PPAI announces the slate for its 2020 PPAI board election. The two nominees for the board class of 2025 are Alan Tabasky, vice president and general manager of Medley, Florida, supplier BEL USA, and Noah Lapine, president and owner of Stamford, Connecticut, distributor Lapine Associates, Inc. The PPAI board election begins September 1 and runs through September 22, with results available in early October.

Last year, the Association launched a new approach to its board election with the transition from the ballot vote to a selection process by presenting one distributor and one supplier to the membership for an approval vote. Nominees for the board of directors are proposed as a slate and confirmed by the membership through an election, and are no longer individually elected by popular vote. PPAI made this change as it provides a better opportunity to constitute a board of directors with a balanced skillset and experience best suited for leading the Association into the future. The selection also process eliminates the time-consuming, peer-to-peer competition, applies strategic foresight and brings transparency to the process.

Alan Tabasky has been involved in the promotional products industry for more than 25 years. He was the co-owner of Hurricane Line, with his wife Heidi, from 1994 to 2010, until they merged Hurricane Line with BEL Promo more than 11 years ago. Tabasky is currently the vice president and general manager of BEL USA, the parent company of BEL Promo and Discount Mugs. Tabasky also served two terms as president of the Gold Coast Promotional Products Association and has volunteered on various PPAI committees over the years.

Noah Lapine is president and co-owner of Lapine Associates, a 58-year-old third-generation family business, which he joined in 1996, and has been involved in all phases of its development. Before joining Lapine, he served as a corps member in Teach for America where he taught seventh-grade English to students in rural Georgia. In 2017, he co-founded Effectus Partners, which architects and implements process efficiencies and solutions for major corporations. He also serves on the boards of early childhood education provider Children’s Learning Centers and the Mill River Park Collaborative.

Tabasky and Lapine have been selected for their unique experience and balanced skillset of competencies that align with the board’s current focus and strategic plan. Each has also been extensively evaluated by the Leadership Advisory Council and the Elected Directors Nominating Committee. If approved by the membership, they will begin their four years of board service following The PPAI Expo in January 2021.

PPAI is hosting a town hall-style webinar on August 28 to give members an opportunity to get to know the candidates. It will run from 1:30 – 2:10 pm CT and will be available afterward for on-demand viewing. Click here for more information and to register for the webinar.