It’s been quite a year, with constant changes in tariff rates and trade policies making it difficult to know what the rules are from day to day. And once it seemed the dust had settled and the rates confirmed, the Supreme Court ruled certain tariffs unlawful this February, kickstarting a new round of confusion.
Asking for a clear and predictable trade policy will be one key message for the dozens of PPAI members headed to Washington this month.
Each year, a dedicated group of industry professionals travels to the nation’s capital to advocate for the needs and interests of the branded merchandise industry. Roughly 60 members, along with key PPAI staff, are participating in the annual Legislative Education and Action Day, better known as LEAD, on April 21.
“LEAD is consistently one of my favorite events of the year. Many of us volunteer to network, gain or hone skills, and truly make a difference,” says Kara Keister, MAS, head of GOOD for Social Good Promotions and PPAI Regional Relations Committee board liaison. “The annual LEAD event checks every one of those boxes. Not only is it a growth opportunity for attendees, but it’s imperative to the industry and our future.”
Kara Keister, MAS
Head of GOOD, Social Good Promotions
“Long gone are the days of showing off the successful onesie-in-a-box campaign or hypothetically talking about independent contractor legislation,” she adds. “This group of PPAI leaders and incredible volunteers are discussing the hard-hitting issues surrounding imports, tariffs, sustainability practices, small business legislation and bills that could directly affect our livelihood.”
PPAI revamped and intensified its advocacy efforts on behalf of the promotional products industry in 2025, with a new lobbying partner in Washington, new guidance for advocacy at the regional association level and much more. Thanks to the Association’s partnership with Thorn Run Partners, a top 10 Washington lobbying firm, PPAI members will again have Capitol insiders guiding the way as they visit congressional offices.
“PPAI’s partnership with Thorn Run has amplified our voices tenfold and made the event significantly more accessible,” says Keister.
LEAD demonstrates PPAI’s strategic commitment to elevating branded merch and ensuring its value is understood at every level, especially on Capitol Hill, says Drew Holmgreen, CAS, PPAI president and CEO.
“Advocacy is essential to that elevation. It creates opportunity, fuels growth and protects our community’s ability to thrive,” he adds. “Branded merch powers lasting connections, and our presence in Washington ensures that impact is recognized.”
Drew Holmgreen, CAS
PPAI President & CEO
What’s On The Agenda?
Tariffs and trade top the list of issues PPAI members will be addressing in their meetings on Capitol Hill. LEAD conversations will focus on asking for clear, deliberative and predictable trade policy, such as the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement that’s up for review this year. Members will be encouraged to share how tariffs and the uncertainty caused by rapid changes have affected their businesses, from pricing challenges and reduced revenue from absorbing increased costs to import delays and deferred hiring.
Educating members of Congress and their staffers on the industry’s scope and economic impact is also a key message. Branded merch and promotional products support more than a million jobs in our industry alone – not to mention the revenue they drive for client businesses – and LEAD attendees will help lawmakers understand that although most promo products are imported, the value is largely created in the U.S. with design, decoration, customization and more.
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“To me, LEAD is PPAI’s single most important event, as it allows us to advocate for small businesses through the lens of branded merchandise,” says Bill Petrie, founder & creative director of business service member brandivate. “It’s vitally important that we meet with our elected officials in person to not only share the efficacy of our industry, but to ensure they understand the impact the decisions they make have on every single one of us.”
Petrie, a longtime LEAD attendee, is also a member of the Association’s Government Relations Action Council. That group helps shape and inform PPAI’s policy positions, and many of its members will be participating in LEAD.
“As the branded merchandise industry faces a growing range of policy and regulatory challenges, GRAC serves as an important sounding board helping shape PPAI’s industry policy priorities,” says Alok Bhat, PPAI’s research & public affairs lead. “With leaders representing a broad range of industry demographics, GRAC ensures our advocacy reflects the full voice of the industry. We’re excited to see so many members bringing that leadership to LEAD this year.”
Building On Our Wins
The Association’s efforts produced several notable wins in 2025, and we are eager to build on that momentum. The annual LEAD event comes on the heels of our first-ever LEAD ECHO, or Executive Capitol Hill Outreach, which connected a small cohort of PPAI 100 executives with federal agency leadership and key members of Congress in February.
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ECHO attendees discussed the impacts of economic uncertainty caused by rapid changes in trade policy throughout 2025 with federal agency leaders and asked that the administration take a more predictable approach with longer implementation timelines to help provide stability in pricing and operations.
Attendees discussed the possibility of tariff carveouts for specific categories, as well, such as manufacturing equipment, drinkware and apparel. They also explained that the bulk of the value of branded products lies in the decoration and customization, much of which is performed by workers in the U.S.
Bill Petrie
Founder & Creative Director, brandivate
“I am so proud of PPAI’s commitment to aggressively approaching the best ways to effect change at the policy level in D.C.,” says PPAI Board Chair Danny Rosin, co-owner and co-president of Brand Fuel, PPAI 100’s No. 29 distributor. “It’s an investment that will pay dividends for members long-term.”
PPAI’s advocacy efforts have yielded several important successes in the past year:
1. The SWAG Act is all but dead, as its author, Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, announced in September that she will step down when her current term ends in 2027. The “Stop Wasteful Advertising by the Government Act,” would have prohibited government agencies from using federal funds on promotional products, which are often used to help educate citizens about public safety programs and health initiatives.
“LEAD gives us a chance to meet with our representatives in Congress to let them know the importance of our products and how they can be of benefit to organizations by showing people who’s there to be of service to them,” says longtime attendee Linda Kittlitz, principal at Linda Kittlitz & Associates. “No matter who the main logo belongs to, when an individual sees the logo, it reminds them that there is someone there who can help.”
2. In November, the U.S. Trade Representative announced a one-year pause on proposed maritime trade actions against China, including vessel fees on transport services and tariffs on ship-to-shore cranes and cargo-handling equipment. This reprieve prevents new cost pressures across shipping and logistics channels that affect many of our member firms and supply-chain predictability for 2026 production and imports.
Carroll Hanley Goggin, MAS
Owner & CFO, DBG Promotions
3. Congress passed a one-year extension of trade preference programs for Africa and Haiti in February. Renewing the African Growth and Opportunity Act – which lapsed on Sept. 30 after more than two decades – has been a key goal for the Association in the past few years. We will continue to advocate for a longer-term renewal to prevent disruptive cost increases while supporting supply chain diversification for U.S. businesses.
4. We are seeing positive momentum for rules favorable to independent contractors on two fronts: The Modern Worker Empowerment Act moved forward and is eligible for a vote in the House, and the U.S. Department of Labor has proposed a new independent contractor rule that would largely restore 2021 guidelines.
“After 35 years in the promotional products industry, I’ve learned that if we want our story understood, we have to show up and tell it,” says longtime attendee Carroll Hanley Goggin, MAS, owner and CFO of DBG Promotions and a GRAC member. “PPAI LEAD gives us the opportunity to advocate directly with lawmakers about the businesses and jobs our industry supports.”
Please contact Rachel Zoch, CAS, PPAI’s public affairs manager, at rachelz@ppai.org if you have any questions about regulatory issues or government affairs.
