Association Update

Paul Bellantone, CAE, is president and CEO of the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), the not-for-profit association for more than 15,500 member companies in the $24.7 billion-dollar promotional products industry. Bellantone is responsible for executing the strategies and vision of the PPAI Board of Directors and advocating for the industry and its professional practitioners. His focus on delivering compelling member value and business-building products and services, combined with his commitment to active and meaningful member communication, has helped PPAI achieve marked growth. Bellantone holds a bachelor's degree from Rutgers University and a master’s in business administration from the School of Management at Texas Woman's University. He is a Certified Association Executive and is an active member of the American Society of Association Executives, the Dallas Fort Worth Association Executives, the American Marketing Association, the Dallas/Fort Worth AMA and a board trustee for The Forum: Business Results Through People.

Ira Neaman, MAS, founder and president of Avenel, New Jersey, supplier Vantage Apparel graduated from Syracuse University in 1974 and earned his Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard in 1976. He founded Vantage in 1977. An active volunteer in the promotional products industry for more than 40 years, Neaman has served on several PPAI committees, including the Leadership Advisory Committee, the Strategic Planning Committee, and the Marketing and Research Committee, as well as the Promotional Products Education Foundation Board and several industry task forces. In 2002, he became the inaugural recipient of the PPAI Education Lifetime Achievement Award, and Counselor magazine named him its Person of the Year in 2003 and has included him in its Power 50 since 2008.

Todd Pottebaum, MAS+, is president of Quality Resource Group (QRG), a branded merchandise and print distributor headquartered in the Minneapolis, Minnesota, area that utilizes technology to cut complexities, streamline processes and gain market share. An aspiring expert in systems, efficiencies and process planning, Pottebaum speaks regionally and nationally at industry events. Prior to his election to the PPAI Board of Directors in 2017, Pottebaum served the promotional products industry in a wide variety of roles, most notably as president of Upper Midwest Association of Promotional Professionals, and as chair of the PPAI Marketing Information And Research Committee. Pottebaum studied at the University of Northern Colorado and earned a degree in international trade and relations with an emphasis in economics. His greatest treasures are his wife, Sheri, daughter Savannah, and sons, Jax and Jaeger. He’s a proud Minnesotan who enjoys spending time on the lake with his family.