PPAI Announces New Board of Directors Members

Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), has announced the election of its newest members. Lori Kates, president of IMAGEN Brands, and Todd Pottebaum, MAS+, president of Quality Resource Group, Inc., have been elected to the PPAI Board of Directors. They will begin their four-year terms immediately following The PPAI Expo 2018 in January.

“Lori and Todd’s leadership and many contributions have been felt in the industry for many years now, and I am thrilled they will be joining the PPAI board,” said Mary Jo Tomasini, MAS, PPAI Board chair. “As we look forward, I am confident that their expertise and deep understanding of our business will help drive long-term strategic growth for the association and advance our goal of delivering innovative products, services and support that enable our members to grow their businesses. The board joins me in welcoming Lori and Todd, and thanks them for their dedication to PPAI and the promotional products industry.”

Lori Kates is president of Mason, Ohio-based supplier IMAGEN Brands, parent company of Crown Products and Vitronic. She has worked in the promotional products industry for more than 21 years, and in that time has served on the PPAI Professional Development Committee and PPAI Market Research Committee. She has also been involved in the Promotional Products Education Foundation (PPEF).

Kates has devoted her time to participating in professional development events including the North American Leadership Conference, Women’s Leadership Conference and the PromoKitchen Mentor Program.

Prior to joining IMAGEN, Kates worked with Crystal Tissue Company, a manufacturer and importer of specialty paper and gift bags serving North American retailers. She holds a degree in accounting from Ohio Northern University.

Todd Pottebaum, MAS+, is president of distributor Quality Resource Group Inc., Plymouth, Minn. He has spent 17 years working in the promotional products industry, and in that time has served as a committee member and chair of the PPAI Market Research Committee and as a speaker at several PPAI Expo education events.

Pottebaum is also a member of Upper Midwest Association of Promotional Professionals, for which he has served as president, vice president, treasurer and secretary, as well as a board member, volunteer chair and co-chair for the End Buyer Expo. In 2015, he was named UMAPP Volunteer of the Year.

Outside the industry, Pottebaum served on Meeting Professionals International (MPI) marketing and membership committees, and has been named an MPI Volunteer of the Year for the Minneapolis/St. Paul chapter. Prior to working at Quality Resource Group, Pottebaum worked for Carlson Companies. He studied at the University of Northern Colorado.

The board of directors is the governing body for PPAI, and plays a major role in directing its strategic activities, adopting policies and approving budgets to carry out the work of the association. PPAI’s incoming board members bring diverse backgrounds and experiences to the association’s volunteer leadership.

For more information on PPAI, visit www.ppai.org.