward," added Mike Pfeiffer, American’s VP of Technology.
Here are the members currently at the top of the PPAMidwest
PhD (Promo Honors Designee) Award Program leaderboard:

  • Scott Rogers
  • Jake Wells
  • Amelia Madl
  • Aubrey Weaver

Want to earn points and join in on the fun?
Siimply click on above image for more information
on the program and how to have your points credited.
Industry News
PPAI Direct-2-You Series Events
August 16 - 20, 2021
PPAI is offering two virtual events this month
that will fulfill the product safety aware requirement
 
The The more comprehensive event is 2021 PPAI Product Responsibility Summit Direct-2-You which takes place, August 16-19, Monday through Thursday, with convenient daily sessions from 11 am to 3:15 pm CT. This event will include 12 in-depth sessions, informative Q&A panels and roundtable discussions. 
 
And a new option this year is Summit Logistics Day Direct-2-You, August 20. This one-day stand-alone event focused entirely on the logistics of importing in today's world. Experts will discuss the challenges and pitfalls of international shipping along with best practices to move forward. 
 
Register now and join us at the Summit D2U or Summit Logistics Day D2U.  
SAGE Show - All Are Welcome
 
It’s back online and better than ever!
August 18-20, 2021
 
SAGE Show is a three-day nationwide online event for promotional products professionals.
 
Connect with 200+ exhibitors, see the latest new products, and get ideas in time for the fall selling season. Oh, and it’s free to attend!
 
Speaking of SAGE....
 
Did you know that as a PPAMidwest Member that you receive a discount
on your SAGE services?
 
Why Millennials Could Become the Wealthiest Generation in History and How to Join the Club
Melissa Brock  Entrepreneur Contributor MarketBeat Content

Are you a Millennial? You have amazing power at your disposal. Here's how to reap what you can if you haven't gotten started.

News outlets have reported that Millennials will become the wealthiest generation in history.
True, the media also tout that Millennials suffer from student loan debt, crashed right into The Great Recession, suffer from wage stagnation and a rising cost of living.
 
True, those born in the 1980s entered the workforce during the Great Recession and they've scurried to keep up. But they could also become the richest, and here's why. 

PPB Service Superhero Nomination
Nomination Period is August 5 - 26, 2021
Who's Your Service Superhero?
 
Know someone whom you consider a Service Superhero? You know, that person within your company or within a vendor company who proves over and over again that service does still exist. If so, click here to nominate them for the 2021 Service Superhero award. The nomination period is August 5–26, 2021. Winners will be recognized in the November issue of PPB Magazine.
 
Note: All nominees must be employed by a PPAI member company. Previous winners cannot be selected for the honor again. Click here to see the full list of previous winners.