PromoKitchen Podcast

What's the difference between building an audience and cultivating a community? Join Jay Busselle, Renya Nelson, and Roger Burnett as they explore the power of community, trust, and purpose-driven branding in the promo industry. Featuring the story behind the "We Make the Future" mural — and why being nice is punk rock.

The future of the print, promo, and apparel industry is shaped by the next generation and the leaders who embrace them. In this special episode of Meet Us in the Kitchen, Kate Alavez, President of PromoShop, hosts a candid conversation on how to recruit, nurture, and empower emerging talent. Joined by Victoria Ramos from PromoShop and Chris Perry from University Tees, the discussion dives into shifting values, workplace expectations, and what it takes to create an environment where young professionals thrive.

If there's one harder than a Monday morning without coffee, it's learning to say no. But according to the brilliant minds of Robert Fiveash (Brand Fuel), Brenda Speirs (Buzztag), and Denise Taschereau (Fairware), mastering the art of the well-placed ‘no' is a game-changer in business and life. PromoKitchen's latest conversation, led by Jay Busselle, dove into why saying no isn't about rejection; it's about strategy, values, and survival in the promotional products and branded merch industry.

Welcome to the latest episode of Meet Us in the Kitchen, PromoKitchen's vibrant hub for serving up the freshest ideas in the promo industry! In this episode, we dove into the spicy topic of work-life balance—or, as our guests prefer to call it, work-life harmony. We gathered an inspiring group of leaders—Kate Alavez, Jodie Schillinger, and Kenny Ved—to share their recipes for fostering happiness and engagement in the workplace. Spoiler alert: it's not just about balance—it's about flavor!

Join us for part 2 of this episode of Meet Us In The Kitchen Episode! Jay Busselle is joined by Carson Roncketto, Bobby Lehew, and Cola Henderson. This episode guarantees a blend of expertise, insight and fresh perspectives on brands, branding and when is the right time for a re-brand.

Branding Insights: When Is It Time to Rebrand? Part 1 by PromoKitchen

In this episode of Meet Us in the Kitchen, our panel of “Promo Pros” dives deep into the relevance of trade shows. Are trade shows still relevant in the age of Zoom meetings and virtual events? Are in-person events still worth the investment of time and money? What are the biggest benefits? As one guest puts it, "Trade shows aren't just about products anymore—they're about relationships. You can't replace face-to-face experiences with a Zoom call." Hear from industry experts as they share their insights, discuss the changing landscape of in-person events, and debate the future of trade shows in a digital age. Whether you're a trade show veteran or a skeptic, this conversation offers tasty insights for anyone navigating the pros and cons of attending or exhibiting.

Ready to spice things up? Welcome to "MEET US IN THE KITCHEN," PromoKitchen's new bi-weekly educational series where we whip up fresh discussions, simmer on diverse ideas, and share custom recipes for success! Every 20-30 minute episode is packed with surprise ingredients, secret sauces, and a mix of seasoned chefs. We're cooking up actionable strategies, stirring lively chats with fresh voices, and sprinkling in a few surprise guests in the kitchen. Join us for a flavorful experience that'll leave you hungry for more! #PromoKitchen #MeetUsInTheKitchen #CookingUpSuccess #SpicyConversations

Join Jenna Quaranta & Johanna Gottlieb for the latest episode of the JQ & JO Show.

Join Jenna Quaranta & Johanna Gottlieb on the latest episode of the JQ & JO Show.

Join JQ & JO on the newest episode of the JQ & JO Show

This month Johanna Gottlieb and Jenna Quaranta touch on Overcoming Imposter Syndrome: How to shake off self-doubt and confidently present your value in prospecting.

In this month's episode, Jenna Quaranta & Johanna Gottlieb chat about how to handle burnout during the prospecting process.

Ever had a client ghost you? If so check out the series premiere of the JQ & JO Show, Jenna Quaranta (HPG) and Johanna Gottlieb (Genumark) share their inspiration for starting this new series, and all their tips and tricks for responding to a client ghosting.

