PPAI will bestow its highest honor on two individuals who have demonstrated monumental and selfless efforts and devotion to the promo industry. Induction into the PPAI Hall of Fame gives permanent recognition to those whose creative spark and tireless dedication have helped the Association and industry to prosper. As first announced Wednesday in a PPB Newslink Breaking News alert, the 2022 PPAI Hall of Fame inductees are Sherri C. Lennarson, MAS, the retired senior vice president of business development at Bankers Advertising Company, and Cliff Quicksell, Jr., MAS+, president of Cliff Quicksell Associates.
Lennarson has been active in the promotional products industry for 40 years. She joined distributor Bankers Advertising Company in Iowa City, Iowa, as an executive assistant to the president in 1981, before rising up through the sales ranks and eventually becoming president in 2003. She was the first non-family member to serve as the company’s president in its 125-year history. In 2008, Lennarson stepped down from her role as company president, staying with Bankers as senior vice president of business development and consultant to the incoming president until 2010. After retiring from Bankers, Lennarson has remained involved in the promotional products industry as owner of Tucson, Arizona, distributor Having Fun Promotions, an independent affiliate of Bankers.
During her time in the industry, Lennarson has also been an active volunteer. She has participated in numerous PPAI committees and work groups over the years, most recently the Professional Development Committee from 2016-2020 and served as a Promotional Products Education Foundation trustee from 2010-2011. Lennarson was also a member of the PPAI Board of Directors from 2006-2011 and led it as board chair from 2009-2010. Recognized by the industry, Lennarson was named to the ASI Counselor Power 50 List in 2009, presented with the PPAI Distinguished Service Award in 2013 and the PPAI Woman of Achievement Award in 2015. She was also recognized in the inaugural group of PPAI Fellows in 2016.
After almost four decades in the promotional products industry, Quicksell is an active educator, author and thought leader in the field. His background includes leadership and sales positions at numerous industry companies. He is currently president of Cliff Quicksell Associates. Quicksell has been an industry speaker for nearly 30 years and is also a frequent columnist and writer. He has published more than 1,100 articles on relevant subjects in a range of industry publications, among them PPB, and has been published globally, including in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Europe.
Quicksell is also an involved industry volunteer. He is active in the Chesapeake Promotional Products Association and currently serves as the regional association’s board president. He has also served on numerous PPAI committees and work groups, among them the Distributors Committee, the Public Relations Committee and the Awards Committee. He is currently a member of the Marketing Research Committee. Quicksell has received 30 PPAI Pyramid Awards and is a five-time winner of the Printing Industry PSDA’s Peak Award for creativity and the CPPA Creativity PEAKE Award. He was PPAI’s Ambassador Speaker of the Year for six consecutive years and in 1997 was the inaugural recipient of its Distinguished Service Award. Counselor magazine named Quicksell one of the Top 50 Most Influential People in the promotional products Industry.