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Stationery Trends and its sister publication, Gift Shop® Plus, are proud to announce its second class of Gift + Stationery Spotlight Awards honorees. Although there are numerous awards programs in the gift and stationery industries, our editorial teams set out to create one that genuinely captures the leadership, creativity, compassion and ingenuity shown by the exceptional professionals who drive our communities forward in their diverse roles.

Thus, this talented dozen includes retailers, manufacturers, designers, sales managers and executives. Certainly some will be familiar to you, and some won’t. Each was nominated by their peers, and we can’t wait to share their stories and advice as we celebrate them all of 2025.

Join us for an industry star-studded breakfast reception at Atlanta Market on Thursday, Jan. 16, at 10 a.m. in AmericasMart, Building 1, Floor 14 Seminar Space as we kick off the year’s festivities! Attendance is free and open to all, but we encourage you to RSVP. Please RSVP at this link.

Thank you to our Gift + Stationery Spotlight Awards sponsors:

Angela Schmook

Vice President of Operations & Marketing, Road Runners

Tell us about yourself. I am the vice president of operations and marketing for Road Runners, as well as the founder of Reps Are Local Too Movement.

What professional accomplishments are you most proud of? One of my proudest accomplishments is contributing to the growth of Road Runners. When I started with this organization, there were only a few reps in the Southeast. This year, we celebrate our 25th anniversary with over 40 reps nationwide. Additionally, I’m incredibly passionate about the recent founding of the Reps Are Local Too Movement, highlighting local independent reps’ vital role in supporting small businesses and fostering local economies.

If you had to choose your most significant personal accomplishment, what would it be? My greatest personal accomplishment is achieving a healthy life balance rooted in self-love, including losing nearly 100 pounds. Prioritizing time to recharge and care for myself has transformed my well-being and made me more present and effective in all areas of life. This journey inspires my best self to support the people in my life better. I wish I had learned this earlier in my career.

Christina Hall

Sales Representative, Daniel Richards

Tell us about yourself. I am a native Floridian, living in Orlando with my husband, Scott, and our golden retriever. We have three grown children who make my heart smile. If I am not working (truthfully I am always working), you’ll find me traveling, at my local yoga studio, playing tennis or with family. Prior to becoming a sales rep, I was a first grade teacher. Teachers make great reps!

What professional accomplishments are you most proud of? I love this industry and treat my job as my own business. I have consistently been a top producer at Daniel Richards since I started 13 years ago. I embraced an underperforming territory and made it exciting.

I get so much joy when my stores notice how hard I work, how much I care, my quick response or say that I am a favorite rep. Daniel Richards has been home for me the past 13 years, allowing me to make such great friends within my company, with my stores and the vendors.

If you had to choose your greatest personal accomplishment, what would it be? I have been able to raise three great humans while doing a job I love. Having a husband for 31 years makes me proud and has also been a great adventure. My biggest physical accomplishment was climbing Mount Kenya with a 70 pound backpack. It forever changed me.

Delaney & Dillon Womack

Co-Founders, Specialty Wholesale Talent Association (SWTA)

Tell us about yourself.
Delaney (Vice President of NEST): I grew up in the halls of the Denver Mart (back when it was still a thing) and had my first job with NEST (formerly New Era Sales, Inc.) all throughout high school. I originally had ambitions to be a veterinarian and went to Colorado State University and graduated with a degree in zoology. Throughout college, I started my career in retail working for a customer of NEST’s in Fort Collins, Colorado, right in the heart of downtown. My love for the industry grew while in this role. After I graduated college, I worked for NEST in an administrative role while I was attempting to seek out internship opportunities to further pursue my vet dreams. Fast forward a year since I graduated, and COVID happened. Due to the pandemic, I became more integrated within NEST and helped spearhead our social media presence and helped create consistent engagement between the sales reps and the retailers during this strange time.