Dave Jacobs started The Positive Side in honor of his late father, he works with his sister Marian who is the founder of Logo Droppers a distributorship located in Las Vegas. See how they intertwine promos & positivity in this podcast episode hosted by PromoKitchens Executive Chair Ashley Colautti!

In this third episode of the PromoKitchen Podcast Mentorship Series, Jay Busselle connects with Ashley Colautti and Bill Petrie about their experience with the PK Mentorship Program. They discuss the pairing, what worked for them and what didn't, and what a good mentorship relationship looks like.

Welcome to the Mentorship Series of the PK Podcast! In this series we will be talking about one of our core pillars and share success stories from mentors and mentees that have been through the program. In today's episode PK Chef Jay Busselle connects with colleagues and chefs Carson Roncketto and Robert Fiveash. Both Carson and Robert have played pivotal roles with PromoKitchen, with Carson serving as chair of the Mentorship Committee and Robert as founding member and past president. These two superstars have huge hearts for helping and have been instrumental in reshaping the mentor program and helping it grow into the success it is today.

Welcome to the Mentorship Series of the PK Podcast! In this series we will be talking about one of our core pillars and share success stories from mentors and mentees that have been through the program. In today's episode Jay Busselle connects with Russell Bird and Tyler Merriam about their experience with the program. Listen in! Ready to become part of the mentorship program yourself - either as a mentor or mentee? Visit promokitchen.org and click on mentorship to get started today!

What does Sustainability mean to you and what steps are you and your organization taking around it? In this episode Kate Plummer, Clearmount and Johanna Gottlieb, HALO, talk to Matt Hare, with HIT Promotional about how HIT, Matt and his colleague Natalie Sheffey are all in on Sustainability. We learn about their reporting, how they got started and where they are headed. As a major industry supplier it is a fascinating listen to hear how a company of this size is committed and open to change.

So far PromoCares has created two different '4 Good Fundraisers' that have raised close to 90K to date. This episode of the PromoKitchen podcast talks about the newest campaign in collaboration with Planet Water and the Water4Good campaign centered around World Water Day. Listen in to learn about why PromoCares has taken on the challenge of providing clean water and how our industry effects has an effect on water sources around the world. You'll also hear how you can get involved as a supplier, how you can get involved as a distributor – and connect your clients and brand to the campaign.

Join Denise Taschereu of Fairware and Alex Symms of PowerStick for a discussion on sustainable packaging. Brought to by PromoKitchen + Promo Cares with the support of Hit! Promotional. Editors note: At the time of recording Alex was working with Chamelon Like. He has since switched roles and is now working at PowerStick. The intro was not re-recorded to reflect this change so we wanted to advise here to avoid any confusion. Thank you for listening!

Just as we promised, a follow up to our interview with Dale Denham, President of PPAI, in August 2021. This was initially intended to be an update after Dale's first 100 days as PPAI's new President and CEO, but unfortunately Omicron put Expo into all-hands-on-deck crisis mode. Fast forward to today, with 5 months on the job, Chefs Mark Graham and Kate Plummer had their chance to sit down with Dale to discuss how he navigated the twists and turns of a new position, the leadup to Expo, and what his strategic vision is for the promotional products industry moving forward.

Ever wonder how a product comes to market? So did we! Chef Kate Plummer sits down with Brandon Mackay and Brittany David of Snugz to talk about how product development moves from idea, to production, to market. In part two of this two part series, we cover how you market a product, what contributes to Snugz's success and what happens when it's in the salespeople's hands.

Ever wonder how a product comes to market? So did we! Chef Kate Plummer sits down with Brandon Mackay and Brittany David of Snugz to talk about how product development moves from idea, to production, to market. In part one of this two part series, we cover how you figure out trends, how you fit it into your factory and what you have to consider for production.

In the latest PromoKitchen x PromoCares collaboration podcast, sous chef Amanda Delaney, Key Account Manager at High Caliber Line, and Denise Taschereau, co-founder and CEO at Fairware, sat down with Traci Tarquino of Hit Promotional Products as she breaks down the behind-the-scenes process(es) of designing for sustainability in the promotional product industry, and how sustainability goes far beyond just the product itself.

