Pictured above: PPAI Executive Vice President Bob McLean, CPA, CAE (center, left), met with PSDA leaders at the CEO Summit, including (from left) Nathan Goldberg, president of PPAI member Specialized Office Systems and incoming president of PSDA; Matt Bruno, executive vice president of PSDA; and Joe Walkup, CAS, president of PPAI member Innovative Business Products, LLP and president of PSDA.

This week, PPAI Executive Vice President Bob McLean, CPA, CAE, attended the Print Services & Distribution Association’s (PSDA) annual CEO Summit in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The event brings PSDA members together to connect, discuss high-level trends and share ideas and challenges.

McLean attended to learn more about the industry PSDA serves and meet the association’s members. PPAI and PSDA share a significant overlap in membership and there are similarities in the industries’ supply chains. The associations have been supporting each other for years by holding training at their various shows and sharing content between their publications.

“I enjoyed meeting the PSDA members and their association staff,” says McLean. “I now have a better feel for their industry and member types. The challenges and opportunities facing their membership are similar to the promotional products industry. I hope that our organizations continue to work together for the mutual benefit of our members.”

PSDA services the print industry by cultivating strategic partnerships between manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and resellers. It works with the Print Education & Research Foundation (PERF) to provide education, programs and resources for its members.

The CEO Summit, which ran March 11-13, featured several education and networking opportunities and its speaker line-up drew from industry leaders and subject matter experts. Bobby Lehew, chief content officer of commonsku, got the program started with an opening keynote presentation on the role of creative storytelling in successful sales strategies.