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WHO WE ARE...

Connected and Tuned In to Our Members

Dependable

Fun

Imaginative

Optimistic

OUR VISION

MiPPA will be the premier association to serve the needs of promotional marketing professionals.

OUR MISSION

MiPPA is dedicated to providing fun experiences and educational exchanges for suppliers and distributors to help build promotional professionals and increase industry awareness.


PROVIDING LEADERSHIP AND VISION FOR A MORE PROSPEROUS INDUSTRY.



Sarah Merrill - Immediate Past President

Mercury Promotions and Fulfillment (Distributor)

Term ending 12/31/21

"Becoming a board member of MiPPA was the perfect opportunity for me to become more involved in the industry I love so much. It’s a wonderful way to learn while giving back. It’s not very often in life that you get the chance to work & play with people who share the same passions."

FUN FACTS

  1. My favorite movie is Cool Running’s.
  2. I was a professional/artistic roller skater for 6 years. Placed 3rd in the Country at Nationals.
  3. I dream of being a Blue Angel. 
  4. I subscribe to just about every magazine you can think of & I can spend countless hours reading them.

Sandra Kelley MAS – President

Prestige Promotions,LLC (Distributor)

Term ending 12/31/22

"I really do LOVE MIPPA. I have been a member at large for the last several years and was honored to be asked to serve as a Board Member for 2019-2020. I accepted because I truly believe it is our duty to serve in some aspect of our industry. Each of us is responsible to help make the industry just a little bit better, utilizing our own unique gifts and talents (I'm still in search of mine)! I was always so impressed at how organized the MIPPA events were and how they were done with high quality and don't let me start on the value that each member receives from their membership. Being a member of MIPPA was a no-brainer!"

FUN FACTS

  1. I am really an actress trapped in a Promotional Products Distributor's body ( I've done several commercials and small film projects in Michigan). BTW, the Hollywood Stars are a lot shorter in person!
  2. I have run/walked the CRIM 10 mile Road Race for the last ten years in a row. I train all summer and eat all winter, that's what I call a balance lifestyle. I love it!
  3. I can sing, (but I'd prefer acting)!
  4. My husband and I LOVE Aruba, we have been for the last 6 six in a row and this year will make 7. YIPPEE!


Tony Shereda MAS MASI - Treasurer

QMI Group, Inc. (Distributor)

Term ending 12/31/22

“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 12/31/21

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.


David Szidik – Director

Proforma Infinite Marketing Solutions | Image Builders Unlimited Powered by Proforma (Distributor)

​Term ending 12/31/22



Eric Pehrson, MASI - President-Elect

Creative Studio Promotions (Distributor)

​Term ending 12/31/23

"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 - Events

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 - Professional Development

Fey-line (Supplier)

​Term ending 12/31/21



Ashley Grenell - Director - Events / Advocacy

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.

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.


Jane Mitchell MAS – RAC Delegate

Jungle Jane Promotions (Distributor)

Term ending 12/31/21

"I hope to help MIPPA grow and show other distributors the importance of belonging to their local association. I also enjoyed travel to Washington DC to educate the Congressman and Senators about the important roll Promotional Products can play in all walks of life."

FUN FACTS

  1. 2 kids, 2 grandkids and 1 crazy fun husband for 37
  2. Been a Mac user for 29 years
  3. Just celebrated 24 Years in Promotional Products. Getting ready for a party for 25.
  4. Hairstylist for 20 years prior to going into promotional products.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS NOMINATION

Service on the board of directors of MiPPA provides you with high profile leadership opportunities as well as the ability to shape the future of this organization.  

Service is a two year commitment beginning on January 1 and ending on December 31.  The board and newly elected members meet in November for a full day strategic planning meeting.  Board meetings take place about nine or ten months of the year, usually in a metro Detroit location.  When there are major association events, the meetings are scheduled to coincide with them.  Some meetings may take place via conference call or web conference.

Directors may run for a consecutive two year term. The President serves one additional year as Immediate Past President. 

By serving on the board, you will make life long friendships, meet the leaders and visionaries in the industry and get a much higher level perspective on the industry.  You will also be exposed to opportunities to interact and engage on the national level through our affiliation with PPAI and the Regional Association Council (RAC).

The people and skills that we are looking for are visionary, strategic, big-picture thinkers. Directors will also be needed to serve as officers including Treasurer, Secretary, President-Elect and President.

Elections are held in October as voted by the general membership. We seek to have a good balance of supplier, multiline rep and distributors serving on the board although each director is charged to serve the best interests of the entire industry and membership.

If you would like to serve, please download and complete the nomination form.

PAST PRESIDENTS

View the past Presidents of MiPPA Presidents of MiPPA (1).pdf


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