If you’re a Print+Promo subscriber, you must be familiar with our Executive Perspectives column, where we interview top executives of successful print and promotional companies to gain insight on trends, leadership strategies and what’s currently plaguing the industry. One of the questions I like to ask these principals is: What keeps you up at night?...
Elise Hacking Carr
The decision to target one, three or five verticals is personal. Being able to offer expertise in a single field certainly has its benefits, and distributors who position their companies as true marketing value-adds, selling on the merits of creativity and resourcefulness, will fare well. On the other hand, those who choose a vertical that is regulated may see their business suffer...
Just two days before InnerWorkings Inc. was set to hold its 2018 annual meeting of stockholders, the Chicago-based distributorship announced that the event, originally scheduled for May 31, was being postponed...
As part of Print+Promo’s ongoing feature, Executive Perspectives, we get to know leading professionals in the print and promotional industry. This month, we interviewed Tom Marchessault, chief operations officer of BCSI, Burnsville, Minn. Here, he talks about workplace caffeine habits, trailblazing into electronic territory and why marketing-based products are here to stay...
Earlier this month, Print+Promo kicked off its fifth year of Distributor Connect meetings in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. For this event, which ran May 9 through 11, attendees traveled to the luxurious Pelican Grand Beach Resort, where they were treated to ocean-view rooms just a few steps...
"I genuinely care about my clients, and I want to provide the best solutions for their challenges, their projects, events—whatever their needs are," said Barbara Sears, co-owner of Proforma Angelini + Diamond Solutions. "My job is and has always been to make them look good, and they respect me for that...
"When I was awarded the Proforma Women’s Leadership Award in 2016, I was elated," said Brenda Angelini, MAS, co-owner of Proforma Angelini + Diamond Solutions. "One of my personal goals is to help other people achieve their goals by mentoring, advising and helping...
"In 1990, in the basement of my parents’ house, I started a graphic design firm just after college," recalled Janice Tippett, president and CEO of Millennium Marketing Solutions. "With nothing but my passion for design, an original Macintosh computer with only five typefaces and a 300 dpi printer, I was living out my dream...
"In my younger years, I think it was even more difficult to get the 'good ol’ boys' to learn to trust in my abilities and to see me as a smart, knowledgeable woman who was completely capable of reading a ruler," said Juli (Enyeart) Clark, customer care coordinator for National Printing Converters. "I made a commitment early on to becoming an expert...
"I think that the most important lesson that I learned is to treat others like I want to be treated," said Linda Hiniker, national account manager for Carlson Craft. "When I am working with a distributor on a printing job, I want to give them the help and support that I would expect if I were in their shoes...
"There are so many strong women in this industry who are willing to support newcomers," said Tracey Barton, director of promotional products and distributor support, Safeguard. "All you have to do is reach out a hand and talk to them. That goes for both suppliers and fellow...
"I buy the equipment I need not only because I need it and because I’ve done my research, but also because of the relationship and the trust I have with a salesperson," said Michelle Maynor, print-cess for Interior Graphics & Printing. "If you ask to speak to the man in charge of making the buying decisions, you won’t get business from me...
"This is the perfect career for somebody that needs freedom to juggle home, children, school events and a career," said Martina G. Alexander, senior brand specialist of Corporate Image Builders. "You have all the flexibility in the world to be there for your family and get all the work done on time if...
"Early in my career, when I was pregnant with my first child, I was told I might be considered for a management position 'if' I actually returned from maternity leave," said Jamie Fredrickson, prepress manager for Pocket Folder Fast. "That was the first time I realized the role..
"Sales roles have predominantly been male dominant, which makes it tough to prove oneself being a woman," said Ewa Karolina Wlaz, sales executive for Barker Specialty Company. "Generally speaking, women often have to work harder to be recognized or rewarded, but...
