CPPA Wishes You A Very Happy New Year!

As the New Year begins, we are filled with hope and new expectations for 2026.

CPPA is thankful for all the support we have received from each of you in 2025

and look forward to working alongside all of you this year.

As the new year begins, so do our membership renewals.

Memberships renew every year on January 1 and last for the entire calendar year.

You should have received an email with a membership renewal notification in December.

If you have not already done so, please click here to renew for 2026.

A Message from our CPPA President...... 

Hello CPPA Members,

Happy New Year! As we begin a new year, your CPPA board is excited about the opportunities ahead and the momentum we can build together. The start of the year is always a time to reflect, reset, and focus on what success looks like for our association and our members—and we’re looking forward to making this a productive and positive year for our regional promotional products community.

To kick things off, for those of you who were able to make it out to the PPAI Expo last week, we hope you had valuable networking opportunities and meaningful takeaways that will carry into a strong and successful first quarter. Events like these help set the tone for the year ahead, and we’re excited to see how the ideas and connections made there translate into growth and progress in the months to come.

Building on that momentum, CPPA is excited to host our own regional Winter Expo next week on Thursday, January 29th, at the BWI Airport Marriott. District 1 is once again bringing the Power of 1 Show Week Tour to our region, and this year’s World Cup–themed show promises to be a great opportunity to connect, collaborate, and score some winning ideas for the year ahead. We hope you’ll join us—let’s keep the ball moving and make this event a real win for our community. We look forward to seeing you there!

And while we’re looking ahead on the calendar, please be sure to save the date for our Fall Promo Expo at Laurel Park on September 22, 2026. We’re already looking forward to another great event and will be sharing more details as the date approaches.

As we move into the year ahead, I’m so grateful for your continued involvement, support, and commitment to CPPA and our promotional products community. Whether you’re connecting with peers at our upcoming events or putting new ideas into action within your business, I look forward to working alongside you to make this a successful year for all.

Tracey Therres

CPPA Board of Directors President

Presenting the 2026 CPPA Board of Directors...

It's going to be a great year!

January 28, 2026 Wild Wednesday Webinar: “Automate & Amplify: Modern Marketing for Promo Pros" 

Learn In this session, PromoPulse founder Jason Nokes will talk about the importance of consistent marketing and how it can be easily accomplished through automation, AI, and integrations. He will provide viewers with a framework to easily and effectively improve their marketing results.

Learning Outcomes: 

• Why consistent marketing is so important. 
• Learn how to streamline your workflow using automation, AI, and integrations. 
• Leverage the “I CAN” framework to become more effective.



Read more and register

Kick Off 2026 at CPPA's Winter Expo

CPPA’s Winter Expo is kicking off 2026 with World Cup–level energy, bringing together
the power of teamwork, competition, and fresh ideas to help you win all year long.

Explore cutting-edge promotional products, connect with trusted partners, and gain
inspiration t hat will fuel your sales playbook for 2026. Just like the World Cup,
success starts with preparation and CPPA’s Winter Expo is your opening match.

So grab your jersey, rally your team, and join us for a high-energy showcase where
ideas, creativity, and collaboration come together to help you score big in the year ahead.

JANUARY 29, 2026

BWI Airport Marriott

1743 W Nursery Road

Linthicum Heights, MD 21090

*Education: 9:00 - 10:00 am

*Exhibits Open: 10:00 am - 1:30 pm

Door Prizes given away at 10 am (education attendees)

Must be a CPPA member and present to win

Exhibitors - Today is the last day to register. Reserve your spot HERE
Distributors: Register HERE

For full event details, visit: www.cppa.biz/2026-Winter-Expo

February 10, 2026 Tuesday Learning Lab: “The Art of Business Networking" 

In this webinar, you’ll discover how to acquire new business opportunities. You’ll be finally be able to answer questions like: “What type of NEW business do I want?” We will discuss where to look for new business and discuss questions from participants.



Learning Outcomes:

• The 10 Common Networking Mistakes
• How to approach a business event with the right attitude
• Your Elevator Speech
• The Follow Up

Read more and register

February 25, 2026 Wild Wednesday Webinar: “Peak Performance Selling: How to Train Your Nervous System for Daily Confidence, Clarity & Closing" 

The promotional products world moves fast with tight deadlines, demanding clients, and constant multitasking are the norm. Over time, that pace doesn’t just drain energy; it quietly undermines confidence, focus, and follow-through at critical sales moments.

This session skips generic “stress management” and focuses on performance. Drawing from Sam’s experience in the promo industry and his work in Emotional Fitness, attendees will learn simple, science-backed techniques to train their nervous system to stay grounded, clear, and confident under pressure.

Participants will walk away with practical tools to reset focus in real time, prevent overwhelm from piling up, and create a sustainable performance rhythm that supports stronger client conversations, better decision-making, and more consistent closing ... without working longer hours.

Key Takeaways / Learning Outcomes

• Maintain confidence and clarity during high-pressure sales conversations
• Use fast Emotional Fitness resets to regain focus and energy in real time
• Prevent overwhelm from stacking up so follow-through stays strong
• Build a sustainable performance rhythm that supports consistent closing



Read more and register

PCNA Promote Emily Douglas to VP of Revenue Operations



PCNA has promoted Emily Douglas to the newly created role of vice president of revenue operations. Douglas will be responsible for bolstering coordination among departments, streamlining operations and ensuring a high-quality customer experience.

