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2016 Shopper Marketing Summit Recap

In March, members of the Pep team travelled to New York City to attend the 2016 Shopper Marketing Summit, a key event for anyone immersed in the ever-evolving Shopper Marketing industry.  The Summit was presented by the Path to Purchase Institute of which Pep is proud to be a member.  The theme, “Defining the Future of Consumer Marketing”, set the tone for many of the sessions. Attendees included senior-level brand manufacturers, retailers, agency executives, and other solution providers who came together for several days in order to collaborate, network, and share ideas about shopper-centric marketing programs.

The demand for personalization was a key theme carried throughout the Summit. Shoppers today have countless product and retailer options making it critical to truly understand a shopper’s needs.  They want their retail experience to be affordable, faster, easier, and if they’re lucky – they’ll save a trip.  My overall takeaway from the Summit was that Shopper Marketing is an incredibly fast-paced industry and Pep is the best partner to pair up with in this space because we understand the urgency, importance, and need for innovation.  As an agency, we need to align with brands AND retailers so that we can ensure customized experiences are delivered every time a shopper interacts with a product.  In order to do this we must first get to know the shopper by understanding why they are in a particular store, looking at certain products, and determining what other products our store and promotions direct them to so that they get the most out of their shopping experience.  It is imperative for us to realize that traditional print media is competing with a “customized for you” section on digital media that tailors the shopping experience.  I have no doubt that Pep will continue to perfect our execution and procurement services so that our clients can focus on delighting their shopper. 

The event re-established the need for Pep’s solutions, which enable the brand to focus on the big picture while Pep executes the details. Pep is excited to continue its mission that breaks the boundaries between sales and marketing by procuring and project managing shopper programs efficiently and effectively.  Thank you to our friends and colleagues at the Path to Purchase Institute for another great event – we’re looking forward to next year’s Shopper Marketing Summit and this year’s Shopper Marketing Expo.

- Allison Arnold, Account Supervisor

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Pep Rally 2016

Last week, Pep employees came together in Cincinnati for our 12th Annual Pep Rally, a 2-day retreat where our employees team-build and align on company strategies and goals for the year. The overarching goal of Pep Rally is to provide the entire Pep team with an opportunity to reflect on the previous year and come away with key learnings for future success. We use this time together as a launching point for the year ahead, setting both individual and company-wide goals that tie into our strategic framework. This year’s theme was Make it Happen, Make it Matter.

One highlight of this year’s event was a keynote from Scott Mautz, the author of Make it Matter, who spoke to the team about finding your motivation at work. The presentation was engaging and inspiring, and was a great kickoff to goal setting for the new year.

Other highlights included updates from our Senior Leadership team on all aspects of the business, a Pep Trivia contest, exercise classes, and breakout training sessions tailored to individuals’ interests and needs.

We spent a lot of time learning, reflecting, and setting goals at Pep Rally, but still had plenty of time for fun, including our annual dinner and awards ceremony. Seven awards were given out to employees who exemplify our Keys to Success, and Meredith Chiarelli took home the top honor, Pep Star of the Year!

Pep Rally brings all of our offices together in one location, which allows us a great opportunity to celebrate our wins and strengthen the relationships among employees. Overall, a great time was had and everyone left feeling inspired to make it matter in 2016!

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Satellite Office Spotlight: Princeton

Location: Central New Jersey. The office is technically located in Skillman, which is situated approximately 15 minutes outside of Princeton, New Jersey, the home of Princeton University.  Skillman itself is very rural, but it’s located halfway between two major cities: Philadelphia and New York City. Team Setup: The Pep team in New Jersey is unique due to the fact that it actually made up of two separate teams.  One team is focused on the client’s internal artwork approval system and came on board in 2014, while the more traditional Consumer Promotions team started up in April of 2015.  The two teams sit in different buildings on the client’s campus, and while our work rarely intersects, we work closely together on internal projects and coordinate morale events together.   One of the AE’s on the CP team sits on-site at the client’s office in Los Angeles, but regularly flies in to the NJ office for team-building and Pep internal trainings.  The Princeton team also collaborates regularly with the Pep team located about an hour away in Ft. Washington, Pennsylvania.  

