The torch passes...

The email's "subject" line violated the Cardinal Rule of mystery. "PPAI names Paul Bellantone, CAE, President and Chief Executive Officer".

What--no buildup? No drumrolls? No "we'll be back with the answer right after these messages"?

In one sentence one era ends, another begins. And at this moment I began to think about Steve Slagle. Not in the "obituary" sense (because he's anything but departed) but rather as a look down the path he (and I) have traveled.

I met Steve in the late '90s, when I was a lowly consultant helping brands get into the "special markets" business, which included Promotional Products but didn't necessarily "include" them if you get my drift.

He was a Big Fish. I was scarcely a minnow (despite my physical size), but he was gracious in that Southern way, spectacularly informed about "my kind" and how they might be part of PPAI's future, and willing to assist even though there was no immediate benefit for him or his organization. I made a note to myself-"try to keep connected to this guy".

And so it went. I moved from this to that, and he always returned my phone calls, always interested in what the brands were doing, how his market might be a target for us. At the time, very few of us were engaged with Promotional Products distributors--they were "them" and not really important to us. And Steve was always personally engaged with me and my career path.

And what began as a simple introduction became much more. He introduced me to European Big Shots at PSI in Dusseldorf. Asked me (and some of my cohorts) to serve PPAI as advisors about how they could better connect with us. Came to my Dialogues conferences, always willing to share and not concerned about "keeping appearances" at the table.

One year both Steve and Tim Andrews from ASI attended Dialogues. That was during a time of "friction" between the two entities, and nobody dared bring up the subject. But the morning of the second day I had the temerity to ask "So, Steve, Tim--what the hell is going on with you two?" The silence in the room was deafening. But both men diffused the tension with a simple response--"we have disagreements on some subjects, but we have agreement on many others and still work together."

I guess that's when I realized the depth of Steve's personality--I put him (and Tim, who acquitted himself just as well) into a potentially sticky situation and he extracted himself with professionalism and credibility. If I wasn't already Sergeant-at-Arms of Steve's Fan Club before, I sure as hell was afterwards.

I'll leave it for others to assess Steve's tenure as PPAI's CEO. I'm more interested in the impact he made on me professionally and personally. He was always available, always engaged, and always looking at the Big Picture for his organization and his stakeholders as well.

I'm sure I'll be thinking about Steve this January, as I stand with my colleagues in the "brand" pavilion at Expo. If I have half a brain I'll salute Steve as a leader and the visionary who thought it was a good idea to put branded suppliers in an environment that allowed us to tell our story to a targeted audience.

Steve probably isn't going to the golf course full-time. I look forward to hearing of his next reinvention. The market will be better for whaever path he chooses.

Paul--you better grow some feet. The shoes you're filling are mighty big...


Pete

Tarred with the same brush...

Some time ago (I'm unsure when--call it another in the ongoing series of "Senior Moments") I mentioned that I had deserted the long-held premise that our business is aligned with retail sales.

I came to this conclusion because the retail sector had rallied smartly from its 2007-08 decline while our business had not. I came to realize that our business has NEVER been aligned with retail sales--it just seemed that way and we told ourselves this lie enough times that eventually even we believed it.

And although all signs are pointing to a recovery in our market--especially from the casinos--there is still no link between retail and us. I'm wondering if there may be another link--one we don't typically consider. What if our business was tied to INVESTMENT?

One of the biggest challenges we have is trying to get our clients (end-users in particular) to consider rewards and recognition as investments rather than costs. We failed in that endeavor in 2008-09, when programs were whacked with an efficiency that even "Chainsaw Al" Dunlap would have been proud of.

And today, corporations are sitting on $2 trillion in cash. Time Magazine says that the issue for companies isn't profits--they've got lots of those--it's the willingness to invest. And most of us can recite examples of this conundrum, where clients say they have the money, but are concerned about the risk of economic conditions.

Some pundits are saying we're heading for 2 Scoops of Fun--also known as the Double Dip--and if that happens the furtive signs of a recovery in our market will be snuffed out like LeBron James' goodwill with NBA fans. All this at a time when retail sales have GROWN by 7.7% in the past 12 months.

It seems to me that our end-user clients are sitting on mountains of cash that they're holding for a Rainy Day. They seem unwilling to build new plants, or hire new employees, or (surprise!) invest in reward and recognition programs. And any Bad News will hurl us again down the rabbit hole.

We might be well-served to consider what companies are doing with capital investment, or employment trends, rather than clinging to our old beliefs. The statistics people tell me that Correlation isn't Causality. Neither is Coincidence...


Pete