PPAI’s new mission is clear: to elevate the branded merchandise industry by strengthening our community, advocating for our members and equipping them with the tools to grow and succeed.
This year’s #Online18 embodies that mission in action.
The professionals recognized on the 2026 list aren’t here simply because of the size of their social media followings or the force of their personal brands. They’re here because of how they show up for this industry. They use their platforms to champion the power of merch, to share insights that raise the bar for everyone and to spotlight the strategic value our community delivers every day.
It’s not about the lolz anymore. These leaders aren’t focused on self-promotion or entertainment for its own sake. They are communicating ideas that move the industry forward, reinforcing the branding power of thoughtfully executed merch, sharing meaningful case studies and thought leadership and amplifying the voices of others along the way.
In that same spirit, the 2026 #Online18 is presented in alphabetical order rather than as a ranked list, and we’ve removed the company listings, which too often led to the list being viewed as a competition. The point is that it’s up to all of us as individuals, in this together, to elevate merch.
The #Online18 is no longer about a hierarchy – it’s about collective impact. The individuals featured here are exemplary for how they elevate the entire industry.
Abby Burke
Follow On: Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok
Largest Account: LinkedIn – 3.6K followers
A recent staple of Online18, the Walker Clay national account executive embodies a couple things about this list. On one hand, she’s a testament to just how much work goes into making social media content. You have to show up and make the content. And in order for it to be as good as she makes it, time needs to be spent editing with creative decisions made along the whole process. That’s no surprise for Burke. She’s a pro. Her personal TikTok account has just under 350,000 followers.
And beyond that, Burke centers the entire industry. She’s not necessarily promoting herself as much as she’s platforming her peers in promo. Those of us in the trade show business would never say that her videos make you feel like you attended the shows yourself, but… they are certainly experiences unto themselves.
Michael Scott Cohen
Follow On: Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook
Largest Account: LinkedIn – 16.6K followers
There are business lectures and there are personal journals. People are often in the mood for neither in their feed, but Cohen manages to strike a balance between the two with his regular posting, especially on LinkedIn. In short, the co-founder of Harper + Scott has been on a journey with his business, and he shares what he’s learning along the way. There are the emotional highs – like when the company was acquired by BDA – but much of the journey is just processing the branded merch industry from someone who is experiencing through the lens of steady growth.
Terrin Conway
Follow On: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram
Largest Account: LinkedIn – 2K followers
Hopefully, you like socks because you’ll be seeing a lot of them with Conway’s posts. Her IG handle is terrinthesockgal, and Sock101’s director of client relations understands that comfy socks is more than feeling on your feet; it’s an aura. Constant travel and networking and sales amid political volatility could be characterized as a grind, but it can also feel like comfort, familiar faces, opportunities and growth. It’s all about how you frame it. Plus, you might just catch a glimpse of Henry the Sock Monkey.
Jade Crider
Follow On: LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok
Largest Account: Facebook – 1.3K followers/friends
Diligent observers of the #Online18 will notice that perennial member Kirby Hasseman did not make the list this year. It’s not a slight on him. There are fresh faces elbowing a seat at the table every year. It just so happens that one of those fresh faces is his daughter, Jade Crider, sales rep at Hasseman Marketing. But don’t think that she didn’t earn the spot on her own accord. The 2025 PPAI Rising Star is comfortable behind the mic, in front of the camera and on stage for speaking events. She has come up in this industry with zero separation between the impact of branded merch and its ties to the power of digital tools.
Savannah Dmytriw
Follow On: LinkedIn, Instagram
Largest Account: LinkedIn – 4.4K followers
Dmytriw holds the title of vice president of development for Team SCG, but her followers might be more likely to know her as “Merch Girly,” her social media persona dedicated to “fabulous merch for enterprise corporations that doesn’t end up in the trash.” And when we say dedicated, we mean it. You might see a Merch Girly post that she’s having a Merch Baby and continuing her social journey. In general, though, Dmytriw is thinking through social and consumer trends and how branded merch is going to fit into them. She’s a strategist at heart, and her followers see those strategies play out (and they’re more than welcome to sound off in the comments!).
Mallory Ebrahemi
Follow On: LinkedIn, Instagram
Largest Account: LinkedIn – 1.3K followers
The VP/senior branding consultant at Nadel, Ebrahemi is proving that the digital space doesn’t mean leveraging only social media specifically. Having launched Niche by Nadel, she is taking something that is part product catalog, part newsletter and so much more either. Complete with case studies from industry leading campaigns, trend analysis and conversations about the direction of merch, it almost sounds like she’s trying to compete with PPAI Media – hey, wait a minute!
