Making an Impact on Capitol Hill

Client
PPAI
Year
2026

A man in a suit standing in front of the United States Capitol building on a sunny day.
A conference room with black tables and chairs, featuring several white folders labeled 'PPAI' and purple cards on the table, with large windows providing natural light.
A conference room with black tables and chairs, featuring several white folders labeled 'PPAI' and purple cards on the table, with large windows providing natural light.
Four people seated in a formal meeting room, two facing each other and two sitting on the couch, with an American flag and shelves in the background, and a table with magazines or brochures in the foreground.

INSPIRATION

Last year, our president Joseph Sommer attended PPAI LEAD, the Promotional Products Association International's annual trip to Capitol Hill where the industry shows up in Washington D.C. to lobby for itself in front of congressmen and senators. He came back fired up. So when Whitestone had the opportunity to produce the official giveaways for LEAD 2026, it felt like a signal.

PPAI came to us with a clear brief: quality-forward, gender neutral, nothing polarizing. Every piece would end up in the hands of legislators on Capitol Hill, and they needed a team they could trust to take that seriously. Whitestone was that team.

A large conference room filled with attendees sitting at round tables, listening to a speaker at the front. The speaker is a woman standing next to a laptop, speaking into a microphone. A large screen behind her displays presentation slides titled "Conversational Themes to Keep in Mind." The room has large windows on the left, letting in natural light, and modern lighting fixtures on the ceiling. The tables are covered with black tablecloths, and each has a numbered sign, bottles of water, and glasses.
Group of mostly adults gathered in a conference room, smiling for a group photo, with a large blank projection screen behind them. Tables in the foreground hold informational materials, water bottles, and glasses.

PLAN

The program was built around two tiers: a general giveaway collection designed to reach a broad audience, and a premium collection reserved for members of congress. PPAI came prepared. They pulled templates, sent artwork quickly, and moved with the decisiveness you'd expect from the leading association in our industry. Our role wasn't just to source products. It was to be a true partner through the process, one that understood the parameters, respected the stakes, and removed friction at every turn.

PRODUCT

Office supplies on a gray background, including a white storage bin with 'PPAI' logo, a small white notepad with colorful sticky notes, two black pens with 'PPAI' logos, and a black ballpoint pen.

THE ORGANIZER PACK: A branded pouch built as a functional, ready-to-use kit containing the NFC Slim Pen, NFC Scribe, a custom 3.5" x 5" notecard, and a Post-it® Personal Organizer Pak. Full color imprint on the exterior brought everything together visually, and candy was tucked inside to reinforce just how versatile the pack could be. Practical, polished, and built to actually be used.

Collection of office or school supplies including a black backpack, a black folder with 'PPI' logo, a white document with text, a desktop monitor, black pens, and sticky notes in yellow, pink, green, and white, arranged on a light grey background.

THE PREMIUM PACK: A lower-quantity, higher-impact collection anchored by the Basecamp Concourse Laptop Backpack and the FSC® Mix Presidential Padfolio, produced at 25 units. The FreshKeep Platinum Silicone 34 fl oz Leakproof Food Storage rounded out the assortment. Everything decorated and made in the USA, everything selected to hold up to the standards PPAI brought to every decision in this program.

RESULTS

These products are heading to Capitol Hill, into the hands of the people who make decisions that shape our entire industry. That context informed every choice we made as a partner on this project.

PPAI came with a clear vision for LEAD 2026 and the work required a partner that could move quickly, source on brief, and execute without friction. We sourced on brief, executed without friction, and gave their team the confidence to focus on the advocacy work that makes LEAD matter.

Beyond the success of the event, this initiative underscored the power of the promotional products industry to drive domestic growth. By centralizing the decoration and fulfillment process within the U.S., the project directly supported American jobs and emphasized the importance of domestic value-add in the global supply chain.

A speaker presents at a conference with a slide that reads 'Welcome Drew Holmgreen, PPAl President & CEO'. The audience is seated at round tables with conference materials, and the room is decorated with PPAl banners.

PPAI LEAD is one of the most important moments our industry has to show up and be heard, and being chosen to support that effort on Capitol Hill was a proud moment for Whitestone because it reflected the trust PPAI placed in our team to represent the industry on such an important stage. It reinforced the role merchandise can play beyond marketing, helping our industry show up with clarity, confidence, and purpose.

-Joe Sommer