The Promotional Marketing Association of Northern California’s (PMANC) Showcase Spring Market, held May 2-3, brought industry professionals together in Monterey, California to network, learn and meet with more than 125 exhibiting suppliers. On May 3, before the trade show floor opened, PPAI President and CEO Paul Bellantone, CAE, joined Tom Goos, MAS, president of distributor Image Source, Inc. (PPAI 195953), and Jeremy Lott, president of supplier SanMar (PPAI 110788), for a sold-out keynote discussion on the ins and outs of building a business.

The session drew more than 120 audience members and gave PMANC showcase attendees a window into the effort and decisions behind Image Source and SanMar’s growth and success, and the ups and downs of starting a business that led them there. Bellantone moderated the conversation, which included questions from audience members.

Goos says, “The panel discussion’s goal was to explore the major inflection points that helped our companies grow and drive business, and the major clients, failures and accomplishments along that entrepreneurial journey. It was a more top-level conversation, and hopefully gave audience members a bit of a roadmap of what their journey can look like, from both a distributor and a supplier perspective.

“We’re all entrepreneurial in our jobs. Whatever the role, part of your job is to develop opportunities and business. And I hope the audience took away an understanding that we all have failures and challenges, and in the end what’s important is how you leverage them and come out stronger in the long run.”