Mandi Rudd Honored With PPAI Regional Volunteer Award

Overland Park, KS - Mandi Rudd, director of new markets at Genumark and PPAMidwest Past President has been named the recipient of the 2025 PPAI Regional Volunteer Award.

The honor is given out annually to regional association members who demonstrate an outstanding level of volunteerism, leadership or have made other significant and measurable contributions to one or more regional associations.

Recognition for the 2025 PPAI Regional Volunteer Award winner will be held during the PPAI Leadership Development Conference from Oct. 27-29 at the Westin Southlake Hotel in Southlake, Texas.

In 2023, PPAI invited regional associations to officially join PPAI as business service members. Since then, nearly every regional association has come on board and become members of the Association.

Outside of her role at Genumark, Rudd has been heavily involved in Promotional Products Association Midwest for the past seven years, including serving as president in 2022.

“Mandi Rudd has been instrumental in the success of our regional association,” says Dennis Oglesby, MAS, category director of promotional products at GO2 Partners. Oglesby is the immediate past president of PPAMidwest and nominated Rudd for the award.

“She utilizes her extensive contact network to secure event spaces at reduced costs to benefit the association regularly. She engages directly with membership and provides guidance and suggestions to those new to the industry. Simultaneously, she has encouraged increased participation in the association for both supplier and distributor members. During her reign, our regional enacted our PPAMidwest-named scholarship through PPEF, and several have already benefited from this award. Mandi also regularly contributes to the association’s social media presence,” Oglesby says.

Additionally, the 12-year industry veteran serves on the PromoCares board, managing philanthropic initiatives such as significant donations to animal shelters and foster care programs. Rudd is also actively engaged in industry groups on social media, offering guidance and support to newcomers and soliciting additional volunteers.

“She is unwavering in her dedication to our regional association and the promotional products industry in general,” Oglesby says. “Perhaps most importantly is the importance Mandi places on making each individual feel important. She is always the first one to check on the well-being of members and volunteers. She personally texts and emails just to say hello and ask how they’re doing. No one deserves this award more than Mandi Rudd.”

commonsku Names David Shultz Chief Partnerships Officer

Toronto, ON – commonsku has announced that David Shultz has been named its new chief partnerships officer. commonsku is a cloud-based CRM, order management and social collaboration platform tailored to the promotional products industry.

Since 2020, Shultz has served as vice president of supplier partnerships at the Toronto-based firm. In his new role, he’ll be expanding partnerships beyond suppliers to include tech providers, logistics pros, payment processors, print-on-demand platforms, marketing services and more.

“What excites me is the chance to unify all of these relationships – suppliers, service providers and tech partners – into one unstoppable network,” Shultz says. “Together, we’ll create more value for distributors, more opportunities for suppliers and more ways to move the industry forward.”

Before joining commonsku, Shultz spent nearly 20 years at DistributorCentral, where he held senior leadership roles including vice president of operations.

“Connected partnerships have always been at the heart of the commonsku’s ethos,” says Catherine Graham, CEO of commonsku. “Dave’s vision and leadership have already transformed how suppliers engage and grow on the platform. Now, with this expanded role, he’s going to unlock the next wave of growth, helping us build the most dynamic partner ecosystem in the industry.”

Hit Promo Hosts First CSR & Compliance Supplier Summit in China

Largo, FL – Hit Promotional Products hosted its first Supplier Summit on Sept. 24 in Ningbo, China, bringing together dozens of members of its supply chain efforts overseas for a daylong workshop focused on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and compliance.

The goal of the event – according to Hit’s Chief Supply Chain Officer Nathan Cotter, whose team organized the summit alongside Erika Chan, the CSR manager for Hit in Hong Kong – was for the supplier to engage its full supply chain proactively when it comes to topics like transparency and compliance. Attendees included factory owners, social compliance leaders, trading companies and buying agents.

“It was exciting to see over 80 of our supply chain partners come together to collaborate and learn about issues that impact our responsible sourcing program,” said Cotter. “I believe this is a significant jump in our program from reactive remediation to proactive education and cooperation.”

The event included sessions on corrective action plans, disclosures around subcontracting and expectations of transparency, and a speaker from environment, social and governance compliance organization amfori.

“From hands-on learning to engaging discussions with industry professionals, the day was packed with valuable insights,” said Joshua Greenberger, president of Hit’s custom projects arm, SourceHIT. “Hit Promotional Products and SourceHIT are always striving to improve, grow and stay ahead of the curve.”

SanMar Celebrates Grand Opening of New East Coast Flagship

Issaquah, WA – SanMar recently welcomed over 500 customers, industry leaders, community partners and employees to the grand opening celebration of its new East Coast flagship, which spans more than 1.1 million square feet, making it the largest facility in SanMar’s network. The event, held on October 10, offered a first look at the Issaquah, Washington-based company’s new distribution center, located in Hanover County, Virginia – just north of Richmond.

