Promokitchen Podcast

Bonus Deep Dive for you today. This one was recorded in early March but with everything that happened, it fell to the wayside. The topic is still timeless though. Denise Taschereau from Fairware sits down with Chef Kate Plummer to discuss sustainability, building a company when your mandate seems niche and what you can do to make a difference. Join us every Wednesday over on Twitter for a brand new #promochat 3:00PM Eastern, Noon Pacific If you’re looking to learn more about what Denise talks about, here is a great place to start: https://www.greenbiz.com/events/webcasts

Chef Charity Gibson from Peerless sits down with Chef Kate Plummer to discuss what virtual tradeshows now look like and how we can make them better and be better at sales. Join us every Wednesday over on Twitter for a brand new #promochat 3:00PM Eastern, Noon Pacific

In this episode Kate Plummer, Clearmount and Johanna Gottlieb, Axis Promotions talk with Jason Emery from Toddy Gear. They discuss reopening safely during a pandemic and what it has been like at Toddy for the last few months.

Last year we did a podcast called Newbies and Vets. Mark Graham and Johanna Gottlieb went back to last year's newbies to talk to them about what it has been like to do your first year in promo DURING A PANDEMIC! It was such a fun conversation with three amazing women. Melanie Dwyer-Joyce has been an account coordinator for Rightsleeve Marketing since April 2019. She has a background in fashion and digital marketing and a passion for sustainability and supporting social-enterprises. Krista Franchuk with the Promo Addict has a wide range of experience. She has spent time working in the oil and gas, waste, construction, not-for-profit, and business consulting industries. Krista has been assisting customers with their promotional product needs since February of 2019. When not at the office, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, cheering on her kids at their various activities, and gardening in the spring and summer (and dreaming of gardening in the fall & winter). Laura Gibson of Brand Fuel, Inc.

In this podcast Kate Plummer and Johanna Gottlieb talk to Michele Bell and Jake Krolick from ASI. For the first time, this year’s Counselor Awards ceremony was held virtually. They discuss the planning and behind the scenes magic that helped make this event a success.

In this episode Kate Plummer and Johanna Gottlieb chat with DeShaun Diggs about Racism in America. We learn about some personal experiences and hear a great perspective from DeShaun.

In this podcast Kate Plummer and Johanna Gottlieb talk with Valerie Spiller. Valerie has over 20 years of sales and marketing experience. She has spent time working in positions in the Manufacturing, Consumer Goods, and Banking industries. Her sales career began in Sporting Goods with the Gatorade brand and has evolved to emphasize the Promotional Products Industry. She loves her work and helping customers find solutions, and it's clear to anyone she interacts with. Outside of work she enjoys group fitness classes and outdoor activities. Listen on to hear about Val's thoughts on why this movement is different, what she thinks of the term white privilege and more.

In this episode, we dig deep into apparel trends with Josh Appelbaum, VP Apparel with Hit Promotional Products.

In this episode Kate Plummer and Johanna Gottlieb talk to Julie Kwan about the PPAI Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Playbook and how we can make changes in our industry and move forward together.

Chefs Kate Plummer and Johanna Gottlieb talk with Benn Sledge from Aztec Specialties. They cover what it means to be a minority business owner and their importance to our supply chain. In this discussion Benn opens up doing a self check in and why this movement is different than others.

Racism in America: A Discussion with Quianne Perrin Savoy and Sonja Smith from Moore & Moore Merch by PromoKitchen

In today’s episode, Kate Plummer and Johanna Gottlieb talk with Caryn Kopp. Caryn has been a guest on a previous podcast and is doing a special Promokitchen webinar series (details at Promokitchen.org). Caryn is the Chief Door Opener® at Kopp Consulting whose Door Opener® Service has helped thousands secure initial meetings at the Executive Level in almost every major company. Caryn Kopp has been dubbed the Chief Door Opener® because she gets her clients “in the door” with their prospects. Caryn’s senior business developers known as Kopp Door Openers® find the right opportunities and secure initial meetings for their clients.

In today’s episode, we explore the way some suppliers in our industry are throwing out the old playbooks for sales and marketing by employing digital first tactics. Our guests today are Evan Toporek and Pete Drago with Colorado based, Original Favorites. Original Favorites is known for their high end blank Tshirts, sweats and polos made primarily from Supima cotton. While they do sell within the promotional products industry, they cut their teeth selling private label solutions to digitally native clothing brands. It’s from this experience that they developed many of their digital go to market strategies.