In this episode, Kate Plummer talks with Nel Mihan from Promotional Resource Group - PRG about how the role of the multi-line is changing. Neil shares his experience in building an agency, supporting US companies in Canada, and how to market in the new world.

In this episode we talk with Wil Cormier from Staples Promotional Products about how to look for new talent and how to foster it. Wil breaks down why internships matter for the diversity and success of the promotional products industry. He also talks about how he uses mentorship for successful team building and how to work with a cross country team.

As entrepreneurs and business owners there are so many parts of business that we don't realize are necessary, available or even options. In this podcast we are sitting down with Scott Edidin of Xactly and 6AM Sourcing and CJ Ritterbusch of Concord Marketing Solutions to talk about various options of financing from start up to established business and what those options entail.

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." In this bonus PromoKitchen podcast, PromoCares board members Meg Erber with S&S Activewear and Mandi Rudd, owner of Brand Energy Marketing, join chef Johanna Gottlieb and sous chef Amanda Delaney for an emotional and powerful conversation about Sleep In 4 Good; an incredible fundraising event designed to bring awareness to the direct correlation between sleep deprivation and mental health. Mandi and Meg share some behind-the-scenes details of what it took to create and implement the event's nation-wide marketing campaign, their fundraising partnership with NAMI, and they talk to us about why the entire PromoCares board is determined to bring the importance of mental health awareness to the forefront of the promotional product industry.

As part of our on-going series on mergers and acquisitions Chef Kate Plummer and Sous-Chef Andrea Pereira talk with Chris Anderson, CEO of HPG. Chris talks about his 5 key areas that need to be satisfied for a business to be a smart buy. He also breaks down how launching Batch and Bodega worked and how HPG views the market.

As part of our on-going series on mergers and acquisitions, Chef Kate Plummer and Sous-Chef Andrea Pereira talk with Jo-an Lantz from Geiger, as Jo-an lets us in on what Geiger's thought process is when looking at potential acquisitions. She also talks about what comes up when looking globally, and why cyber security should be your top concern. This discussion is wide-ranging and definitely worth a listen to hear Jo-an's predictions for the future.

In this special episode, Mark Graham and Johanna Gottlieb sit down with a very familiar face in the PK community, the new CEO of PPAI, Dale Denham. Dale served on the board for many years, and he played a monumental role in establishing PromoKitchen as one of the leading nonprofit organizations in our industry. Dale has spent the past 10 years of his career serving as the CIO of Geiger, and he held the position of Senior VP at ASI prior to that. In this wide ranging conversation, Mark and Jo speak with Dale about the reasons for his career move, what he feels the largest opportunities and threats we as an industry are currently facing, and he shares his views on the importance of diversity, as well as his plans to lead our industry's largest trade association through today's challenging climate.

As part of our on-going series on mergers and acquisitions Chef Kate Plummer and Sous-Chef Andrea Pereira talk with Jamie Watson at Certified Marketing, Jamie lays out what is needed to sell your company and what you should be doing right now to make your company better, whether you're selling or not. Finally, a must listen portion for any business owner or salesperson, Jamie breaks down best business practices for your long term planning. Jamie has been involved various aspects of Finance and Accounting for over 20 years. She qualified as a CPA in the state of Indiana, where she worked for a regional accounting firm, and became acclimated to the small business environment. Jamie transitioned to CMC in 2006 and has been involved in the consulting of both supplier and distributor companies in the Promotional Products Industry for 15 years. Her passion is in helping business owners achieve their financial goals through education and understanding of the financial issues that face small businesses, both inside and outside our industry.

