Not often do you hear kids say their dream job is to work in the promotional products industry.
But Thumbprint, PPAI 100’s No. 49 distributor, and Shepenco, PPAI 100’s No. 71 supplier, are hoping to change that. Both companies have unique programs aimed at nurturing the next generation of promo professionals.
- Thumbprint was acquired by PPAI 100 distributor ScreenBroidery at the dawn of 2025, and the combined firm now operates under the Thumbprint brand.
A Family Effort
After a sweatshirt misprint, Thumbprint President Gabe Peters sent the excess products to his father, Lenny, who has run an alternative program at Mississinewa High School in Gas City, Indiana, for over 20 years.
- The program is designed to help kids who would typically not graduate ultimately succeed in school.
The first box of sweatshirts set the stage for many more to come. The clothes, water bottles, bags and other items that get donated end up in Peters’ classroom, which has a free “take-what-you-need” shop. It’s affectionately called Pete’s Swag Shop, named after Peters’ nickname from his students.
Lenny ran the entire operation for a couple of years before turning it over to the students. “When we get stuff, they fold it and put it in bins,” he says. “They’re owners of it as much as the school is.”
“A lot of these kids come from such hard environments,” Gabe adds, “that they understand others are also out to help them, and they get to do that with each other.”
The swag shop is open to all students at the school, allowing anyone to take what they need – from a new shirt after a messy art class to winter wear for relatives suffering hard times. The shop helps the community, too. Nearly 20% of the population of Gas City lives below the poverty line, and often Peters will receive calls from neighbors seeking help. Recently, the program helped clothe a family after their house burned down.
Lenny proudly showed off his classroom and swag shop over a video call with PPAI Media, pointing out the displays students made, a rack of dress clothes for kids to borrow and the birthday wall (they throw small parties for each student’s birthday in what is sometimes a student’s first celebration). He also stores snacks for kids facing food insecurity.
Never one to miss a good branding opportunity, Peters has a skeleton mascot called J Bones who the students dress up to promote the shop. Gabe promotes the program whenever he can, telling customers with extra items, “If you don’t have a place for this to go, we have a home for it.”
Gabe Peters
President, Thumbprint
While these kids might not end up in the promo business, they’ll certainly walk away with an appreciation for the industry and with lessons in ownership, management and most of all, kindness.
‘Iconic’ Opportunity
Meanwhile, Tennessee-based Shepenco has partnered with the Innovative Career Opportunity Network Program to provide educational working experiences to high school students.
An initiative in the Bedford County school system, the program’s goal is to “empower local high school students by providing them with real-world, paid work experiences that match their career goals,” Bedford County Post reported. The program is supported in part through a $5 million Innovative Schools Grant from the State of Tennessee.
Wanting to get involved, Dan Townes, president of Shepenco, reached out to Sam Blevins, coordinator of the ICON program. “[Blevins] came to our plant and learned about who we are and what we do,” Townes says. “He took time to really learn about the jobs and roles we were looking to fill.”
Townes sent a job description to local schools, which have staff help students in the program choose positions that suit their interests.
Through the program, Townes found two students – one to work in the office and the other to work in production. “Both of these young ladies graduated this past spring,” Townes says, “and are still employed here.”
Belle Kelly, one of the two students-turned-colleagues, says Shepenco surprised her with a card at graduation and shared her achievement on Facebook.
“Shepenco’s pride in me felt so real and it meant everything,” Kelly says. “So much care and pride go into every order, not just from the owners and management, but from every single worker on the team. Being part of the ICON program truly turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me.”
Promoting The Future
PPAI continued its efforts to educate future marketers about the power of promotional products by sponsoring a couple of focus groups during the American Marketing Association’s 2025 Summer Academic Conference in Chicago last month.
The goal of the focus groups, which were attended by dozens of professors from around the world, was to push for promo to be part of higher education curriculum. Ultimately, PPAI wants to make college students more aware of and excited about the branded merchandise industry, particularly emphasizing the importance of making merch essential to every marketing strategy.
Lindsey Davis, MAS
VP of Sales, PPAI
“Whether it’s from our Board of Directors or our members, we hear a lot about getting people excited about our industry while they’re in college,” says Lindsey Davis, MAS, vice president of sales at PPAI. “We want them to not only see our industry as a possible career opportunity, but also consider promo as part of the marketing strategies they implement wherever they end up in their careers.”
Thirty-six years ago, PPAI began planting seeds to help educate future generations through the Promotional Products Educational Foundation.
- Since 1989, the organization has awarded more than $3.6 million to almost 2,000 students.
In 2024 alone, $321,500 went to 170 students. Each recipient is a member of the promotional products family: A few are industry employees, but the vast majority are children of those who work for distributors, suppliers, business service companies or multi-line representatives.
The promo industry will be happy to welcome any PPEF scholars into the ranks if they choose to join the business, but PPEF’s financial aid is not intended to dictate what field or discipline the students go into. Recipients represent future leaders in all sorts of industries and careers.
- For four- year and one-year scholarships, PPEF’s policy is to award 60% of scholarships based on need and 40% on merit.
- Merit- based scholars receive $1,250 and need-based scholars receive $2,250 payments.
PPEF scholarship awards are determined through a competitive application process. Each applicant must be a full-time promotional products industry employee or the dependent child of an industry employee. They must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and meet the deadline of March 15 at midnight Pacific time. Those being considered for need-based scholarships must also submit a copy of the Student Aid Report that a student receives after filing with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
This year’s PPEF scholars will be revealed in the November issue of PPAI Magazine.