Dillon (Business Systems Analyst at Wondersign): I also grew up in the halls of the Denver Mart and, once out of high school, I worked for NEST (New Era Sales at the time), assisting with back-office administration and supporting the sales reps. While I had many ideas of what I wanted to be “when I grew up” I never really knew what I wanted to do. Brandwise, the leading technology provider in the Gift vertical of the industry enabling order capture, was located in Lakewood, Colorado, and was in the process of growing their new tools and in need of some help hotspotting their digital catalogs. I started working at Brandwise a few days a week to help out with the backlog of hotspotting and eventually transitioned into a full-time support position after a couple months of part-time work. After a couple months, I quickly established myself as the “go-to” support person for sales reps and agency admins, as I spoke the same language as them. Fast forward a year, I was leading the support team. Fast forward a couple more years, and I was responsible for the product including making sure new features or products were implemented, making sure bugs were resolved, etc. During this journey, I discovered that what I really wanted to do, was what I was doing. I have a passion for helping the customers, whether it was teaching/explaining something or solving a complex business problem through new development.

What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?

Delaney: I would say I am most proud of creating the Specialty Wholesale Talent Association (SWTA). After surviving COVID and getting more involved in NEST, I began to notice just how little younger generations represented the wholesale, specifically in the gift/home décor industry. Through talking and organizing with my network, SWTA was created as an initiative to spread awareness to the up-and-coming professionals/workforce. Since its creation in 2023, SWTA has hosted informational sessions at the three major markets and has been invited to collaborate with established industry associations, such as Gift Sales Managers Association (GSMA). Actively, we are working on bringing internship opportunities from the industry to students.

I am also proud to have co-chaired the give-back committee for Gift Home & Trade Association (GHTA) in 2022 and 2023, giving back to local charities in Tampa Bay, Florida, and San Antonio, Texas.

Dillon: I would say I am most proud of helping Delaney get the Specialty Wholesale Talent Association (SWTA) off the ground. It is a challenge taking a new idea and running with it. It has been a journey, but it has been a great learning experience. Outside of this, I am proud of developing the amazing relationships with many sales reps, back-office admins and sales managers. I am also proud of the growth that I was able to achieve within Brandwise.

If you had to choose your greatest personal accomplishment, what would it be?

Delaney: Other than being presented with this award, in the fall of 2021 I was able to purchase my first home in Denver at the age of 24. In the winter of 2021, I was promoted to vice president at NEST for my dedication of driving sales and bringing new ideas to the table during the pandemic.

Dillon: Other than the honor of this award, I would say it is being blessed with my family. My wife, Kimberly, and two beautiful kids (Penelope, 2, and Malcolm, 4 months). My family and the life we’ve built.

Ejibola Adetokunbo-Taiwo

CEO & Founder, Simply Ejibola

Tell us about yourself. I’m the current CEO and Founder of Simply Ejibola, based out of Alberta, Canada.Being an entrepreneur has given me the freedom to express myself, and I guess that is what drives our brand persona: freedom. It’s about giving power to the people and creating hope, passion, imagination and dreams through inspirational writing instruments, premium office and home stationery and luxury lifestyle gift items.

I was born and raised in a country in West Africa called Nigeria. In Nigeria, almost everyone now is an entrepreneur, it’s what we do and what makes us sedulous. I grew up in my mum’s convenience store and my dad was into real estate, hotels and buying and selling of land. I’ve always been in business and around business, it’s really been a part of who I am. I’ve learned a lot from my parents through their highs and lows, and those lessons serve as pillars for me running mine now. Leaving banking and diving into entrepreneurship is tough, it’s difficult owning your own business and most times it can feel lonely and isolating particularly as a Black business owner.

Starting a stationery and gift item brand definitely wasn’t what I had in mind when I was growing up. Coming from an African family, all you would hear at home is, “Go to university! Be a doctor! Be a lawyer! Be a banker!” And a banker I became. We were conditioned to think that those types of careers were the only way to become successful and ensure a happy and stable future. But over time, being a banker for over 15 years while working at one of Canada’s top five banks as a senior business banker and helping lots of entrepreneurs daily showed me another way of life I wasn’t exposed to. I discovered my hidden creativity skills — I loved it. I became an entrepreneur. A few years later, I decided to give the business my full-time attention.