Common Promotion Types: FSIs, digital coupons, on-packs, brochures, sampling, sweepstakes/contests, IRCs, in-store, Catalina

2015 Team Events/Activities: -Strawberry picking at a local Princeton orchard -OrangeTheory team workout -Spirits Friday/team happy hours -Summer outing in Philadelphia with the Ft. Washington team for dinner and a Phillies baseball game -For our EOY party, we went to NYC for dinner in Times Square and the Radio City Christmas show -participated in a client-sponsored 5K supporting United Way -scheduled to volunteer with the NJ Tree Foundation, planting trees in underprivileged neighborhoods in Camden

What we like best about working in the Princeton satellite office: “It’s nice to have the face-to-face- interactions with our contacts. Really helps build and maintain the relationship.”

“Pep has more exposure to the strategy and development of projects.” “The ability to interact in-person with clients and stakeholders on a daily basis. Such a great opportunity to build great relationships and really see how the machine of a large company works.”

Challenges of working in the Princeton satellite office: “Especially on a startup account, nothing is set in stone. You have to be comfortable with ambiguity, but still have the confidence to speak up in order to get things done.”

“It can be hard to connect with Cincy and the culture of headquarters. You almost feel like you’re your own little agency sometimes because of the sub-culture you build with your satellite team and the effect that the client’s culture has on its formation.”

Building Relationships While it is challenging to build relationships with the client as a new team, we also have plenty of opportunities to do so.  Sitting on-site allows us to have daily face time with our brand contacts, and we have team goals focused on holding regular in-person status meetings. Since our office is located in a relatively rural area, everyone stays on-site throughout the day so we are constantly crossing paths with contacts from different business units. We make an effort to treat our contacts to lunch or coffee from time to time to discuss business and build stronger personal relationships. Several of our brand contacts also participated in the Pep Step challenge this year, which was a great chance to form bonds while also promoting employee wellness, which is a major focus for both Pep and our client.

- Katie H.

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5th Annual Pep Charity Golf Outing

I’m excited to share that Pep has raised $140,000 for area charities through our 5th Annual Charity Golf Outing on Thursday, September 24th at Ivy Hills Country Club.

Through volunteer efforts and donations, our team members work hard to make a positive and lasting impact in the cities in which we operate. In 2014, Pep employees took part in a wide variety of community service events donating nearly 2,500 hours of service.

This year, we are proud to support several local charities through our Outing: The Ronald McDonald House of Greater Cincinnati, The Freestore Foodbank, Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, The Cure Starts Now, Melanoma Know More, and the SPCA. Our Pep team members enjoy volunteering their time at these great organizations throughout the year, and we are very happy to be able to provide financial support as well. Over the past five years we have raised $500,000 for Cincinnati Area charities through our Annual Golf Outing.

While golfers enjoyed their day at Ivy Hills, an ice cream truck stopped by the Ronald McDonald House to serve treats to children and their families courtesy of Pep!

More than 200 golfers participated in the event, which featured a morning and afternoon shotgun start. Pep presented a check to each charity Thursday evening during a post-event awards banquet.

Thank you to all of our generous sponsors, donors, clients, and employees for making this event possible!

-Emily S.

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July Pep Star of the Month

Please join me in congratulating Sandra Cassillas as we continue to celebrate her win of July’s Pep Star of the month!

Sandra started with Pep in the Puerto Rico office in October of 2010. She began her role as a contractor, tasked with the responsibility of installing promotional materials in stores around the island. Not long after, she was offered a full time position at Pep where she worked in various roles but finally landed as an Account Executive.  

“My favorite thing about being a Pep team member is that I belong to a passionate team that enjoys coming to our office every day to do great work and feel the love for this company,” she says.  “I very much appreciate the opportunity to work for a great company with important clients where you are respected and have the opportunity to learn and grow professionally.”

Personally and professionally, Sandra says that being selected as Pep Star means a great deal to her. “Being selected as PepStar of the Month means to me a lot. Personally it makes me feel very happy, enthusiastic and grateful. Professionally it also means a lot because in addition to liking my job and feeling passionate doing what I do every day, it is awesome to be recognized.” Sandra finds Pep Star to be an important program because it’s good way to recognize and motivate the employees to be a leader within your team, to be a hard worker and a good team member. We couldn’t agree more. Congratulations again, Sandra, on being named July Pep Star of the Month!