As part of our on-going series on mergers and acquisitions Chef Kate Plummer and Sous-Chef Andrea Pereira talk with Chef Larry Cohen of Axis Promotions, now Halo Branded Solutions. Larry walks us through what an acquisition can look like from the seller side and what everyone should know. He also drops some amazing Business 101 information that you definitely should start using now. Bio: Larry Cohen is the Founder of Axis Promotions, a full-service marketing and promotions agency, and now serves on the Executive Committee of HALO, the parent company of Axis. After working as a lawyer in Washington, D.C., Larry decided to change directions and put his creative energies and entrepreneurial spirit to use. He founded Axis in 1991 with one goal: build something that was - and still is - 180 Degrees From Ordinary. Axis has grown to become a creative powerhouse in the promotional products industry, with a client base including American Express, L'Oreal, NBC Universal and more. When Larry is not busy growing Axis, he serves on the PPAI board, PromoKitchen Advisory Board, and PeerNet Marketing Committee.

At PromoKitchen, we're exploring all the different sides of mergers and acquisitions in the industry. Our first conversation is with Bridget Smith of Zazzle, formally Boundless. Bridget talks about being the lead on acquisitions, what funding looks like in 2021, and what made Boundless and Zazzle two different companies. Bridget Bio: Bridget has had many roles since she started at Zazzle in 2005. Presently, she's our VP of Special Operations, overseeing the myriad of new opportunities that Zazzle is working on. She's also run our international operations, primarily opening and staffing our European headquarters in Cork, Ireland. She was Zazzle's CFO for seven years and has also managed our acquisitions of FanMade and Boundless. Quite simply, there's not a facet of the business that Bridget hasn't touched. Prior to coming to Zazzle, she was a CPA at Ernst & Young, the Director of Finance for Apple's U.S. operations for 13 years, VP of Finance at Intuit and also co-founded an educational software company, Tenth Planet, which was later acquired. Bridget enjoys skiing, hiking, playing golf, snowshoeing and playing with her three grandkids in Nevada, where she set up operations at our manufacturing facility in Reno.

In this episode Chefs Johanna Gottlieb (Axis powered by HALO) and Charity Gibson (Peerless Umbrella) talk to Kristine Shreve. Kristine is the founder and CEO of Kristine Shreve Consulting, which offers writing, marketing and business development services. The company can be found at www.kristineshreve.com . Kristine is also the creator and host of the Business + Women podcast, where the discussion centers around being a business owner and being a woman and how those two states of being intersect. Currently, Kristine is also the Director of Marketing and Outreach for Applique Getaway. On Facebook, Kristine is the founder of the Women in Garment Decoration Facebook group. Kristine was the Director of Marketing for Ensign Emblem and EnMart from 2006 to April 2020. In this episode we break down how we can help remove the bridge between decorators and distributors, we talk about how zoom has forced us to face some challenges and more!

In this episode, Chef Kate Plummer sits down with sous-chef Josh Pospisil about coming out and finding community. We cover how to create positive spaces and why he keeps wearing pink on Wednesdays.

In this episode chefs Kate Plummer and Josh Storey talk to Elise Lindborg and Kelli Henderson of Brand|Pride about Pride month, how to combat "Gay Washing," and what it takes to run a certified LGBT owned business. Brand Pride is a lesbian owned, LGBT certified branding solutions company. For 20 years they've guided hundreds of brands on their quests for the best promotional items to achieve their goals of building brand loyalty. What started out as a small, home-based business twenty years ago is now a bustling seven-figure operation with clients of all sizes nationwide. They challenge businesses to put their money were their ideals are.

Chefs Johanna Gottlieb and Kate Plummer sit down with the Redwood Classics team to talk about the launch of their impact report. They cover what it means to be sustainable, what a circular economy is and why women led businesses are important. The Redwood Classics team is Kathy Cheng, Ashley Chan, PJ Tang and Jasmin Bollman from Misfit Marketing Consultancy and Katie Motta from Shift Circular join them to talk about their work.

In this episode, Chef Danny Rosin and Chef Mark Graham explore what happens when you combine the power of the humble T-shirt, with a powerful message and fuel it with social media. In our discussion, we feature the story of Timmy Zhu, a software developer by day and a volunteer and tireless advocate for the nonprofit, Operation Smile, by night (and some of the day too).