Lauren Esser
Follow On: LinkedIn, Instagram
Largest Account: LinkedIn – 3.4k followers
An account executive at Smith Promotional Advertising, Lauren Esser is a collaborator and brand strategist by nature, and those aren’t qualities confined to offices. They are best for projecting. You might catch her on an episode of the Collab Connection podcast. Or discussing the importance of the branded merch community coming together to support PromoCares. And like any active social presence, she’s not afraid to work her personal life into the conversations because everyone always says this industry is about the relationships.
Cat Cagliardo
Follow On: LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook
Largest Account: LinkedIn – 2.4k followers
Cat Cagliardo, or as many of you may already know her as, Branded By Cat, has worked with too many brands to count. She is consistent on two fronts: You will see a lot of her, and yet she rarely makes her posts about herself. In fact, putting yourself out there while making others the focus is the signature to her content, and it’s how she elevates the industry. Take one of her posts to close out 2025: “Competition lives at the bottom,” Cat said. “At the TOP, people collaborate.” Truer words have never been posted.
Amber George
Follow On: LinkedIn, Facebook
Largest Account: LinkedIn – 2.6K followers
The founder and managing director of Boundless Collection, Amber George’s posting strategy tends to be a simple one: earnest and thoughtful. That’s not to say that she doesn’t include smart brand strategy and insightful experiences from her decades in the industry. That’s all part of the ride. But meaningful connections are what keep this industry moving, and it’s not easy to translate that online. The only way is to keep experiencing it and keep posting about it without any false pretense. That’s what you get from George, and you’re bound to learn something along the way.
Joelly Goodson
Follow On: Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok
Largest Account: LinkedIn – 7.6K Followers
Going out on top “like Seinfeld,” Joelly Goodson ended her critically acclaimed BRANDING MATTERS podcast at the end of 2025 after five years of interviewing global leaders about their insights on building brand equity. Thankfully, the 25-year promo veteran hasn’t gone silent, though. The BAMKO representative continues to amplify the power of branded merch through various social media platforms, spotlighting items with brief messages that tell a story, like her “Reading Is Sexy” mug or her “Bad Hair Day” baseball cap. Goodson’s social media presence radiates authenticity, and she encourages her followers to do the same.
Isaac Hetzroni
Follow On: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok
Largest Account: Instagram – 460K Followers
Isaac Hetzroni, aka “The Sourcing Guy,” has built a massive following by posting about overseas factories, interviewing manufacturers around the world, breaking down the process of white labeling and even providing boots-on-the-ground coverage of the Canton Fair. The videos have been wildly popular over the past year due to the tariff turmoil; viewers are interested in learning more about the supply chain, and the founder and CEO of Imprint Genius refuses to let his more than 870,000 followers down. His educational content has been so attractive that factories now come to him ahead of his journeys, according to Retail Brew.
@thesourcingguy Important part in choosing a good manufacturer! #china #manufacturer #sourcing ♬ original sound – The Sourcing Guy
Amelia Madl
Follow On: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok
Largest Account: LinkedIn – 1.7K Followers
Amelia Madl is the Ryan Seacrest of the branded merch industry – she’s everywhere! The vice president of supplier sales at PromoCorner is a media maven, covering the people and products that merch pros need to know about. Madl co-hosts The Rundown podcast, in which she and Lori Bolton give flowers to industry dogooders, discuss health and wellness trends, play Never Have I Ever and chat about everything under the sun.
Madl also co-hosts the She Did That podcast (with Emily Codner), which celebrates the women shaping the promo industry. And then once a month, she hosts A. Madl’s Closet, a video series showcasing various products and their branding potential.
Tyler Merriam
Follow On: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
Largest Account: LinkedIn – 7.2K Followers
A rising thought leader in the industry, Tyler Merriam is very active on LinkedIn, sharing stories from his daily life, extracting their lessons and applying them to business. A managing partner of Cedarhue Branding, which specializes in sustainably produced branded merchandise, Merriam also spotlights national organizations the company supports, like 1% For The Planet and the National Park Foundation, and then goes the extra step to explain why their work matters to “all of us who care about the future.”
