Roger Burnett CAS- Immediate Past President

Social Good Promotions (Distributor)

​Term ending 12/31/20

“There is a distinct and noticeable difference between people selling promotional products and promotional products professionals. I'm friends with many non-members, but those I respect and learn the most from are typically members of their Regional Trade Association, and those people recognize MiPPA as being amongst the best there are. As I return to the Board and assume the responsibility of President in our 50th Anniversary year, I intend to #MakeItGold every chance I get, not just with the way we will celebrate this year, but more importantly with the path this Board intends to take the Organization in 2019”

FUN FACTS

1. We've hosted 17 dinner events in and around the metro Detroit area over the last 3 years. (#18 is right around the corner!)

2. Our youngest son won an ice-hockey National Championship as a 21 year last year with a team from Shreveport, LA. Yes, they play hockey in the South, and they play it well.

3. Our family forgoes the exchange of Christmas presents, choosing to take an annual family vacation together to a memorable destination. Now that our 3 boys are out of the house, it ensures a 2nd chance every year for all of us to be together doing something we'll all remember, hopefully forever.

4. I spend a disproportionate amount of money attending live music events. I can't get enough of them, no matter how bad the ringing in my ears has become.

Tony Shereda - Treasurer

QMI Group, Inc. (Distributor)

Term ending 12/31/20

“I really wanted to become more involved in the industry and MiPPA was a great way to network with some of the most caring and sharing people in the world. After all that this industry had given to me and my family I really wanted to find a way to give back and MiPPA gave me that venue.”

FUN FACTS

1. Unlike everyone else on the board it seems, I am not a runner. I did play football in college and two years of semi-pro ball as an offensive lineman though!
2. My daughter Alli was a nationally ranked spring board diver on both the one and three meter boards. She finished 24th in the nation on 1 meter in 2017 and 38th in the NCAA division 1 finals in 2018.
3. I have been in this industry since I was 16 and have loved it ever since! I have been with the same company the entire 36 years.
4. Besides the MiPPA board I also sit on the board for Kids on the Go, a non-profit organization that helps children on the spectrum with a free summer camp so that they can continue their therapies while not in school.

Glenn Miotke - Director - Secretary

Unfolding Communications (Distributor)

​Term ending 12/31/19

FUN FACTS

1. Photographically challenged – I am smiling. Ask me to pose and this is what happens.
2. Passionate reader and writer – I’m presently better at turning pages than filling them.
3. Accidental but dedicated distance runner - Decided to run a marathon on a lark. Five marathons ago.
4. This is my first job out of college - It seems to be working out.

MEAGAN NEDLO – Director

Cutter & Buck (Supplier)

​Term ending 12/31/20

"As a relative newbie to the promotional products industry, I’ve been overwhelmed by how welcoming and supportive this organization has been. If I can do a little bit to give back to our community of professionals and contribute to the greater Michigan promotional products industry as a whole, sign me up!"

FUN FACTS

1. I was born and raised in Texas and since then have lived in Oklahoma, Georgia, North Carolina and Massachusetts before moving to Michigan in 2017. I thought I couldn’t possibly end up anywhere colder after spending six winters in Boston…looks like the joke’s on me!
2. I’m kinda into running…I qualified for the Olympic Marathon Trials in both 2012 and 2016 (but despite what my dad will tell you, I was not anywhere close to going to the actual Olympics) and my current big scary goal is trying to qualify again for 2020!
3. I’m a big word nerd and get really fired up watching Wheel of Fortune. I have, on two occasions with witnesses present, solved a puzzle with only the category name and blank spaces showing.
4. One time many years ago I was featured in an infomercial which frequently ran on multiple television channels. Bonus points if you can guess what it was for!

Eric Pehrson, BASI - Director

Creative Studio Promotions (Distributor)

​Term ending 12/31/20

"I have known and been involved with MiPPA since the day I started in promotional products. Former MiPPA President Paul Zafarana first gave me a chance in this industry and one of the first things I did was attend Promotional Products 101. A couple of years after that I started my own distributorship and the very first thing I did was join MiPPA. I would attend Promotions that Roar, volunteer at the Bloom Show, went go to all the Luncheon with the Stars I could. At each event I met more and more amazing people and loved the networking opportunities. I wanted to run for the board to give back to an organization that has given me so much. To be included with such a great group of passionate people who truly cares about this industry is such an honor. MiPPA has helped me to grow professionally and as an added bonus I’ve made some amazing friends along the way."

FUN FACTS

1. I founded and run a small organization called Songs 4 Soldiers that sends care packages to men and women overseas. To date over 200 packages have been sent.
2. After college I moved to Vegas and spent 10 years working in spa management in various resorts on “the strip”.
3. I’m a homebrewer.
4. I’m obsessed with “The Office” and can watch on repeat day in and day out.

Parker Melvin - Director

Goldstar Pens (Supplier)

​Term ending 12/31/21

"What do I love about MiPPA? Honestly, everything. Especially the people. I have been so impressed with MiPPA as a professional organization since I moved to the supplier side of our industry in 2017. It is one of the absolute finest regional trade associations in the entire country. Having worked as both distributor and supplier, I feel that I have much to offer in advancing MiPPA’s mission. I am very passionate about the future of our industry and wish to contribute to its success in every way that I can. What better way to do that than to serve on the board of this top notch organization?!”

FUN FACTS

1. Former classical musician
2. Self-taught bluegrass banjo player
3. Custom make fedoras as a hobby
4. Can recite the best lines from pretty much any Bill Murray movie

Don Spencer - Director

Fey-line (Supplier)

​Term ending 12/31/21

Ashley Grenell - Director

AlphaBroder (Supplier)

​Term ending 12/31/21

"I wanted to join the board because sometimes I feel like a small fish in a big sea. There is a lot to learn and a lot of exposure being a part of the board. It is always a goal of mine to continue to learn and grow in the industry I love. I also take a lot of pride being able to be a part of something like this and to be able to represent myself and what I believe in. I look forward to being a part of such a great organization."

FUN FACTS:

1. I live out in the middle of nowhere (dirt roads, in the middle of a corn field & I drive a Fiat)
2. My funny farm (family at home) consists of 1 loving boyfriend, 3 kids, 2 dogs, 1 cat & hopes of future chickens, goats, bees & a llama
3. When I lived on my own (& I don’t cook) I didn’t actually use my kitchen storage for pots, pans etc. I kept all my shoes there. I currently own over 100 pair.
4. I like sarcasm just as I do my coffee, strong!

Paul A. Kiewiet MAS+ - Executive Director

MiPPA | paul@mippa.org | 269-806-4489

"I believe this can be the golden age of promotional products for professionals who wish to grow, to learn how to create value and how to be more relevant to the needs of their customers. I like the way that MiPPA provides the tools for people to do that successfully."

FUN FACTS

1. I've visited six of the seven continents (Anarctica remains on my bucket list)
   
2. I've completed 20 - marathons - all 26.2 miles of each of them
   
3. I've summited Mt Kilimanajaro, the highest peak in Africa at 19,300' above sea level
   
4. My first job was feeding and catching chickens.