Chef Kate Plummer chats with Kelly Brown from Green Giftz about what makes a good water bottle, How do we sell, or not sell another one and what we should be thinking about when we talk about sustainability. Join us every Wednesday over on Twitter for a brand new #promochat 3:00PM Eastern, Noon Pacific

Chef Kate Plummer chats with Jeff Becker from Kotis Design in a conversation that started about volunteering and moved to sustainable product selection and how to deal with leftover promo. We even cover if Patagonia got it right. Join us every Wednesday over on Twitter for a brand new #promochat 3:00PM Eastern, Noon Pacific

In this episode Johanna Gottlieb talks to Hugh Lawson about Diversity and Racism. We tackle some deep topics and hear his life experience. We learn about his passion for the BLM movement and his Why. Hugh is the Director of Business Development for Staples Promotional Products (SPP), a subsidiary of Staples Inc. with offices in Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States. He has over 20 years of experience helping clients globally drive brand engagement and improved business results by designing and executing custom merchandise, incentive, recognition, gifting, uniform and promotional programs involving their employees, channel partners, and customers. Hugh currently manages and leads strategic teams for Global new business prospecting, RFP responses, proactive proposals, competitive intelligence, future-trends identification, and business enhancement initiatives. He is also a Member of SPP’s Senior Leadership team that oversees organizational strategic plans, succession planning, process improvements, and growth objectives for the Canadian division. Hugh lives in Brampton with his wife Nadine, daughters Renée, Nia and new addition to the family, Miles.

Chef Kate Plummer chats with Jay Busselle about making it to the milestone of the 200th #PromoChat. We cover what's changed, what's needed to build an online community and so much more. Join us every Wednesday over on Twitter for a brand new #promochat 3:00PM Eastern, Noon Pacific

Chef Kate Plummer and sous chef Amanda Delaney are back with in impactful and inspiring episode of Growing Up Promo! Theresa Muzzillo, owner of Proforma Big Ideas in Tampa, is joined by her father, Greg Muzzillo, founder of top 40 distributor Proforma, as she shares stories from her earliest promo days as a kid, and what ultimately brought her back to promo after pursuing a post-college career in finance in the big apple. You don't want to miss this incredibly real and raw conversation as Theresa opens up about why she has always been (and remains) adamant on paving her own path and creating her own success as a business owner within the franchise her father built. She also talks about how taking the risk to invest in self-promos when the pandemic hit actually helped her grow her business in 2020, how her biggest clients gave her a new game-changing perspective on the power of community-over-competition, and so much more.

In this episode Johanna Gottlieb, Axis Promotions, and Ashley Colautti, Commonsku talk to Meg Erber, S&S Activewear and Glencora Twigg, Fairware about selling sustainability in the promotional products arena. They tackle some great topics on what you can and should be asking your clients and suppliers.

Chefs Johanna Gottlieb and Kate Plummer talk to Paul Bellantone and Robert "Bob" McLean about the transition in a virtual environment, Paul's future philanthropic goals, what we have learned in the pandemic and what we can expect from the association going forward.

In this moving and powerful podcast, Chef Kate Plummer sits down with Kathy Cheng, Michelle Chen, Cindy Tsuji and Kathy DiFrancesco to talk about anti-Asian racism, how it has personally and professionally effected them. They also share how others can help and what our next steps need to be.

Chef Kate Plummer chats with Digital News Director at ASI, Chris Ruvo about what is causing inventory issues across the board. This was a great chat and it's worth reading the article that sparked this conversation: https://t.co/wmz5PyqqOg?amp=1 Join us every Wednesday over on Twitter for a brand new #promochat 3:00PM Eastern, Noon Pacific

Chef Kate Plummer chats with trend expert Vicki Ostrom about how sustainability is showing up in product design, the effect the pandemic has had on trends and so much more! Join us every Wednesday over on Twitter for a brand new #promochat 3:00PM Eastern, Noon Pacific.

In our fourth episode, Jay Busselle & Danny Rosin talk with Roger Burnett about his experience as a founding member of PromoKitchen..