AIA Corporation (asi/109480) says it’s adding talent to its leadership ranks.

The Top 40 promotional products distributor has hired Wendy Smith as vice president of business development. She’ll oversee the business development team and report to Rich Berg, senior vice president of owner success.

Wendy Smith and Paula Klingman, AIA Corporation

The Appleton, WI-based firm has also hired Paula Klingman to a business development manager role. Klingman joins a group of existing managers that now report to Smith.

“Wendy and Paula are a perfect complement to our already terrific business development team,” said Berg. “We’re thrilled they are bringing their talents to AIA, and with their leadership and guidance we look forward to adding more progressive and creative distributors to our growing community.” 

Smith’s job will be to focus on strategy, team development and outreach to entrepreneurial and growing distributors. Her team’s charge is to understand distributors’ needs and provide solutions utilizing AIA tools, resources and community support.

AIA executives said Smith is well-suited to the role. Her 20+ year career has included business development and leadership positions at well-known companies like Gallo Winery, Hammacher Schlemmer and Rand McNally. “In her most recent role at Digital Products International Inc. (DPI), she managed the inside and outside sales teams that focused on rewards and recognition programs, promotional products industry, retail, specialty distributors and home shopping networks,” AIA said.

Smith holds a Master of Advertising Specialty Information (MASI) from ASI and is a Certified Professional of Incentive Management (CPIM) from the IMA.

Klingman has a couple decades’ worth of experience as a distributor, sales representative and business development executive. She was most recently a business development leader at Minnesota-based printing services company RiseUp Enterprise. Her past promo experience includes affiliations with Top 40 distributors Proforma (asi/300094) and American Solutions for Business (asi/120075).

AIA partners with promo distributors and provides them with the professional services they need to run their businesses. Based on reported 2021 North American promo product revenue of $124.7 million, AIA ranked 17^th on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest distributors in the industry.