-Meredith C.

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Pep LA Mexico City Community Event

Last week the Pep LA team went to Hogar Marillac for our 3rd community service event of 2015.  Hogar Marillac is an assisted living facility for senior citizens in the Mexico City area. The Pep LA team spent the afternoon doing different activities and spending time with the residents.  

What is Hogar Marillac? Hogar Marillac, A.C. is a home that provides safe and comforting living to the elderly. The association needs the support of volunteers to carry out its mission and put a smile on the face of every one of its residents. Over one hundred people live in the home and the special care needs vary between every resident.

Donations Hogar Marillac made a special request on behalf of the group of people living in the home; they were short of cookies, chocolates, flour pancakes, diapers, cereal, blankets and others items.  The Pep LA team was encouraged to bring some help and with the team’s and supplier’s donations we were able to gather a large amount of important items to donate to the house. Thank you to the teammates and suppliers for all for your generosity.

Activities After putting the donations in Hogar Marillac’s store room, we started with our agenda- provided by the Pep LA Community liason, Maheli. It is important to mention that they were celebrating Grandparents Day! And it was special for the Pep team to be able to celebrate this meaningful date with the residents.

Flowers and Letters • Letters were made by Pep LA teammate Ale (different messages) and all of the team walked around the building to give away these messages, making a stop on every floor.  These letters were given with roses or handkerchiefs, depending on the gender of the individual.  Flowers were separated and decorated by some members of Pep LA previous the visit so that we could give a bouquet to each grandmother.

Games and Oldies Music • An oldies playlist was created by Pep LA teammate Eri for this special occasion. We put the music on and the games began! o The team started playing Loteria (Mexican bingo game), cards and dominos with the residents. They were very good at these types of games.  In dominos, the Pep team couldn’t defeat the home team. o This was a great time for laughing, trying to play with the best strategies and having fun.  Everyone was a winner.

• Once it was time to say goodbye the team had a final chat with the people that lived in Hogar Marillac.  A lot of stories and life experiences were told by the wonderful residents. We received from the residents advice and stories and left with a bigger heart after being able to contribute to some of the house’s goals.  We said our goodbye to our new friends and left with smiles on our faces. We’re thankful for the time we got to spend with the residents.

-Javier R. 

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May Pep Star of the Month

You may know her as the “crafty” member of the Pep team or even received one of her personalized thank you’s, but now Monica Hullinger is also known as May’s Pep Star of the Month!

Monica Started with Pep in December of 2013 as an Account Coordinator but by May of 2014, she was ready for the next level. As an Account Executive splitting her time between the client and Pep office, she has gathered some great experience mastering executions such as temporary displays, hangtags and more. 

“It means so much to me to be selected as Pep Star of the Month,” she says. “I work the way that I do because I want to be my personal best, so to be recognized for that is just the cherry on top of a super chocolate sundae! I feel very validated and driven to continue to work hard and challenge myself. I could not be more honored and humbled to receive Pep Star of the Month”.   When asked if Monica could pinpoint her most memorable program she remembered her first execution done on her own. “It was a large scale pallet program that had a ton of visibility. The reason I loved it so much is because everyone really teamed up with me and we worked through every issue that came up. In the end, the display looked great and client was very happy that we made timing.”

And speaking of teamwork, she credits those personal experiences as one of her favorite things about Pep. “My favorite thing about Pep is the opportunity for growth both professionally and personally. I am not the same person today that I was when I started at Pep and it’s cool to look back and see how I’ve transformed and grown. I’ve had the chance to work on really amazing things internally at Pep like the eBilling enhancement and Mid-Year committee. I’ve had the opportunity to train and coach 3 Account Coordinators, a summer intern, and now two Satellite mentees. I also get to work on improving processes both with and for my client. I’m so thankful for all the people that I’ve met and all the opportunities I’ve been granted!”

Please join me in congratulating our much deserved May Pep Star winner, Monica!

-Meredith C.

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April Pep Star of the Month

Each month, Pep’s leaders select an employee who has performed exemplary work to be our Pep Star of the month. This employee is not only chosen by the leaders of the company, but they also are nominated by their peers and praised by their client contacts. For the month of April our winner is Julie Lane, Senior Account Executive.

