Q:  How would you describe your role as AIA president/CEO?

DW:  I set the overall direction and vision of the company, and then work closely with our Leadership Team to achieve our goals. I pay very close attention to our culture, and try to emphasize and reinforce those values which make us unique. I try to stay close to the marketplace for promotional products, and listen carefully to our customers, who are our sales affiliates and franchisees. The world is changing quickly, and we must be very nimble and attentive to excel!

Q:  What trends do you see in the promotional products industry, and how is AIA positioned to help promotional consultants capitalize on these opportunities?

DW:  As with most industries, the promotional products marketplace has gone through a very challenging and difficult period.  We think there will continue to be consolidation because small and independent distributors are going to be harder pressed to keep up with the technology and the investments required.

However, by bringing a large group of promotional consultants together through our owner network, we can provide the tools, leadership, training and professional development that the best people are going to need to continue to be successful.

Q:  What three things (related to the promotional products industry and your role at AIA) are you most passionate about?

DW:  First and most important, I love the people I work with at AIA, both our own staff and the wonderful and creative owners we serve. It is a very unique group, with a strong feeling of family and community. Secondly, I enjoy working within the industry, whether it be with the supplier community, or with other industry leaders in various capacities. Thirdly, I enjoy scanning the horizon and looking across various industries and organizations for ideas and techniques that we can use to make AIA a better company. We are constantly trying to achieve excellence, which is a never ending challenge!

Q:  Have sales begun to rebound, and how is AIA helping its owners generate sales moving forward in the new economy?

DW:  We’re happy to say that the economy seems to be strengthening broadly.  Sales have increased 20 percent over last year, so we are seeing significant double-digit growth from an admittedly challenging 2009.  But what we like is that it is broad and it is deep.

Moving forward, our emphasis is on creating tools that will help our owners develop new accounts.  While an increase in existing business is positive, we don’t want to rely exclusively on existing customer base for growth because almost everyone agrees that the economy is going to recover slowly.  Plus, some attrition is natural and expected.  To combat this, we’ve gotten really aggressive with helping our owners find new customers.

Q:  What makes AIA unique compared to the other service providers that support promotional products distributors?

DW:  I think we are unique in that we allow a lot of individuality.  Some companies require you to be an employee, or take on the name of a larger company.  We don’t.  We cater to a more diverse group of individuals, and we celebrate the diversity.  We really like giving our owners the flexibility to create business in the way that aligns best with their strengths.

Q:  How do you personally help Owners?

DW:  One of the values we celebrate at AIA is flexibility, so “help” may take many forms! It can be encouragement and mentoring for someone relatively new in their career. It could be acting as a business advisor or coach for a more experienced owner. It could take the form of participating in a major presentation for a new client, or advising and helping with the sale of an owner’s business or the acquisition of a new distributorship for an existing owner. Often it may take the form of just trying to be a good friend when someone is experiencing one of life’s setbacks. I consider it one of the best parts of my job!

Q:  What is something unique about you that others may not know?

DW:  I have always had a high energy level and a lot of curiosity, so I have many passions and interests. First would be spending time with family and friends, but I also love reading history, travel, open wheel racing, trains, skiing, rafting, bicycling, and collecting art. I have teamed up with my son Ted, and we have produced a documentary film that has been very well received at several film festivals. I would like to do more documentary work in the future.

Q:  What is your personal philosophy?

DW:  I have been very blessed in my life, and was helped along the way by many wonderful people. I truly enjoy helping others achieve their goals and the good things in life as a way of saying thanks to those who helped me!