In this episode of the PK Podcast, Chef and parents Johanna Gottlieb and Danny Rosin connect with Angie Shockley, Parenting Expert and experienced counselor, to talk about the reality of the shifting family dynamics when combining e-learning and working parents. This is a great discussion of the new reality we live in and managing what it is to be a parent while providing balance and caring for all the family members. Angie Shockley, MA, CSP, has spent 25 years working with adolescents, teens, young adults, parents, and families helping them navigate the challenges of daily life. Using her years of experience and training, Angie provides coaching, education, consulting, and alternative healing services for individuals and groups. She has studied Shamanic and Energetic Healing modalities under Berta Khunel of Balanced Horizons and is a Certified Shamanic Practitioner. Angie also utilizes the healing benefits of Reiki in her work. She is available for face to face sessions as well as distance work via ph

In this episode of the PK Podcast, Mark Graham and Javier Melendez sit down with Shamini Peter to discuss the opportunities and pitfalls of selling PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic. Shamini is the COO of Axis Promotions in New York City where she has over a decade of product sourcing experience. Her supply chain expertise has helped Axis grow into the one of the largest and most sophisticated distributors in the industry. Shamini shares her recent experiences on sourcing PPE during a time when demand has far outsripped supply. In addition to his role as a PromoKitchen sous chef, Javier Melendez is an Account Executive at All Star Incentive Marketing. He has sold PPE for most of his career in the industry and shares his perspectives on the sudden popularity of this category.

In this episode Mark and Johanna talk to two incredible nurses on the front lines of the Covid19 Pandemic. Joanna Killian is a nurse in New York. She is with a university hospital on Long Island and has been there for 9 years in the cardiac department. Jessica Aboagye has been a nurse for 12 years. She has worked at Southside hospital in Bayshore, Long Island for the last 4 years. She has a masters degree in nursing education and is certified in both medical surgical and geriatric nursing. We talk about what life in and outside the hospital is like right now and how they are fighting the good fight every day.

Manufacturers of apparel, textiles and sewing plants are shifting their production operations from t-shirts, sweatshirts, socks and underwear to make surgical face masks and face coverings to help medical personnel and the general public combat the global coronavirus pandemic. One of those great companies is Allmade Apparel. PK chefs Jay Busselle & Johanna Gottlieb had a discussion with Mel Lay & Ryan Moor to find out when they got started and what the process looks like when a large part of your company pivots from t-shirts to masks. Listen and learn how Mel, Ryan and the team at Allmade aim to supply healthcare workers and others on the front lines with face masks.

Manufacturers of apparel, textiles and sewing plants are shifting their production operations from t-shirts, sweatshirts, socks and underwear to make surgical face masks and face coverings to help medical personnel and the general public combat the global Coronavirus pandemic. One of those great companies is SanMar. PK chefs Jay Busselle & Johanna Gottlieb had a discussion with Renton Leversedge, chief customer officer at SanMar to ask how they got involved, when they got started and what the process looks like when a large part of your company pivots from t-shirts to masks. Listen and learn how Renton and the team at SanMar aim to supply healthcare workers and others on the front lines with face masks.

Robert Williams started in the Promotional Products industry in early 2000 and since then his company, Brand Unleashed has grown every year. Robert is a passionate small business owner and a volunteer lieutenant firefighter. He is currently the President of the Board to the Australasian Promotional Products Association (APPA), having served in this role for over a year and holds 4 years on the APPA Board holding the Vice President role for 2 years. Robert has served on many committees and loves giving back to the industry. He has achieved TAS, CAS and MAS with PPAI and is very proud to support PPAI, as well as PromoKitchen. His love for all things PK has opened up the opportunity for PromoKitchen to start up in Australia, with a launch date in 2020.

This conversation was recorded on March 31st, 2020. In this special episode we speak with Jonathan Cooke, MD. Pulmonary/Critical Care physician. Jon is currently employed at Northwestern Medicine Central Dupage and Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospitals. Jon took some time out of his busy schedule to speak with us about Covid-19 and what it is like on the front lines of a hospital. The discussion answers some hard questions and will be sure to keep you on the edge of your couch. Special thanks to Jonathan Isaacson, CEO of Gemline, for providing some questions that were added to this discussion. Jonathan previously hosted a fascinating webinar on the coronavirus with several medical professionals right before the pandemic became a serious issue in North America (Feb 7, 2020).