Episode 321: Supercharge Your Growth with Team-Based Selling (Ryan Paules, Radar Promotions)
Ryan Paules pivoted to the promo industry after losing his job as a manager with a national chain on the same day of his wife's first ultrasound. With a new baby on the way and a mortgage to pay, he turned his IT hobby into a full-time venture, launching Radar Support, which he later closed despite its success.
Episode 320: Navigating a Global Transparent Supply Chain (Tim Andrews, CEO, ASI)
Tim Andrews is a luminary in the promo industry, he’s the CEO of the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) whose 350 employees serve a network of 25,000 suppliers, distributors, and decorators in the industry.
Episode 319: Turning a Big Vision into Real Strategy with Todd Mawyer, TK Promotions
Todd Mawyer is the President and CEO of TK Promotions, a commonsku distributor customer, and yet another very successful entrepreneur in this industry who started during a recession, in 2008.
Episode 318: Building an Outrageously Remarkable Brand with Dean Caravelis, Blezoo
In our chat today, Dean will share some-real time tactics and ideas that will help you build a brand that people want to connect with (through every business touchpoint). From the way your team communicates to generous marketing, Dean combines his experience as both client and distributor to help you build a brand your customers will like, love, and trust!
Episode 317: What’s New on commonsku? A Sneak Peek with VP of Product Management, Charlie Moscoe
Today, we have a really special sneak peek episode featuring Charlie Moscoe, commonsku’s VP of Product Management. Whether you’re an OG client, a new client, a supplier, or even just someone who is commonsku curious, today, we’ll unpack some exciting new developments coming up in June and for the remaining year.
Episode 316: Storm Creek's Trailblazing Vision with Doug Jackson and Teresa Fudenberg
Doug Jackson, President of Storm Creek and Teresa Fudenberg CEO of Storm Creek, both join us today to talk about their sustainability journey, their passion for impact, and since they’re the OG’s of eco, we talk about today’s buyer demands, how it’s changed, and their practical tips on how we as distributors can make eco a priority with our clients.
Episode 314: Numo + Created Co, a chat with Jim Martin, Jeremy Moss, and Ryan Schneider
Walk into the coolest, local, craft coffee shop in your market and the likelihood is high that you’ll see coffeeware and insulated drinkware on the shelves from our guests today, Jeremy Moss and Ryan Schneider, who started Created Co in 2015. Learn how Created Co and Numo’s Jim Martin are partnering together to make cool products for discerning buyers!
Episode 313: Rustico’s Isaac Childs: How Endings Become New Beginnings
Today, we’re chatting with Issac Childs, founder of Rustico, one of the most beloved brands who closed their doors after a very successful run of 22 years.
Episode 312: Want Better Collaboration? Embrace Active Listening (with Stephen Shedletzky)
Today we talk with Shed about so much, you’ll love the depth of his thinking, we talk about: candor with care, the most important traits of a leader, the struggle some of us have moving from roles like a sales driver to an organizational leader, and more - join us!
Episode 311: The Remarkable Women Behind Red Promotions (with CEO, Shelley Stewart)
Shelley Stewart is the CEO, the Creative Experience Officer, at Red Promotions based out of Seattle WA. As a women-owned, led, and fully operated team, they have become a powerhouse for their clients and have worked hard to build an incredible culture and a fiscally vibrant business.
Episode 310: Merch Life: The Was, Is, and Must Be with Danny Rosin, Brand Fuel
Danny’s talk walked us through the sometimes rocky and now incredible journey the branded merch industry has been through, from an advertising add-along to today’s intimate merch experience that is embraced by brands and adorned by fans.
Episode 309: Make Your Team a Profit Making Machine with Lia Garvin
Lia Garvin, author and speaker, is known as the team whisperer: She’s the bestselling author of Unstuck and author of a new book released just this week titled The Unstoppable Team: A simple formula for managing your team, reducing overwhelm, and increasing revenue.
Episode 308: Purpose Built Pro’s Ryan McAlister
Today, we talk with Ryan about this incredible business they’ve built in California, their expansion into the industry providing workwear, plus how their audiences have widened to include not only the trades but also this huge market for transitional workwear.
Episode 307: From The Bachelor to Generous Coffee, a Chat with Ben Higgins
Our guest today is Ben Higgins, best known from season 20 of ABC’s hit series, “The Bachelor.” Ben stays connected with his loyal Bachelor following with his iHeartMedia podcast, “Almost Famous,” which he co-hosts with his friend and former Bachelor contestant, Ashley laconetti, which has over 150 million downloads.
Episode 306: “Merch Madness, How Did We Get Here?” by Linni Kral
Linni Kral is a Brooklyn-based writer, editor, and educator. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, the BBC, Condé Nast Traveler and more.
Episode 305: Future Proofing Promo with Denise Taschereau, CEO, Fairware
Denise is the CEO and co-founder of one of the industry’s most respected brands, Fairware. Prior to starting Fairware, Denise spent seven years as the Director of Sustainability and Community for Mountain Equipment Co-op, Canada’s largest outdoor retailer.
Episode 304: A Global Vision for 2024 with Jeremy Lott (SanMar) and Jonathan Isaacson (Gemline)
Today, we’re sharing an episode that we recorded live from skucon where Jeremy and Jonathan answer questions from Catherine Graham, commonsku’s CEO, on a broad range of topics including: US/China relations and its impact on the supply chain, deglobalization efforts, the impact of international trade, the labor market, and a financial outlook for 2024.
Episode 303 - Rupt: A Chat with the Disruptors, Jason Lucash and Mike Szymczak
Jason Lucash and Mike Szymczak, the two founders behind one of the industry’s most ingenious company’s Origaudio, are back. Jason and Mike sold their very successful company, Origaudio, to HPG in 2018, and after a few years, both retired from the industry. The two entrepreneurs, known for their innovation in product, production, and distribution, have launched a new brand with a bold new mission. The company is called Rupt — and it sounds just as it was intended, an idea meant to disrupt the industry, particularly the status quo when it comes to transparency in sustainability.
Episode 302: Crafting an Exceptional Customer Experience with Gemline CEO, Frank Carpenito
Frank Carpenito was a five-year board member on Gemline’s board of directors, and he loved the company so much that he wanted to help lead it; in 2019, he became President and recently was promoted to CEO and is now responsible for the day-to-day running of the business at Gemline.