Voting is under way for the PPAI Board of Directors Class of 2023, and runs through September 17. Supplier candidates are Dan Edge, director of sales for Peerless Umbrella Company, and Bill Mahre, president of ADG Promotional Products. Distributor candidates are R. Renée Jones, MAS+, CEO of A Creative Touch, Inc., and Craig Reese, senior vice president of Jack Nadel International. One candidate from each category will be elected by the membership and will begin a four-year board term immediately following The PPAI Expo 2019.

Over the past several issues, PPB Newslink has been taking a closer look at each of the candidates and today the series closes with Dan Edge.

Edge is director of sales, North America, for supplier Peerless Umbrella Co. He has worked in the promotional products industry for more than 15 years and has served on the PPAI Supplier Committee as well as through the volunteer project pool. He is an active participant in regional association activities and is part of the Promo Kitchen Mentor Program.

Outside the industry, Edge has worked in retail, sales management and buying, and grew up in the family business—running a children’s day camp—assisting in all facets, including staff director, counselor and sales. He volunteers with St. James Church and local athletic organizations. Edge has coached local youth sports for more than 12 years.

In his free time, Edge enjoys running and taking kickboxing classes. His latest passion is boating, and he cherishes the time with his friends and family. Edge has been married to his wife, Elaine, for 24 years. They have two children: Abby, 20, and Connor, 18. He holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Syracuse University.

When asked how PPAI can best use its limited resources to fulfill the Association’s mission of protecting and growing the industry, while simultaneously ensuring the success of a diverse and sometimes disparate constituency, Edge said, “I truly believe an organization is only as strong as its members. With a membership of 15,500 companies, we need to find new ways to get more people involved. There is so much knowledge and experience to be shared and we are not tapping into the resources available. We need to find creative ways to promote volunteerism and make our industry more inclusive. A stronger and more knowledgeable member base will benefit all.

“Evolving industry education is paramount to achieving new levels of professionalism. While gaining more respect from the advertising community is important, we'll get there much quicker if we restructure the educational opportunities to include core teachings for new members that include an understanding of the supply chain; basic things such as how to properly read a catalog, understand pricing codes, and how to write an order correctly to suppliers.”

The PPAI Board of Directors election gives industry members the opportunity to select the leaders that can transform the Association. To learn more about the candidates, visit PPAI.org/election2018 and follow PPB Newslink for updates on the election.