It’s not all rainbows and waterfalls, though. Merriam isn’t afraid to be critical, urging brand collaborations (like that of Sesame Street and Stranger Things) to be bolder and scoffing at the ill timing of giving Team Canada’s women’s hockey team plush toys right after its heartbreaking loss to Team USA.
Natalie O’Leary
Follow On: LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok
Largest Account: LinkedIn – 2.7K Followers
If we were still ranking the members of this list, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone more deserving of the top spot than Natalie O’Leary. BAMKO’s business development director has elevated the social media game to a whole other level – her array of posts is oozing with creativity. Who else is tossing drinkware out their window to see if it’s truly “unbreakable?” Who else is only slightly dramatizing the struggles of a work-from-home mom during summer vacation? Who else transforms into The Grinch just because it’s that time of the year?
A 2024 PPAI Rising Star, O’Leary blends information, entertainment and storytelling into a delicious cocktail that you can’t get enough of. She makes the branded merch world fun, and that’s ultimately going to bring a lot more eyeballs and accounts to our industry.
@natalieopromo How much fun is this project!!! 🫖 Just another day in paradise! Bringing magical merch moments to your enterprise events! 💕💖 • • #bamko #morethanmerch #bridgerton #merch #swag ♬ Bridgerton (Wildest Dreams) – The Theme System
Danny Rosin
Follow On: LinkedIn,X, Instagram, Facebook
Largest Account: LinkedIn – 9.3K Followers
Danny Rosin doesn’t just live life to the fullest – he livestreams it. As co-founder and co-president of Brand Fuel and PPAI Board Chair, he brings heart, hustle and rock ‘n’ roll to everything he does. An unpredictable mix of industry insight, philanthropy, personal reflections and laughs, his social feeds touch on every level of PPAI’s Strategic Plan.
Above all else, his penchant for giving back to not only the industry but also his local community and beyond is inspiring, illustrating how branded merch is about purpose rather than merely product. Whether he’s rallying support for industry advocacy, mentoring the next generation of leaders or spotlighting the power of branded merch to drive meaningful impact, Rosin shows up with authenticity and intention.
Mitch Silver
Follow On: LinkedIn
A perennial member of the #Online18, Mitch Silver refuses to stray from his home base – LinkedIn – and continues to shine a light on the effectiveness of branded merch. The vice president of marketing and sales at Printable Promotions consistently shares product recommendations, industry-specific (manufacturing, legal, fitness, etc.) marketing ideas and articles covering the latest branding successes in pop culture. Come for the sales strategies, but stay for the fun team updates, as a thriving company culture remains a priority for the dad joke aficionado. His steady stream of practical insights has made him a trusted voice for distributors (and end users) looking to elevate their marketing game.
Suzanne Simpson
Follow On: LinkedIn, Facebook
Largest Account: LinkedIn – 2.3K Followers
With more than 20 years in the merch industry, Suzanne Simpson brings insight, strategy and kindness to every post. Known for pairing smart product recommendations with compelling storytelling, Gemline’s director of strategic accounts also backs up her posts with eye-opening stats: Did you know traditional polyurethane foam stress balls can take hundreds of years to decompose in a landfill? After devouring her LinkedIn page, we do now!
Beyond products, Simpson offers leadership lessons and practical advice for sales reps, like keep messaging brief during the post-holidays hangover. A frequent traveler, Simpson often shares anecdotes from the road and air that relate to branded merch’s ability to improve one’s business and life.
Sarah Whitaker
Follow On: LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok
Largest Account: LinkedIn – 5.3K Followers
Sarah Whitaker is the owner of The Branded Things, the promotional products division of Williams Advertising, but her influence extends well beyond her title. A mom, wife and dedicated member of her community, Whitaker shows up the same way online as she does in real life: genuine, generous and fully herself.
Her social feeds seamlessly blend professional insight with personal perspective, creating a presence that feels both relatable and authoritative. She champions fellow promo pros, recommends innovative products and sparks thoughtful conversations around marketing, content creation and leadership. Leading with transparency and enthusiasm, Whitaker is the real deal.
@sarahcwhitaker I’m getting a lot of entrepreneur love from the algorithm, and a comment from the other day got me thinking I could do a whole series on what’s worked and what hasn’t as we’ve scaled our agency. Here’s part one, peer involvement. My advice? Find your people, sooner rather than later. Industry groups, local groups, whatever it is you need a sounding board. #entrepreneurtok #entrepreneur #smallbusiness ♬ original sound – Sarah Whitaker