“PCNA is entering an important phase of growth, and this role will help ensure our teams are more connected and focused,” said Mark Gammon, the just-promoted senior vice president of sales. “Emily brings the leadership, discipline and strategic mindset needed as we continue to execute our commercial vision.”

Douglas joined PCNA in 2018 as field sales manager for Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas (TOLA). She was then regional sales manager for the Midwest and TOLA, followed by director of business development for print on demand. Most recently, she was director of strategic sales.

“I am honored to step into this role,” said Douglas. “Our teams are dedicated to delivering for distributors and end-users, and I look forward to strengthening the processes and collaboration that support our growth.”

American Solutions for Business Announces PeopleSoft-SAGE Integration

Glenwood, MN - American Solutions for Business is pleased to announce the latest integration between PeopleSoft and SAGE.

This integration streamlines the order entry process by connecting the two platforms, supporting faster workflows and improved accuracy for ASB teams.

“We are extremely excited to announce the launch of the PeopleSoft 9.2 order integration with SAGE,” shared Miriah Cassidy, Vice President of Operations. “This new capability is a major step forward for ASB, creating meaningful efficiencies by eliminating duplicate order entry. A special thank you to our ERP Development, Business Support, and Training & Support teams, as well as our partners at SAGE, Ben Haynes and Jarod Thorndike. This new tool is a huge win for our teams and our operations.”

The enhanced integration reflects ASB’s continued investment in technology solutions that support operational excellence and long-term scalability.

“We are extremely excited for the new SAGE Orders integration into PeopleSoft,” shared Jarod Thorndike, Vice President of Business Development. “At SAGE, one of our major focuses is providing technology tools and integrations that help make customers more efficient. Now Sales Associates can avoid the manual process of rekeying order information from SAGE into PeopleSoft, enhancing order entry speed and eliminating the human element of rekeying errors. We look forward to continued projects with the ASB Technology team to expand on these initiatives.”

S&S Activewear Appoints New Chief Strategy Officer

Bolingbrook, IL - S&S Activewear recently announced that Rob Hamill has been promoted to the role of chief strategy officer to kick off 2026. The Illinois-based company says that the position is solutions-focused and will “accelerate innovation” within the industry.

Mergers and acquisitions have been a headlining piece of Hamill’s strategic contributions to S&S, but the company credits his purview the past few years with responsibilities including market expansion, operational excellence and innovation technology. As chief strategy officer, he will operate under similar goals with a slight pivot toward the immediate overseeing of “enterprise strategy, market intelligence, M&A and the continued development of technology platforms that strengthen customer performance.”

S&S CEO Frank Myers says that Hamill’s position is focused, first and foremost, on solutions for customers.



“Rob’s energy strategic mindset and customer-first approach have helped shape the future of S&S,” says Myers. “His work directly supports our goal of giving customers the solutions they need to say ‘yes’ to more opportunities. His leadership will accelerate the innovation our industry deserves.”

34 Industry Companies Win 2026 PPAI Pyramid Awards

PPAI has announced the winners of its 2026 PPAI Pyramid Awards. This year, 34 different companies took home more than 50 awards. The annual awards, which date all the way back to 1958, honor creative excellence in the promotional products industry and recognize dependable suppliers, outstanding promotions, creative campaigns and exceptional craftsmanship by Association members.

Find out which companies were awarded with PPAI Pyramid Awards in 2026, continuing a tradition of excellence. The PPAI Pyramid Awards are sponsored by Pacesetter Awards.

Read the Full Story Here

5 Time-Saving Hacks For Busy Sales Reps

Audrey Sellers * PPAI Media * PPAI Media Staff

Efficiency is the key to success in sales.

The day doesn’t slip away all at once. It happens in small, familiar ways, like jumping between tabs and emails and sitting in meetings that last too long. Before you know it, it’s the end of the day and you don’t have anything tangible to show for it.

A post on the NoCRM blog says that efficiency is the key to success in sales. Sales reps must know how to juggle multiple tasks and manage competing priorities. With so many responsibilities and so much going on, it’s easy to lose track of time without even realizing it.

The good news is that by following some time-saving tips, you can make a real difference in your day. We share some of these time-savers from the NoCRM post in this post.


Read More

PPAI Unveils New Strategic Plan To Elevate Branded Merchandise in Marketing

PPAI President and CEO Drew Holmgreen, CAS, recently unveiled the organization’s 2026–2030 Strategic Plan, a five-year framework designed to sharpen the industry’s positioning, strengthen its sense of community and equip members for sustained success in an increasingly competitive marketing landscape.

“The timing for this strategy is perfect, because the industry is primed,” Holmgreen said. “The reality is that the just over 1% year-over-year U.S. distributor growth lags current inflation, continuing a trend from the past several years. And while performance is indeed steady, it’s not explosive.”

The plan, developed through a months-long process involving PPAI’s Board of Directors, staff and member input, is intended to be both aspirational and operational – articulating where the branded merchandise industry should be headed, while outlining how PPAI will help get it there.

“This strategic plan is grounded in listening,” says Denise Taschereau, CAS, PPAI Board Chair. “We intentionally engaged members, staff and industry partners to shape the direction, ensuring it reflects the real needs and opportunities we are facing.”

The framework for the new plan was developed with support from strategy and change consultancy Coraggio Group. Visually, its structure takes the form of a pyramid, with PPAI’s new vision statement as its apex, and supported by a strong Association at the foundation.



Read More Here