PPAS

What PPAS does

Promotional Products Association Southwest (PPAS) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit regional trade association founded in 2008 and headquartered in McKinney, Texas, with a mailing address in Crossroads, TX. It serves the promotional products industry across the Southwest United States, providing a forum for educational opportunities, idea sharing, and camaraderie among its four member segments: distributors, suppliers, multi-line representatives, and business services. The organization operates with 1-10 employees under Executive Director Cassondra Franze.

PPAS delivers value through a calendar of signature events — including the PPAS EXPO, Breakfast Blitz, Leadership Summit, and Oklahoma Summer Showcase — supplemented by recurring programs such as Behind the Brand Fridays, monthly webinars, Learning Labs, factory tours, and the Promo 101 educational series. Member benefits are bundled across tradeshow access (PPAI EXPO Las Vegas, ASI Show Fort Worth, PPAS's own events), commercial discounts (10% SAGE discount, a $1,200 value coupon book), legislative advocacy, scholarships, and industry news. Underlying technology is the Wild Apricot membership management platform; no proprietary software, AI, or API surface is operated by the association.

Revenue is generated primarily through tiered annual membership dues (distributor tiers of $125, $175, and $225 based on employee count; $150 for business services; unspecified for suppliers and multi-line reps), event registration fees, and sponsorship income. A new PPAS Platinum Partnership program was launched for 2026 to deepen year-round sponsor engagement. Strategic affiliations with PPAI, SAGE, and ASI extend the association's reach into national standards, software, and tradeshow channels.

Name

PPAS

Legal name

Promotional Products Association Southwest

Website

https://ppas.wildapricot.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Promotional Products Association Southwest (PPAS) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit regional trade association serving distributors, suppliers, multi-line reps, and business services in the Southwest US promotional products industry through events, education, advocacy, and tiered membership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Denton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual subscription-based membership dues from distributors, suppliers, multi-line representatives, and business service providers in the promotional products industry. Membership tiers are priced based on company type and employee count.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

PPAS is a regional 501(c)(6) non-profit trade association that delivers membership services, industry education, and in-person networking events to businesses in the promotional products industry across the five-state Southwest region (Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, and Louisiana). It sells tiered annual memberships to distributors, suppliers, multi-line representatives, and business service providers, and produces recurring events including the annual EXPO tradeshow, Breakfast Blitz networking series, and Leadership Summit, along with sponsorship packages such as the Platinum Partnership.

Product overview

PPAS (Promotional Products Association Southwest) is a 501(c)6 non-profit regional trade association serving the promotional products industry in the Southwest United States. It is not a product company but rather provides membership services, industry events, and educational programs. The organization offers various membership tiers (Distributor, Supplier, Multi-Line Representative, Business Service) with benefits including SAGE discounts, access to industry tradeshows (PPAI EXPO, ASI Show Fort Worth, PPAS EXPO), monthly webinars and learning labs, networking events, legislative advocacy, industry news, and educational content through Promo 101. Signature events include PPAS EXPO, PPAS Breakfast Blitz, PPAS Golf Tournament, PPAS Leadership Summit, and Behind the Brand Fridays. The association also launched a new PPAS Platinum Partnership sponsorship program in 2026 for year-round visibility and deeper engagement with the PPAS community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Promo 101: Online educational series for newcomers to the promotional products industry
• PPAS Platinum Partnerships
• Behind the Brand Fridays
• PPAS Leadership Summit

Products and services

• PPAS Distributor Membership
• PPAS Supplier Membership
• PPAS Multi-Line Representative Membership
• PPAS Business Service Membership
• PPAS EXPO
• PPAS Breakfast Blitz
• PPAS Leadership Summit
• Promo 101 Educational Series
• PPAS Platinum Partnership

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PPAS Platinum PartnerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe inaugural PPAS Platinum Partnership program launching in 2026 is a top-tier sponsorship option for partners seeking year-round visibility and deeper engagement with the PPAS community. Includes recognition as official PPAS Platinum Partner, prominent logo placement on website, visibility across marketing and event promotions, priority access to sponsorship opportunities, and on-site recognition at signature events.
• RitelineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRiteline is listed as the PPAS Exclusive Pen Provider, providing promotional products for association use.
• Exclusive Paper Cup & Napkin ProviderminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDiamond Level Partner providing exclusive paper cup and napkin products for PPAS events.
• PPAIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPPAS is a regional association affiliated with PPAI (Promotional Products Association International). Members receive free/discounted admission to PPAI EXPO in Las Vegas, NV. PPAI provides industry standards, research, advocacy, and certification programs.
• SAGEcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSAGE provides software and data solutions to the promotional products industry. PPAS members receive a 10% SAGE discount as a member benefit. SAGE also sponsors PPAS events and Jessica Del Rio serves on the PPAS Board as Director.
• ASI Show Fort WorthcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPPAS members receive free/discounted admission to the ASI Show in Fort Worth, TX as part of membership benefits.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Promotional Products Association of Florida (PPAF): Florida regional trade association for the promotional products industry running comparable member services, trade shows, and educational programming. Closest regional analogue to PPAS outside the Southwest.
• Specialty Advertising and Marketing Association International (SAMA): Long-standing national/regional organization serving distributors, suppliers, and multi-line reps in the branded merchandise industry. Comparable membership/event-driven association model to PPAS.
• Specialty Advertising Association of Greater New York (SAAGNY): Regional trade association serving the promotional products industry in the Northeast US. Operates with a membership, events, and education model structurally analogous to PPAS, making it the most directly comparable regional peer on a different geography.
• Promotional Products Association of the Carolinas (PPAC): Regional trade association serving distributors and suppliers of promotional products in the Carolinas. Operates with similar membership tiers, regional trade shows, and educational content as PPAS.

Others

• SAGE (SAGE World): Software and data platform serving the promotional products industry. PPAS offers members a 10% SAGE discount and SAGE sponsors PPAS events — making SAGE a technology enabler and commercial partner within the same value chain rather than a competing association.

Regional players

• Promotional Products Association of the Midwest (PPAM): Midwest regional trade association for the promotional products industry operating comparable EXPO, educational, and networking programs — a regional peer to PPAS targeting adjacent US geography.

Broad incumbents

• Promotional Products Association International (PPAI): National trade association for the promotional products industry, headquartered in Irving, TX. PPAS is an affiliate regional association of PPAI and offers members reciprocal access to PPAI EXPO; PPAI sets industry standards, certification, and advocacy that PPAS extends at the regional level.
• Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI): Industry's largest distributor/supplier data, technology, and marketplace platform. ASI Show Fort Worth is offered as a member benefit through PPAS, making ASI a partner/incumbent in the same ecosystem rather than a direct membership-association competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PPAS_PromoNews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ppas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PPAS