From her first days at Top 40 distributor Nadel more than 20 years ago, Debbie Abergel knew the promo industry – and her company – were different. The energy and excitement surrounding branded merchandise campaigns were infectious, and what Abergel had thought would be just a stepping-stone, part-time job before moving on to other things turned out to be a long-term career.

“No one plans on being in this industry,” says the chief strategy officer. “But it was so different from anything I had done. There was so much passion and energy.”

Not long after she started in finance at Nadel, Abergel was offered the opportunity to manage the company’s first-ever online store for a client. She jumped at the chance. Her noteworthy work there opened the door for her to become the director of vendor relations a couple of years later, which led to a more than 20-year career at the distributorship.

In this episode of Promo Insiders, Abergel shares details about her first impressions of Nadel, moving up the ranks at the storied family-owned business and how she’s become known for her peer mentorship both within Nadel and across the wider industry, particularly for women.

“It’s OK to show strength and make decisions and show leadership,” she says. “I think sometimes as women we don’t always feel we can and we back down a little bit. … I wanted to have a career and to be a leader. I wanted that, so I pushed for it.”