More than 600 Proforma (asi/300094) professionals attended the Top 40 distributor’s PROmentum Q4 Kickoff, a virtual event aimed at inspiring success in the fourth quarter, which is traditionally the promotional products industry’s busiest.

Proforma Founder Greg Muzzillo and CEO Vera Muzzillo

Vera Muzzillo, CEO of the Cleveland, OH-headquartered company, delivered a “State of Proforma” keynote address. She emphasized, in part, that Proforma has been able to swiftly pivot to selling personal protective equipment to meet rampant demand during the COVID-19 pandemic.

That adaptability, along with other advancements in everything from technology and marketing to supplier relations and e-commerce, helped fuel success for the distributorship network’s affiliate-owned firms. Certain affiliates shared such success stories in a virtual session that was well-attended, executives said.

“Now more than ever, it’s important for our owners and team members to understand the strength of the Proforma Network and to have confidence that we will persevere, and we will all be stronger together,” Muzzillo said.

As part of the digital event, Proforma Founder Greg Muzzillo talked on motivation. There was an introduction to new Q4 marketing and vendor campaigns initiated by the organization’s owner advisory council, as well as an e-commerce presentation focused on the importance of understanding how the correct e-commerce solution can help a promo company get through difficult times.

Each day also offered interactive supplier roundtables for event attendees looking for new strategies and new product selling ideas.

“In today’s economy, new and fresh ways to approach sales, marketing, and supplier relationships are integral to reach your next level of success. Our team will be revisiting and implementing concepts from this event for months to come to reach our lofty goals in Q4 and beyond,” said George Klare, owner of Proforma Design Management in Alvarado, TX, and a member of Proforma’s Million Dollar Club.

With reported 2019 North American promotional product revenue of $501 million, Proforma ranked fourth on Counselor’s latest list of the 40 largest distributors in the industry. Proforma is one of a few woman-owned Top 40 firms. The distributorship increased year-over-year revenue 32.3% in 2019.