What professional accomplishments are you most proud of? I am most proud of starting a business from ground zero and growing it into a brand with a physical flagship store and warehouse. Also, having the same business incorporate a social enterprise corporate responsibility model into the business structure is one that I am very proud of.

Simply Ejibola means Simply Amazing. It’s an enlivening, all-inspirational stationery, self care and wellness gift item brand that symbolizes hope, community and inspiration, and encourages dreamers to manifest their aspirations. Beyond lifestyle and wellbeing, Simply Ejibola serves as a source of motivation, urging individuals to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals. Our signature blend of premium and luxury embodies a world where dreams do come true. Simply Ejibola is a black-owned, 100% women-led and certified Canadian-owned brand.

Simply Ejibola is on a mission to solve some of the “world to-do list” of the United Nations sustainable development goals, including quality education and gender equality. This is what inspired me to start my business in 2020.

The brand is founded on three anchors of strength: Fuel your dreams, fuel your passion and  fuel your wellbeing. Our brand story, company, culture and national impact makes Simply Ejibola to be truly “Simply Amazing.” Through the purchase of Simply Ejibola, our customers are also investing in the building of the next generation of creators, innovators and future leaders.

Our products are sustainably manufactured and packaged using eco-friendly and ethically sourced materials. While all our products are conceived, created and designed in Alberta, we do manufacture internationally given the high cost of wood in Canada. That being said, we ship back into the country flat and have all products hand packaged at our warehouse here in Alberta enabling us to inspect and ensure perfect product quality control while delivering quality products into every home in North America.

If you had to choose your greatest personal accomplishment, what would it be? My greatest personal accomplishment would be believing in myself that I could become more.

Erik Legenhausen

Owner, Noble Mick’s & Lotus Jewelry Studio

Tell us about yourself. My wife Courtney and I have been in the gift industry for over 18 years with our parent company, Lotus Jewelry Studio. We know the industry really well and who our customers are. Each year during trade show season, we get the same questions over and over. The main question being, “what’s new?”

Everybody brings new products to market each season, whether it’s a new color, a new size, a new shape, but rarely is something actually new. I went home from our last trade show of the 2022 winter season and thought to myself, “Maybe I can be the one to bring something new to the gift industry.” I made a list of all the things this new product had to be. This new product had to be light and flat for logistical reasons, made in the United States, consumable, unisex, fit into any kind of store and had to be easy for sales reps and stores to sell.

I tried lots of different existing products, but none of them checked enough boxes on my list, until I had the idea for a single-serve craft cocktail. With tons of liquid mixers and cocktail infusion products on the market, the idea of a powered mix in a single-serve packet had never been introduced into our industry.

This all happened in February 2022. Over the next four months, I spent my time hiring a food scientist, developing recipes and finding a manufacturing facility. We were really focused on using natural fruit and developing a product that was not only innovative but tasted amazing!

Then, I moved on to branding and packaging. I already knew who my customer was, which made this part fairly easy. I was designing specifically for an audience I already had access to, these were already my customers so I knew what they were looking for. Our first trade show was in June 2022 so this whole process took about four months. We showed up at the Dallas Market with just this new idea not knowing how it would be received. We sold out on the first day! We knew we had something special and could hit the ground running.

Over the following 24 months we opened over 3,000 independent retail stores and sold more than 2 million cocktails! During our first two years in business, we have been working on ramping up production, new product and packaging development and just trying to keep our heads above water.

This whole process has been exciting and new and terrifying and invigorating. It’s like knowing how to ski really well and then trying to snowboard, it was all familiar yet different at the same time. We are excited for the upcoming year and all the exciting opportunities it holds. The best part is we get to share cocktails with friends, old and new. Cheers!

