Amy Williams - AB Unlimited Worldwide

How long have you been in the industry? And, in what roles have you served? I have been in the industry for 10 years now as a distributor owner and CEO.

What does a typical workday look like? A typical day looks like a Jackson Pollock painting- all squiggly lines leading to nowhere and everywhere and looks like chaos, but at the end of the day, is actually quite beautiful!

What do you do in your down-time? I enjoy road trips to national parks.

What attracted you to volunteering with SAAC? Joining the SAAC Board? When I first started in this industry, we didn’t have a lot of support and we didn’t know a lot of people- my first experience making connections was at a SAAC Happy Hour event. I met a wonderful supplier rep who took me under her wing and to this day is a trusted advisor.

Fun Facts:

1. I'm a national champion baton twirler.

2. I once danced onstage with Prince.

Heather Valle-Laird – Logomark Inc.

How long have you been in the industry? And, in what roles have you served? I have been in the industry for 14 years now. Starting my journey with Berney Karp as a territory manager then moved to Perfect Live as a regional sales manager. Currently, I am on my tenth year at Logomark as a regional sales manager.

What does a typical workday look like? Let me start off by saying I love my job and especially this fun industry we serve! A typical work day starts with daily emails and projects my amazing customers bring to me, and then getting out in the field to have end user and new product meetings while building and maintaining relationships, being knowledgeable and offfering great service are key.

What do you do in your down-time? I have a husband, four kids, and 2 dogs so things are a constant, go, go, go. I really enjoy watching and attending sporting events and concerts. Along with cooking, baking, doing puzzles and camping with my family.

What attracted you to volunteering with SAAC? Joining the SAAC Board? I have learned a lot over the years in the industry about SAAC from my fellow Logomark Reps & Distributor’s and have always participated in all things Local to maintain and continue to Build Relationships. Joining the SAAC board was an easy decision. I love making a difference and having a voice/opinion. I think it is important to support the local associations who put in the added effort into making our industry better, so much goes on behind the scenes.

Fun Facts:
1. I teach Children's ministry at Crosspoint Church in Temecula for 2nd & 3rd graders.

2. I played soccer for 13 years and volleyball & basketball in college. I love being an athlete!

Ryan Paules – Radar Promotions

How long have you been in the industry? And, in what roles have you served? I have been in the industry since 2015 starting out as a Supplier Consultant. In 2018, I built and opened my distributorship, Radar Promotions.

What does a typical workday look like? A typical workday is getting my kids off to school, both in 3rd grade, and catching up with the East Coast/Richmond & Houston teams. Our sales and production teams are spread across 3 time zones, so just juggling time zones is a challenge. The next part is digging into my own projects in commonsku, our order and production management software, and checking in with clients. All the normal distributor owner-operator type of work ensuring products getting made and delivered on time.

What do you do in your down-time? My wife and I really enjoy traveling internationally, and with the rest of the world opening up this year, we're looking at several trips coming up, hopefully Italy soon. One of my other hobbies is being a very amateur competitive shooter, and getting to compete in the shooting sports as much as my schedule allows.

What attracted you to volunteering with SAAC? Joining the SAAC Board? SAAC has always been my "Home Association", and I make a point to attend the SAAC Show as much as possible over the years. Bob has been my mentor for years, as our company has been growing 2x per year for the past 3 years and when I heard that he needed to fill an open Board seat, I jumped on the opportunity to bring a Small & Independent Distributor voice to the Board.

Fun Facts:
1. My wife and I really enjoy traveling internationally.

2. I’m an amateur competitive shooter.

Bob Levitt, MAS - Immediate Past President

How long have you been in the industry? And, in what roles have you served? It feels like I have been in the industry since the dawn of time. Seriously though, I have been in sales or sales leadership for the majority of it, however had an 8 year stint as a consultant, that has recently begun again.

What does a typical workday look like? My dogs usually will take me for a walk to start my day…then it’s off to the office, which is at home for the last 14 years. I try to divide my day into two categories: working on my business before 9:00 and after 3:00; and then, working in my business from 9:00 to 3:00. First I glance at the industry news, then prioritize any new emails while weaving them into the day plan I created the day before. I might do a little LinkedIn trolling or client/prospect research or follow up with a supplier on a project. At 9:00 I try to focus on revenue-producing activities, mostly client/prospect outreach or follow up until 3:00pm. Then it is back to project follow-up, new project research, presentation, or quote development, and finally, to create the priority list for the next day.

What do you do in your down-time? Family time, hikes, travel, peloton, reading, and serve on the  YMCA Board

What attracted you to volunteering with SAAC? Joining the SAAC Board? 

Early in my career, I received a SAAC Scholarship for a 1-week creativity summit that turned into a career-long quest for constantly learning and growing. I had never heard of SAAC at the time, so the following year I started volunteering to say thanks and to help give back to the industry.

Fun Facts:

1. I help run a 1-week YMCA sleep away camp in the mountains above LA and have rarely missed a summer in 41 years.

2. I ran a 4:38 mile

Daniel Henderson - C&C Marketing, Powered by Proforma

How long have you been in the industry? And, in what roles have you served? I grew up in this industry with my grandfather owning a print company and my mother starting there before joining Proforma. I joined Proforma in June of 2001, starting off helping in the warehouse, to customer service, to graphic designer, then into sales. After 20 years I left the family company and opened my own office.

