Our organization was established in 1979, as TASA, Tri-State Advertising Specialty Association. Founding fathers were S. Allen Dohan, Robert J. Finn, Joseph Ketterer, Lou Bunning and Jack Ryan. Their intentions were to promote fellowship and education among those engaged in the business of advertising specialties (later, known as promotional products) and to offer a central location for meetings.
Over the next years, TASA would establish many of their traditions continued today.
For example:
Annual tradeshows were organized; starting first as small room shows, growing to full convention center held events, evolving into four tabletops in the attempt to equally cover their area of
Mid-Southern Ohio and the entire states of Kentucky and Indiana and, at the request of their members, once again returning to a full booth tradeshow.
TASA, in keeping in line with changes in the industry and the national name change, chose in 1998, to incorporate under TSPPA, Tri-State Promotional Products Association. The name changed but the benefits remained and continued to improve.
TSPPA offers CEU events several times yearly along with other meetings and speakers geared toward current events, local interests, networking and member enjoyment. Some of the more interesting things offered in the past:
- Renown speakers such as Barry Roberts, David Blaise and Jeff Tobe
- A "Roast" of our founding fathers
- A piece of history via a tour of the "proposed" and now defunct Cincinnati subway system
- Parties at a local Northern Kentucky brewery
- A dinner meeting focusing on business table manners
- Plays and dinner in the round at the theatre
- Casino nights
- Silent auctions and Flea Market sales
- Festival of Lights and parties at Cincinnati's world famous zoo
- Annual Golf Outing
- Annual St. Patrick Day Party and Fall Wine-Tasting event
- Charitable events
The Board of Directors are nominated and selected each November by the membership at large; Committee Chairs are voluntary positions thus, ensuring an organization for the benefit of and maintained by it's membership.
As organizations are prone to do, TSPPA has met a few glitches in their growth years but they have surmounted all and thrive today. We continue our growth pattern by implementing our Strategic Plan, by offering top-grade education sessions, by having quality exhibitors at our trade functions, by having paid/bonded administrative staff on board and by always trying to give back 100+% to our membership.
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