PPAI Names Charles Duggan, William Lazarus Its 2018 Distinguished Service Award Recipients

PPAI named Charles Duggan and William Lazarus its 2018 Distinguished Service Award recipients.

Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), Irving, Texas, announced during its North American Leadership Conference in Austin, Texas the recipients of its 2018 PPAI Distinguished Service Award.

Charles Duggan, MAS+, national and strategic key accounts manager, West, for San Diego, California-based supplier Goldstar; and William “Bill” Lazarus, owner and vice president of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida-based distributor Promotional Breezes, will be honored at the Chairman’s Leadership Dinner on January 15 during The PPAI Expo in Las Vegas, Jan. 14 to 18, 2018 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

“Charles and Bill are well-respected industry leaders and dedicated volunteers,” said Paul Bellantone, CAE, PPAI president and CEO. “They have both demonstrated a life-long professional and personal commitment to the betterment of their communities and the promotional products industry. Their giving back through participation in countless advisory groups and committees has benefited us all, and increased the profile of the industry.”

Duggan is a former member of the PPAI Board of Directors, serving from 2009 to 2013. While on the board, he served on its Budget & Finance, Executive and Board Nomination committees, and was involved in several of the association’s volunteer committees and action groups, including the Distributors and Membership Services Committees; the Marketing Information and Research, Public Relations, Product Responsibility and Professional Development Action Groups; and the MAS/CAS Certification Board. He also served on PPAI’s Global Task Force and Leadership Advisory Committee. He is a regular speaker at PPAI and regional association education programs, and is an active member of Promotional Products Association of the Midwest, including time on its board, for which he served as president in 2015.

“Charles represents the value associated with volunteers,” said Bruce Felber, MAS, his nominator. “He has given of himself throughout his career in the promotional product industry. Every committee, task force, board position and group has felt the passion Charles bring to the table. He asks the questions most people dare not to ask. Why? Because he is a truth seeker for the causes he champions.”

“Charles deserves this recognition for his years of service and support for the industry and those who have been on the receiving end of his efforts whether personal or a wider scope,” added Felber. “I can personally state that my life has been enriched just knowing Charles. I am sure I am not alone.”

As a long-time industry volunteer, Lazarus has lent his talents to both PPAI and the regional association community. His volunteer service with PPAI has included leadership roles with the Conventions Advisory Council, the Distributors Advisory Council, the Education Advisory Council and the Distributors Advisory Council, as well as with the Association’s Distributors Committee, Leadership Committee, Conventions Committee, Strategic Planning Committee and the Chairman’s Committee of 100.

Outside of PPAI, Lazarus has dedicated his time to the Specialty Advertising Association of Greater New York (SAAGNY) and the Gold Coast Promotional Products Association (GCPPA), holding leadership positions at both regional associations, most recently GCPPA board president in 2009.

Lazarus’ nominator, Joel Schaffer, MAS, said, “I have worked side by side with literally hundreds of volunteers in PPAI and regionals across America. I can easily say that no single person I have worked with personifies the volunteer spirit this industry has been built upon, and still needs, more than Bill Lazarus. In every way, Bill is the poster child for volunteer contributions… dedicated, enthusiastic, an affable ambassador of good will, a motivator inspiring others to join, an honest person leading by example, and a ‘roll up your sleeves’ participant in every aspect of an assignment. He is a leader’s leader and a worker’s worker. We, as an industry, need to have just a few more Bills, and the value added to association membership and benefits would be incalculable.”

The Distinguished Service Award is presented to selected PPAI members who consistently contribute their skills and expertise toward the betterment of the association. Through volunteer service or by offering their leadership to PPAI, these are members who generously give the benefit of their energy, time and enthusiasm for the association.

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