Julie started at Pep in November of 2012 as an Account Coordinator of the Canada Team. She currently serves as the chair of Pep’s Community Committee and is responsible for many engaging service activities with many agencies from Freestore Foodbank to Ronald McDonald House. Her teammates call her a “true team player” as well as “knowledgeable and passionate”. These comments reflect Julie’s feelings about her fellow teammates, saying “My podmates, brands, and suppliers have become like a 2nd family to me.”

When asked about the importance of the Pep Star program, Julie said, “The Pep Star program reminds people to be thankful for their teammates, and uplifting/encouraging of each other.” 

From mentoring teammates to offering a helping hand, Julie definitely stands out as a star at Pep. More of her teammates continue to praise her for her leadership, and for demonstrating the values and Keys to Success of the company. Congratulations again to Julie on being April’s Pep Star!

-Nyema I.

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Catching up with Pep Mexico City

The U.S. and Latin America are two countries rich with cultural tradition and unique perspectives. Take the taco and the cheeseburger—both are staple dishes in their native countries; both have their own unique flavors; but most importantly, both are equally delicious! Though both have marked differences, they are both valuable; the same can be said for the cultural differences we experience right here in our Mexico City office. At PepLA these differences are part of our very essence and they motivate us to create strong relationships in the office and beyond.

The PepLA Mexico office started with just seven people, the majority of whom were from the U.S. We enjoyed sharing our culture, knowledge, and procedures with our new team mates; at the end of the day we were all new to the Mexico Pep office! After nearly 2 years of working together the office has doubled in size, and now most of our team members are from Latin America.

We’ve built some strong, long-lasting relationships internally and the atmosphere here is always cheerful and positive. Every single person has their own special touch and has contributed to our fun working environment in one way or another.

“In my personal experience this time has been really unique, because I have had a chance to learn more about the USA and to share about Mexico.  No matter the cultural differences, currency, or language, we are all human beings with principles, feelings, and thoughts that connect us as a team and allow us to enjoy universal stuff like friendship, fun, laughs, sports, trips, birthdays, etc.

This time has been a great opportunity for breaking boundaries and clichés; I’ve learned that not all generalities apply to everyone.  I think that every part of the team has lived this in some way and that is truly enriching.” –Javier Ramirez, PepLA

Fun Facts about Pep’s Mexico Office.

• Most of the teammates in the office are left-handed • The male/female ratio is approximately 2:1 ( opposite comparing with Pep Cincinnati) • Most popular boxed lunch item is canned tuna.   • The team size has been more doubled in year and a half. • Many of us love to have Street Tacos for lunch on Friday. • Most of our visitors have tried those Tacos, even the president of the company.  

These differences that ultimately enrich our work environment make us proud of the team that has formed in PepLA Mexico Office.

- Sergio and Javier

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Cincinnati USA Business Awards 2015

Pep CEO, Mike Ricketts, delivered the Keynote address at the Cincinnati USA Business Awards on May 27th at the Sharonville Convention Center. The awards honor companies in Greater Cincinnati that demonstrate outstanding performance, economic contributions, and leadership excellence.

Mike spoke about his experiences starting, leading, and growing a small business, as well as the challenges that come along with it.

He described the obstacles he faced starting his first company, Quality Packaging Specialists International (QPSI), and how he turned that business into one of the top contract packaging and supply chain solution companies serving the world’s best pharmaceutical, healthcare, beauty, and consumer goods companies.

Mike also detailed his experience with founding Pep, and the obstacles he had to overcome to help build Pep into the company it is today-- with over 230 employees in 14 offices across the Americas.

Pep was recognized by the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber in 2014 as the Community Involvement Winner and in 2011 as the Minority Business of the Year. 

Mike explained the importance of hard work, perseverance, and having a willingness to change; advising that business owners check their value proposition often and allow their organization to evolve. He admitted that sometimes he was his own biggest obstacle to success, and cited the importance of good business partners and colleagues who can lend their ideas and expertise.

In addition to being a business leader, Mike has channeled his passion for leadership beyond his companies by mentoring young athletes and aspiring business people toward achieving their personal and professional goals.

