Courtney Bruce, 24 Marketing Engagement Manager Real Sourcing Network (RSN), New York How she got her start: In college, I had a focus in print, and was grateful for amazing instructors. I learned everything from litho and Intaglio [printing] to screen printing. I fell in love with screen printing—the process the mess, everything. I ended…
Elise Hacking Carr
James JB Kennedy, 33 President, Co-Founder CURAtive, Cincinnati How he got his start: I [was employed at] a mom-and-pop shop for almost five years, working my way from the digital black-and-white division to the office manager. I wanted to grow the business, but the owner didn’t see the value of growing and scaling the business.…
Greta Mantell, 31 Senior Account Executive Image Source, Kirkland, Wash. How she got her start: A family friend recommended the industry and specifically the company to me. I was in a sales role at another company (Cintas) for two-and-a-half years right out of college, and was looking to make an industry and company change. The…
Corey Lewis, 29 Senior Print Producer AbelsonTaylor, Chicago How he got his start: There was never a time when my life wasn’t affected by the transformative power of print and design. My grandfather, a first-generation immigrant from Germany, was able to start and provide for his family by working at a paper mill. My grandmother…
Sadie Kikkert, 21 Sales Coordinator PromoPlace, Ancaster, Ontario How she got her start: My boss saw my work efforts at a yard clean-up one Saturday, and noticed how much effort I put into things. So, I got told from someone else to hand in a résumé at PromoPlace. I did and got the job. Her…
Caitlin L. Martin, 30 Vice President, Sales and Marketing Safeguard of the Hudson Valley, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. How she got her start: Truth is, I never imagined I would be in the sales world, and certainly never imagined I would be in the family business. After I graduated college, I moved to California for some time…
Chris Hickman, 39 Vice President of Direct Sales Regency360, Raleigh N.C. How he got his start: Regency360 was my second job out of college. At the time, my primary goal was to find a career in sales and less about what I would actually be selling. In my 11 years with Regency, I have progressed…
Sarah Whitaker, 32 Owner, Client Success Manager Williams Advertising LLC, Hopkinsville, Ky. How she got her start: In 2015, I lived in Evansville, Ind. My husband and I are from Hopkinsville, Ky., and we decided we would like to move back home. My background is in marketing—I had worked in marketing at a textbook company…
Matt Gleckler, 39 Senior Account Executive American Solutions for Business, Glenwood, Minn. How he got his start: This is my first job after college. In 2002, I started with Optimum System Products in Columbus, Ohio, [a company] that specialized in selling print and promo to community banks. The owners of Optimum, John and Dorothy Martin,…
Sam Wright, 34 Manager of Business Development Pocket Folders Fast, Omaha, Neb. How she got her start: I started in the industry straight out of high school [in 2003]. I began as an assistant in the customer service department [at Folder Express] and throughout college, gradually worked my way up within the department. I graduated…
H. Zachary Ottenstein, 36 Director, Senior Living and Hospitality The Image Group, Holland, Ohio How he got his start: After [working in] television, I pivoted to finance. I worked as an investment analyst and then led marketing communications for an S&P 500 company that was involved in the senior living industry. We had a great…
Danielle J. Kay, 39 Sales Executive Manager Stylerite Label Corp., Rochester Hills, Mich. How she got her start: I’ve always had a lifelong passion for the printing industry. [Having been] born and raised in the industry—it’s in my blood. My grandparents, Joe and Verna Kay, started a small print company [Kay Toledo Tag] in the…
Matt Del Valle, 34 President Stan Miller & Associates LLC Powered by Proforma, Cleveland How he got his start: I came from the business-to-business sales market for Staples. Stan Miller & Associates LLC powered by Proforma was actually one of my customers. I had the B2B job right out of college, started in Cincinnati and…
Jamie Hoelscher, 32 Director of Merchandising ePromos Promotional Products Inc., St. Cloud, Minn. How she got her start: After spending five years in the retail industry as a jewelry buyer, I was ready for the next step in my career and a new challenge. At that time, ePromos happened to be looking for a new…
Greg Schwartz, 34 Vice President of Sales Hotcards, Cleveland How he got his start: I got involved in this industry by unforeseen life challenges that led me to an opportunity with a national company called Proforma. [For five years,] I was the operations manager for a transportation company in Kent, Ohio, where I helped grow…