“This facility represents a huge investment in our future and in our customers. And it’s one of many,” says Jeremy Lott, president and CEO at SanMar. “Across the board, we’re leveraging and developing new technology that enables us to better serve our partners. This warehouse is part of a nationwide optimization of our nine distribution centers, already known for providing reliably deep inventory. The upgrades we’re making enable us to do even better.”

In addition to featuring guided tours, decoration demos, retail brand activations, giveaways and live music, the celebration highlighted the key features of the new facility, including SanMar’s first automated product-picking system (launched earlier this year) and the supplier’s largest showroom.

The distribution center increases regional capacity and is designed to expand the company’s East Coast presence as well as strengthen nationwide service. SanMar has been working to bring the facility online since 2022, and it’s now fully operational.

“SanMar’s Richmond facility marks a milestone for technological advancement for the promotional products industry,” says Matt Kuper, vice president of global sales and applications at Bastian Solutions, which facilitated the automation integration. “By leveraging automation at this scale, SanMar is redefining what distribution can look like for the promotional industry – faster, smarter and built for the future.”

HALO Acquires What's Happening Promotions

Redmond, WA – HALO has announced the acquisition of Gainesville, Florida-based distributor What’s Happening Promotions. Under the deal, What’s Happening Promotions will maintain its current team and operate under the name What’s Happening Promotions Powered by HALO.

“Partnering with HALO enables us to expand what we deliver to our clients, offering greater access to creative talent, advanced technology and unmatched operational strength,” says Marc Douglass, president of What’s Happening Promotions.

“It also creates exciting opportunities for our team to grow and collaborate within the industry’s leading organization. This partnership reinforces our core mission of helping brands connect, engage and grow through impactful promotional and brand engagement solutions.”

Jim Stutz, executive vice president of sales, marketing and business development at HALO, commended Douglass and his team for building a successful business “defined by service, creativity and strong client partnerships.”

“We’re thrilled to welcome them to HALO and look forward to supporting their continued growth with our scalable solutions, technology and operational capabilities,” Stutz says.

iClick Expands Senior Leadership Team With Industry Veterans

Seattle, WA – iClick has announced two key executive hires: Rachel Hare as vice president of strategy and sales, and Jill Rogers as vice president of marketing. Both Hare and Rogers joined the Seattle-based firm in February.

Rogers has since led a complete overhaul of the company’s website, introduced a modern, customer-centric interface and reimagined industry event engagement, launching campaigns that reignited excitement in the iClick brand.

Hare has expanded iClick’s sales footprint from four factory reps to a national presence, partnering with multi-line representatives nationwide. Under her leadership, iClick revamped its inside sales process and rolled out a learning and development initiative to help customers secure large-scale orders and programs.

“Rachel and Jill exemplify the customer-first mindset that drives iClick’s mission,” says Jeff Roberts, CEO of iClick. “Their vision and energy have reinvigorated our team and strengthened our focus on delivering exceptional solutions for our partners. With their leadership, we’re accelerating our ability to support partners and empower customer success – these early results are just the beginning.”

Hare brings more than 20 years of sales and strategic leadership in the promotional products industry, spending more than a decade at PCNA, PPAI 100’s No. 5 supplier, where she last served as regional sales manager.

“I was drawn to iClick’s commitment to putting the customer at the center of every decision,” Hare says. “The team’s agility and focus on operational excellence inspire me. It’s the collective creativity and our shared goal of empowering customers that motivates me—helping partners win more business, more efficiently, is what excites me most.”

Rogers joins iClick with over 15 years of experience spanning both supplier and distributor roles. Prior to iClick, she was director of sales and business development at Ideation Creative Brand Management. She has also worked for Drive Marketing Group and Trimark Powered by Leeds.

“My experience across the supply chain gives me a full view of what our partners face,” Rogers says. “Joining iClick allows me to leverage my passion for marketing, sales and creativity to help distributors grow and stand out in a competitive landscape.”

The Companies Making the Most Money From AI All Have One Thing in Common

Hamed Mazrouei • Entrepreneur Leadership Network Contributor • CEO of Vivant, Milagro and Utiliko

AI in a mediocre business just gives you mediocrity at scale. Here's how to turn it into the amplifier it was meant to be.

Artificial intelligence has become the North Star guiding modern business strategy. From backend systems to customer interactions, AI is now a core part of decision-making, product development and strategic planning. It’s no longer about whether you’ll use AI, but how intelligently you’ll apply it.

A March 2025 McKinsey global survey found that over 75% of firms are now using generative AI in at least one business function, and those with executive-level oversight are seeing stronger results.

But before leaning too heavily on AI, it’s worth asking: Are you solving the right problem, or simply hoping AI will solve it for you?



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