The Promotional Products Association Intl. (PPAI), Irving, Texas, has announced its inaugural Promotional Products Pioneers.
The 2016 Promotional Products Pioneers are Norman Cohn, chairman of ASI; Frank Krasovec, founder of Norwood Promotional Products; Norm Stern, founder of Norscot Group; the late Forest Gill, founder of Gill Studios Inc.; and the late Ralph Thomas, executive director of Advertising Specialty National Association (ASNA). PPAI’s Promotional Products Pioneers program spotlights people whose business acumen or technological skills have played a key role in the advancement of the promotional products industry, according to the association.
Those featured in the 2016 Promotional Products Pioneers program are being spotlighted for their unique contributions:
– Norman Cohn was noted for his impact on the development of the industry, building ASI into a powerful for-profit media, marketing and education organization and service provider.
– Frank Krasovec was the first to bring private-equity money into the industry and was a leader in supplier aggregation.
– Norm Stern pioneered the development of client-specific licensed merchandise programs and business-to-business direct-mail marketing, as well as the manufacturing and distribution of die-cast scale model replicas.
– Forest Gill introduced influential new technologies to the industry. After World War II, Gill combined fluorescent ink and self-sticking adhesive to create the self-adhesive bumper sticker.
– Ralph Thomas joined ASNA as the organization’s executive director in 1956. In 1964, he led the merger of ASNA and the Guild to form the Specialty Advertising Association — now PPAI — and was its first president.
The inaugural PPAI Promotional Products Pioneers will be introduced Jan. 11, 2016, at The PPAI Expo 2016 in Las Vegas during the Chairman’s Leadership Dinner. Tickets can be purchased through registration.
For more information, visit ppai.org. — L.V.