Pep President, Dave Kroeger, presented the award for Small Business of the Year (21-75 employees) during the awards portion of the event. Other categories included Best New Product or Service, Non-Profit of the Year, 10 Under 5, and more. To see a full list of winners and to find out more about the Cincinnati USA Business awards click here.

-Emily S. 

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Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month

Pep’s Wellness and Community Committees have teamed up to involve the Pep Team in a variety of fundraising and education events with the Alzheimer’s Association in anticipation of Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month in June. Alzheimer's is a disease that attacks the brain. It is the most common form of dementia. As the largest non-profit funder of Alzheimer's research, the Association is committed to accelerating progress of new treatments, preventions and ultimately, a cure.

This week, staff from the Alzheimer’s Association visited the office to speak with Pep employees about Alzheimer’s, and to offer up some healthy habits that can we can incorporate into our lives to help fight the disease. They also spoke about the resources and help that the Alzheimer’s Association offers to patients and caregivers dealing with Alzheimer’s and ways to get involved with the organization. 

Pep team members showed strong support during the month of April for the Alz Stars /Race for the Brain, a group of individuals dedicated to raising awareness and monetary funds for the Alzheimer’s Association of Greater Cincinnati through training and completion of the Flying Pig Marathon. Friday April 7th the Alz Stars team hosted a Guest Bartender Night at Keystone, which several Pep employees attended. All tips and proceeds went to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association and the night was a huge success raising over $2,000 dollars! During the week leading up the Pig, Pep employee’s also showed their support by going to a local Chipotle for the event hosted by the Alz Stars team called “Pig-Out before the Pig,” where 50% of the proceeds from sales were given to the Alzheimer’s’ Association. Overall, the Alz Stars Raise for the Brain team raised over $28,000 this year and aren’t done yet! 

The Pep Team also has plans to support the Alzheimer’s Association and the Alz Stars team through participation in additional fundraisers including The Longest Day, a team event held annually on the summer solstice. The duration of this sunrise-to-sunset event symbolizes the challenging journey of those living with the disease and their caregivers. Teams are encouraged to create their own experience as they fundraise and participate in an activity they love to honor someone facing the disease. 

For more information on the Alzheimer’s Association, their resources, and ways to get involved please visit http://www.alz.org/. 

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Spring cleaning at Our Clubhouse Pittsburgh

Five Pittsburgh Pep employees and one of their brand contacts dedicated their Saturday afternoon to giving back to the community. Our Clubhouse is a non-profit organization that provides comfort, care & hope to those touched by cancer. They create welcoming communities for everyone living with cancer – men, women, teens, and children – along with their friends and families. They dedicate their mission of offering social, emotional, and informational support within the Pittsburgh region.

As soon as we arrived we noticed that there were friends and families participating in the day’s events organized by the Clubhouse. There was an art & expression workshop being held, tours being provided to potential members, and kids frolicking in the playroom. We were given a tour of their facility, and they seem to offer a wide variety of events and information that provided support to members. 

Our task was to help clean up their kitchen, storage space, organize and take inventory of their pantry. We were also asked to help clean the patio furniture so that it is ready for use when they open it up to the members. These were their two huge asks when we arrived as the purpose behind these tasks was to have the patio prepared for the spring/summer, along with getting a sense of what’s needed or available in the kitchen for their members. 

At the end of our service, we managed to wash down all of the patio furniture and bring together the kitchen in two solid hours, one hour ahead of schedule!  We were surprised at how quickly we were able to accomplish our tasks for the day, and realized that time does fly when you’re having fun. The staff coordinator at Our Clubhouse was very happy with the outcome. We enjoyed every minute of our time there, and we’d gladly volunteer again. It was a very rewarding experience.

-Christina C. 

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March Pep Star of the Month

His brand contacts describe him as “jolly and positive.” His co-workers describe him as “hard-working and passionate.” All these qualities define our March Pep Star of the month, Johnny Bales! 

 As Pep continues to grow within the U.S, Johnny has played an integral role in Pep’s success. At a moments’ notice, he traveled from our Cincinnati headquarters to our California office to assist his teammates. Johnny is admired for never shying away from challenges and willing to take on additional work for the benefit of his team.

“I love being a member of the Pep team, mainly for everyone’s willingness to help each other out,” says Johnny when asked his favorite thing about working at Pep. 