What does a typical workday look like? These days it is about half the day handling day to day items like quotes, order follow up, billing, and the other half handling warehouse fulfillment orders.

What do you do in your down-time? I usually try to spend a day or 2 of down-time a month at a golf course and use those few hours as a reset to start the new week. Otherwise sometimes a nice day on the couch with the dog is needed for a little relaxing time. Besides those, I’ll be on an airplane heading anywhere I can.

What attracted you to volunteering with SAAC? Joining the SAAC Board? At first, I was asked to join the SAAC Board by a previous incoming president. While I wasn’t sure what I was walking into when I accepted, I am glad I made that decision. Giving back to the industry that has given me so much has been well worth it.

Two Fun Facts

1.  My favorite way to network and meet new clients is at the golf course.

2.  I usually try to take at least one solo vacation a year, just me going somewhere new. If you haven’t tried it, it is the absolute best!

Kimberly Horton - FPS Apparel

How long have you been in the industry? And, in what roles have you served? I've been in the promotional products industry for 17 years and have always worked as a supplier. My career started out in Inside Sales and I worked my way up to Regional Outside Sales Manager. 

What does a typical workday look like? Typically I am up at 6:30 am checking emails walking dogs, coffee...etc. Then I move to my computer to begin reaching out to clients, doing in-person or zoom meetings in my territory. I end my day with my dogs, dinner emails and a little TV.

What do you do in your down-time? For downtime I enjoy time with  my amazing family and friends, traveling and attending concerts. 

What attracted you to volunteering with SAAC? Joining the SAAC Board? I wanted to be part of  a great organization that I respect and help to make it grow and be the best it can be, while having an amazing group of peers and industry members to learn from. 

Two Fun Facts

1.  I love to sing songs and make up my own words.

2.  I am a kid and animal whisperer.

Steve Parker, MAS - The Magnet Group

How long have you been in the industry? And, in what roles have you served? I have been in the promotional products industry for 35 years. During this time I have worked as a supplier and as a distributor. In addition I have served on the SAAC Board, The Foundation For SAAC Board and the RAC Board.

What does a typical workday look like? I spend most days working with distributor customers and helping them to serve their clients in any way possible.

What do you do in your down-time? Downtime?? LOL, I am an exercise enthusiast. Running, lifting, boxing and anything else I can do while moving. I also sit on a national non-profit board, The Compassionate Friends and am their current president. The Compassionate Friends is an organization that  helps families after the loss of a child.

What attracted you to volunteering with SAAC? Joining the SAAC Board? I joined the SAAC Board in 2006 and continue to serve. It was important for me in learning about the industry that I grew up in. Giving back is the best feeling!

Two Fun Facts

1.  I am a second generation promo person as my father started  in this industry in 1963.

2.  Basketball is my passion  and I am a high school certified referee.

Victoria Schmitz, CAS - Goldstar

How long have you been in the industry? And, in what roles have you served? I started out in the industry with Goldstar in 2015 and as of July 2023 I have been in the industry for 8 years. I have worked in customer care, inside sales, inside sales manager, Northwest and Southwest regional sales manager and my current role is Southwest Regional Sales Manager covering Southern California, Arizona and Nevada.

What does a typical workday look like? My typical work days focus on relationship building and staying connected to accounts in the Southwest region, traveling for in-person vendor meetings, education meetings and regional association shows.

What do you do in your down-time? During downtime i love to travel, do anything outdoors, watch baseball, spend time with friends and most importantly spend time with my two sons.

What attracted you to volunteering with SAAC? Joining the SAAC Board? I was attracted to volunteering to learn, to bring attention and awareness to how SAAC can support distributors and suppliers in a meaningful way and to be involved with industry change.

Two Fun Facts

1.  I love baseball. Go Padres!

2.  I danced Tahitian and ballet

Heidi Selleck - Vernon Company

How long have you been in the industry? And, in what roles have you served? I have been in the promotional products industry for 20 years on both e the supplier and distributor sides. I was on an inside sales team for over a decade with a "Power 50" supplier and more recently, as an affiliate for a "Power 50" distributor. My territories have been regional and multi states including Illinois, Wisconsin, Texas Colorado, Arizona and everything in between. 

What does a typical workday look like? I usually get to my desk about 7 am before the colleges and universities I sell to open for the day. I generally spend the first 30 minutes working on personal enrichment which has really helped me play the long game and stay consisitent. I always find inspiration from books like from "Good to Great", "Atomic Habits", and "The Go Getter". Once I am recharged I respond to emails, return phone calls, and spend  a lot of my day working on ideas for upcoming colleges events providing them with lists of my recommendations for top sellers  and incude virtuals. I belong to various associations and almost always have local mixers and events that I attend. These have really helped my add to my client based and build relationships in my community. I strongly believe in relationship marketing, it has made a significant difference in my overall sales.

What do you do in your down-time? I walk dogs and spend my time friends and family. I love to travel and enjoy boating. 

What attracted you to volunteering with SAAC? Joining the SAAC Board? Heather Valle suggested I give volunteering a try. I think this will be a positive move to and will help me be more involved with our industry.

Two Fun Facts

1.  I flew first-class to Singapore in 2019. 

2.  I met Tom Selleck in Hawaii.