Editor’s Note: This article was written for Promo Impressions. For more content on promotional products decoration, be sure to subscribe to the biweekly newsletter at PromoImpressions.com.

A well-known name in the promotional products industry, Brittany David is the chief revenue officer at SnugZ USA. With more than 18 years of experience in promo under her belt, she still has the tenacity of a newbie looking to learn and grow.

She started her career in the promotional products industry after being in the right place at the right time. She was working in hospitality — first at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, Texas, where SAGE used to host its trade show and then at the Hilton Anatole, where PPAI used to host its events — when her boss from the Gaylord let her know SAGE was looking for someone to help with events.

Not knowing much about the industry, she took the interview and landed the job. In 2006, she began her promo career with SAGE, a research and marketing solution for the industry, as a trade show management services manager.

With some industry experience, she joined the team at SnugZ in 2011 as a national accounts manager and became national sales manager in 2012. She continued working her way up the ladder, taking the role as vice president of sales in 2014 and assuming her current role in January 2021.

Staying the Course Amid Change

In her 14-plus years with SnugZ, she says she’s seen a lot of change, and with that a need to make sure product development, marketing, and sales have all been aligned in the process.

When she first started at SnugZ, she says the promotional products supplier was mostly making lanyards and had just started manufacturing personal care items (lip balm, sanitizer, and sunscreen) in-house. It also had a sweets side to the business, which included candy and mints for a few years, with mints still living on as a product offering today.

“I’ve been through integrations and building changes and consolidation and expanding manufacturing into other countries and all sorts of things — [there was] the need for more growth on the executive team and the C-suite and building out our sales team and new talent there,” she shares.

Asking how she keeps focused and manages through the change, growth, and success, she says, “Having great people around you is the key.” While sometimes it’s hard letting go of tasks and responsibilities, she says one person can’t do it all.

“The bigger a company gets, or the more that you take on personally, the harder it is to let go because you have not necessarily perfected what you’ve done, and then you take on new capabilities or want to do more,” she shares.

But in order to grow, she says it’s important to delegate tasks and duties. In that process, she says you have to “let people go find their own way … knowing that it’s not necessarily even the same way you did it — that you weren’t the only one to do it the right or only way.”

This mindset allows her to grow but also gives someone else a chance to as well, fostering the next generation of leaders.

To stay motivated and driven inside of work, Brittany David ensures she’s fulfilled outside of work.| Credit: Brittany David

Looking to Make a Difference

With the desire to make a difference running through her veins, she’s naturally very involved in the industry, serving on various committees and boards and dedicating her time to advocating for the industry.

She’s a received several industry recognitions, including being named an ASI Power 50 Most Influential People in the industry, PPAI Woman of Achievement, and iPROMOTEu Supplier Visionary.

“I think I’ve been a person who always wants to make a difference,” she shares. “I don’t even know what that is in the moment because I don’t have an ulterior motive or what I want to do, but getting involved and understanding within the industry — what are the issues that we’re up against? How can I be collaborative? How do I use my network? How do I further my network? How do you come together on ideation with different experiences and different paths to create a better and brighter future?”

Growing up with parents who taught her to give back and get involved set her on a trajectory to make a difference. She says it all started with her days in Girl Scouts and visiting the elderly in senior living facilities.

“I just think in general; life is so much bigger than just what’s on a resume,” she says. “And so how do you connect with other people and make a positive difference? I think having that community and getting to know people and getting to make an impact has always just been really rewarding. It’s somewhat self-serving but with the intention of just wanting to give back where I can.”

♦♦ Women in Print Alliance: a vital resource for empowering and supporting women in the printing industry! ♦♦

Who You Meet in the Moment

Aside from her first mentors — her parents — she says there’s too many people to name who have impacted her career and helped shape her as a leader. That said, she does stand by one thing: It’s not about age; it’s “who you meet in a moment.”

“I can remember over a decade ago, sitting with a group of women at the first Women’s Leadership Conference at PPAI that kind of took me under their wing and gave me some words of wisdom and were there as a resource,” she recalls.

And even in her day-to-day at SnugZ, she learns from people who have been with the company longer, shorter, and who are younger and older. “It’s just about people having different experiences that you learn from.” she adds.

For her, there’s always a moment to be a mentor or mentee, to learn and listen, and she’s grateful for all the people in her life that have interjected and pushed her forward.

“Yeah, you can listen to Audible, and that’s great. And I’ve listened to great books. Yeah, you can network, and I learn a lot from people,” she says. “But unless you put yourself out there … I think there’s this quote that says something like, ‘Opportunity dances with those on the dance floor.’ You have to be present, right? And once you’re present, things just magically sometimes start to create what is supposed to be there … I also think you have to work hard.”

She says you don’t get the salaries and experiences you’re after until you put in the work and bring value to the table, and that value doesn’t have an age requirement or limit. “Good work usually speaks for itself,” she says.

Keeping the Balance

To stay motivated and driven inside of work, David ensures she’s fulfilled outside of work.

“The more fun you’re having outside of work, usually you bring that same attitude and energy into work, and if you find a disconnect, then maybe that outside perspective of who you are is speaking to burnout or where you should be going,” she shares. “But usually when you bury yourself in the hole of work, it’s where people find themselves dull. You can’t, in my opinion, just live and breathe in it and expect to be completely fulfilled.”

Yoga is that outlet for her, practicing five to seven times a week, helping her show up the best way she can, both personally and professionally.