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In Memoriam: H. Ted Olson, MAS, PPAI President Emeritus
Olson was president of PPAI, then called Specialty Advertising Association International, from 1979 until his retirement in 1996. At that time, he was one of only two presidents in the Association’s history. Olson was named to the PPAI Hall of Fame in 1997.
In an interview in PPB magazine in 1996 he recounted the day he was hired in December 1978 as one of the best days of his life. “I knew I was facing a challenge. We had to get member numbers and services up. And the Association was relocating to Irving, Texas, with only five of the 24 Chicago-based staff willing to relocate,” he said. Olson deftly handled that challenge and more.
Among his most memorable achievements were the relocation of Association headquarters from Chicago to Irving, Texas, in 1979, the construction of PPAI’s headquarters building in 1991, the transition to a staff-managed Association in 1992, the introduction of a new Association name in 1994, the board’s decision to admit distributor salespeople to the Expo and the introduction of PPAI’s first website in the mid-’90s, and double-digit membership growth during his 17-year tenure.
Before heading up PPAI, Olson spent 19 years in management at Union Carbide and seven years with two nonprofit nursing home associations.
Since his retirement, Olson had become a salesperson for Geiger and was a frequent visitor at PPAI activities and at the Expo. He also continued to be involved with his regional association, Promotional Products Association Southwest, the local Rotary Club and Boy Scouts Of America where he was honored as a 50-year member.
Survivors include his wife, Kathleen, daughter, Chris, son-in-law, Bo, granddaughter, Erin and great-granddaughter, Kylie. Funeral arrangements are pending.
See next week’s PPB Newslink for more on Olson and his influence on the industry.
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