“The team in general is so helpful, all the way to senior leadership. I have never felt hesitant asking for help or guidance from someone. Everyone we work with is kind, fun and hardworking. That’s really rare to find in workplace.” He added.

Johnny started at Pep as an Account Coordinator in November of 2012 on the sampling team. In July of 2013, he was promoted to Account Executive. Johnny is also known for managing unique and complex programs for Back to School/College initiatives, World Cup, and Father’s Day.

The Pep Star program recognizes star employees who exceed company expectations. The Pep leadership team chooses honorees monthly. All Pep Stars are honored with a personalized award and have their name added to the Pep Star Wall of Fame, located in the Cincinnati headquarter office.

When asked what it means to be chosen as a Pep Star, Johnny added, “Being chosen as Pep Star of the month means a lot to me. Our company is growing very fast and being Pep Star is not a common or easy task to receive in this day and age of Pep. It is great for a company to recognize their employees’ successes and wins, not many companies value or recognize their employees like Pep does.”

Please join me in congratulating Johnny Bales!

- Nyema I.

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Building Strong Relationships Across Offices

One of Pep’s Keys to Success is to build strong relationships between all business units.  We do this in different ways including inclusion activities, video conferencing, and at our annual Pep Rally; But one of the most impactful ways we do this is by cross-training our personnel and sharing project management best practices. 

With our rapidly expanding geographic footprint, Pep teams across the continents have had office visitors come to train and establish processes with new teams.  Whether it’s an employee relocating to start up a new office, or a co-worker that has come for a short time to help assist another team, Pep offices have been connecting on a more personal level, with many employees earning honorary roles on multiple teams. 

Cincinnati, Chicago, and now a Skillman local: Jasmine Cooper

Jasmine made a move to the Windy City for a month this past fall to assist the Chicago team on some of their Brands, and continued her work remotely from November until the end of the year. She took the time to learn all of the Client processes and systems in order to assist with day to day activities supporting major CPG brands. When Jasmine first arrived to Chicago, she surprised the team by announcing that (gasp) she had never tried deep dish pizza! The team decided that in order for her honorary Chicago status to be sustained, they would all gather and be there for her initiation (see photo). Jasmine says she enjoyed her time in Chicago. Most recently, Jasmine has been promoted to Account Executive and has joined the Pep Team in New Jersey. Congratulations, Jasmine! Way to build those office relationships!

Cincinnati, Mexico and Panama: Alex Henderson Another triple office threat is none other than Alex Henderson. Alex’s first relocation was to Mexico City where she stayed for 3 months to help start up a new Client in Mexico. She trained 4 external hires on Pep processes, client processes and overall best practices. 

Outside of day-to-day work, she helped to set up 2 morale events, the Pep Latin America Summit, and visited Six Flags and the Ronald McDonald House with the team.  The food was delicious but one item served up on the menu didn’t quite entice her to try it: the grasshopper taco.  Although the team consistently tried to tempt her, that was one cuisine she didn’t mind passing on.

Alex is also an honorary member of the Panama office. She traveled to help assist the Panama team for 10 days along with Donna Sall and Hans Luna. Their goal was to help the team establish processes and provide administrative help in organizing hundreds of transition programs. In between work they were able to see many tourist attractions, her favorite being the Panama Canal and a small Indian Market in Old Panama. 

Alex enjoyed how both of these visits helped her connect and build strong relationships with satellite teams. She says these experiences have been great for her personal development as well as learning about new cultures both socially and in the workplace. She highly recommends taking advantage of one of these opportunities is they are available.

Cincinnati and Madison: Sarah Burford Sarah temporarily relocated from Cincinnati to Madison, WI for two and half months to assist the Chicago-based team on the one of their Brands. During this time she worked directly with Brand contacts as a one woman promotional machine. While she was able to get to know the rest of the Chicago team by attending trainings and connecting with them as often as she could, she spent her time in Madison getting to know the Client contacts in person. She attended frequent meetings, lunch outings, and even participated in weekly volleyball games with them. (Way to keep wellness a focus!) Her brand contacts helped to give her an insight not only to promotional planning but also to media planning which she says was helpful to see the full picture of the marketing plan for each Brand. Overall, Sarah says her experience was eye opening and she enjoyed seeing how other teams and client promotions work. Thanks, Sarah!

