AIA Focuses on Company Growth with Expansion of Business Development Team

AIA Corporation (AIA), Appleton, Wisc., recently welcomed two new members to its business development team as part of its continued focus on strategic growth.

Wendy Smith, CPIM, MASI, joins as vice president of business development, and will oversee the team. Smith will report to Rich Berg, senior vice president of owner success.

Additionally, Paula Klingman has been hired as a business development manager, joining the existing team of managers, all of whom will report to Smith.

Wendy Smith

In her new role, Smith will focus on strategy, team development, and outreach to entrepreneurial and growing distributors. Under her leadership, the team will leverage their combined decades of industry experience to understand a distributor’s individual needs and provide solutions utilizing AIA’s tools, resources and community support.

With more than 20 years of experience, Smith’s career has included business development and leadership positions at companies, including Gallo Winery, Hammacher Schlemmer and Rand McNally. In her most recent role at Digital Products International Inc. (DPI), she managed the inside and outside sales teams that focused on rewards and recognition programs, promotional products industry, retail, specialty distributors and home shopping networks. As a longtime member of Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) and the Incentive Marketing Association (IMA), Smith earned her Master of Advertising Specialty Information (MASI) from ASI and is a Certified Professional of Incentive Management (CPIM) from the IMA.

“AIA’s strong leadership team, their investments to help distributors succeed, support of entrepreneurship, and the connected owner community are what drew me to work for the company,” said Smith. “I’m excited to collaborate within AIA and the industry at large to foster new relationships and drive awareness of the benefits of working with AIA, our people and our expanding toolbox of distributor-support services. I’m proud to be a part of an organization focused on helping distributors to stand out and take their business to the next level, but allowing them to maintain independent ownership of their business and their unique identity.”

Paula Klingman

Joining AIA as the newest business development manager, Klingman brings more than 20 years of experience as a successful distributor, sales representative and business development executive. This work has allowed her to understand the opportunities and challenges of growing a small business, and she takes pride in uncovering new ideas, delivering strategic and tactical planning and finding solutions for distributors designed for their specific needs.

“Wendy and Paula are a perfect complement to our already terrific business development team,” said Berg. “Both women have extensive experience working in the promotional products industry. We’re thrilled they are bringing their talents to AIA and with their leadership and guidance we look forward to adding more progressive and creative distributors to our growing community.”

Source: AIA

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