-Meredith C.

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February Pep Star 2015

What do you get when you combine a consistent passionate employee with industry leading systems? A noteworthy Pep Star! Please join us in celebrating Abby Gradel as our February Pep Star of the month!

Abby started at Pep in July of 2013 as an Account Coordinator working to support multiple teams. After seven months of running her own promotions and building brand relationships, Abby was promoted to an Account Executive managing Customer Team work. 

In addition to building brand relationships, Abby is an expert on her Client’s systems and dedicates her time to training new hires, and supporting satellite offices. Her metrics are solid when it comes to file closure and promotion ratings. The feedback from her peers and brand contacts add to the purpose of her winning February Pep Star. One brand contact commented, “I’ve been very impressed with Abby’s performance- she is very responsive.” When asked of her thoughts about being among the Pep Star winners, Abby was “extremely honored.”

“There are so many talented and deserving teammates who are making strides for our company day-in and day-out. To be recognized for my hard work is a wonderful feeling and I am truly grateful,” she said.

Our Pep Star program is an employee recognition program that allows employees to recognize their peers for making strides in our business. “The Pep Star program is great because it allows us to recognize the accomplishments of our peers while building upon the team atmosphere. It not only showcases the successes of individuals across our company, but it is also motivating to see fellow teammates who are contributing to the overall goals,” Abby added.

Congratulations again to our February Pep Star Abby Gradel. Stay tuned for our March honoree!

-Nyema I.

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Volunteering at Crayons to Computers

Pep employees united after work hours to give back to the community by volunteering at Crayons to Computers-- a non-profit organization that operates as a free store for teachers and students alike. They believe that every child deserves the quantity and quality of supplies needed to succeed in school. 

Upon arrival to Crayons to Computers we were surrounded by a plethora of school supplies and vibrant colors. We were given a tour where it was apparent that they offer a wide variety of materials that support learning. In addition to your typical school supplies such as crayons, books, paper and pencils they provide enrichment and incentive items that teachers utilize to motivate and inspire students in the classroom. 

Our task was to breakdown planners into four distinctive parts the outer pleather cover, plastic inside covers, inner paper and the metal spiral that holds it all together. The purpose of this was to ultimately utilize the pleather cover and plastic inside covers as a way to provide an enriched student experience. Some usage examples include passports, mini chalkboards or even name plates. 

At the end of our two hour timeslot we filled two boxes to the brim for Crayons to Computers. We were enthused by how much was accomplished in such a short time. Even after-hours we “Peppers” represented Pep in a colorful way. It was a heartwarming experience to give back in such an impactful way! 

For more information on Crayons to Computers and to find out how you can help visit http://www.crayons2computers.org/. 

-Cara R.

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January 2015 Pep Star of the Month

Please join me in congratulating Pep’s first 2015 Pep Star of the year, Amy Maschmeyer!

Amy has been with Pep since 2011 starting as an Account Coordinator, and is now enjoying her newest role, Senior Account Executive- Subject Matter Expert for Print. Teammates throughout the company describe her as a ‘great team player’ who always makes time for others. She is constantly providing training and expert knowledge to teams and is always willing to make time for others when they have questions. In addition to helping out teammates, Amy is excellent at building relationships with our supplier partners, and takes the lead on setting up lunch and learns, tours, and other Supplier visits.

When asked what it means to be nominated as PepStar of the month, Amy replied, “It’s feels great to be recognized for my hard work and accomplishments here at Pep.  Professionally, it is so encouraging to be recognized by the company for the efforts that I put forth with my peers, supplier contacts, and client contacts.  It is rewarding to know that my efforts are noticed throughout the company!”

Pep Star program is an employee recognition program that allows employees to nominate and recognize their peers for making a big impact on our business. Amy describes Pep Star program as “super important” adding, “It’s a great program to motivate and encourage friendly competition for all of us to do and try our best.  To get that direct positive feedback from your peers and the Leadership team really reassures and energizes myself and I know it does to others as well."

Each month, the leadership team names a Pep Star of the Month who embodies all of our Keys to Success. Check back soon for our February 2015 Pep Star Winner!

-Nyema I.