What professional accomplishments are you most proud of? I can remember my very first trade show in this industry. I was nervous, shy and unsure. I didn’t want to be there, and it was uncomfortable to say the least. Over the next 18 years, I have been able to develop so many great relationships and friendships. I now look forward to trade shows and have so much fun meeting new customers, vendors and reps. The growth as a person this industry has allowed me has just been amazing. I think that’s what I am most proud of. Identifying a weakness in my professional career and overcoming it.

If you had to choose your greatest personal accomplishment, what would it be? My wife and I have always been creative people. When we met, we both worked for other businesses. We knew that was not what we were meant to do though. We took the risk and started our own business. Without any fear of failing, we began to build and grow our business into what it is today. Never afraid to work hard and take risks, failure just wasn’t an option. We have built a life for ourselves, raised a family and enjoyed ourselves along the way. In retrospect, it didn’t seem like work or a job at all. It was more of an adventure we were on together. I have never liked being told what to do. I was a terrible employee. I was destined to be my own boss!

Janie Velencia

CEO, Shipfluence & The Card Bureau

Tell us about yourself. I’m originally from Albania, but I grew up in Michigan. I began my career as a political journalist, but in 2016, I ventured out on my own to start The Card Bureau, a stationery brand with a political and feminist focus. In 2023, I launched Toka, an eco-friendly greeting card company. As I scaled my stationery businesses, I developed my own fulfillment solution, which ultimately inspired me to create Shipfluence, a fulfillment company dedicated to supporting small businesses with their logistics needs.

What professional accomplishments are you most proud of? Our debut collection of greeting cards featured Ruth Bader Ginsburg, making us the first stationery brand to feature the Supreme Court justice. That bold choice helped put us on the map. At one point, I received a call from the Supreme Court letting me know that the Justice loved the cards. Over the years, the Justice would often order cards featuring her likeness and even wrote me letters that helped fuel me to keep going with my small business.

If you had to choose your greatest personal accomplishment, what would it be? I have a 16-month-old daughter, Cloe, who is the joy of my life. Being her mom has been the most challenging yet rewarding experience I’ve ever had.

Lauren Hawkins

Showroom Director & Senior Creative Specialist, CTW Home Collection

Tell us about yourself. I’m a creative specialist and showroom director based in North Carolina, where I get to immerse myself in the world of design and creativity every day. I’m passionate about all things artistic, whether it’s capturing moments through photography, filling my space with lush plants, exploring new destinations through travel, or whipping up something delicious in the kitchen. At home, my two beloved dachshunds are my constant companions, bringing joy and inspiration to my life. Creativity is at the heart of everything I do, and I love finding new ways to express it in both my work and personal life.

What professional accomplishments are you most proud of? One of the professional accomplishments I’m most proud of is having the opportunity to be involved in every step of the process within my industry. From the initial spark of designing products to carefully selecting them, creating unique names, writing descriptions and assigning SKUs, I love shaping a product’s journey. I also get to photograph the items, upload them to the website and then bring them to life in trade show displays. Seeing the entire process through, right up to selling the products and building relationships with the buyers, gives me a true sense of fulfillment.

If you had to choose your greatest personal accomplishment, what would it be? My greatest personal accomplishment is my relentless drive and determination, especially as a young person. In high school, I was already attending early college. By 18, I was living on my own and working as a manager and merchandiser. I taught myself photography, which led me to my role at CTW Home Collection, where I’ve taken on multiple responsibilities and grown in countless ways. Now, still in my 20s, I’ve accomplished so much — from saving diligently, traveling solo and remodeling my home to thriving in my career. I’m proud to break the stigma that young people can’t achieve big things and constantly push myself to be the best version of who I can be.

Liesel Anne Callahan

Business Owner, Artist & Designer, Liesel Anne Studios

Tell us about yourself. I am a self-taught artist based in Lawrence, Kansas, and the founder of Liesel Anne Studios, an online gift boutique where we create whimsically painted art and gifts. My primary medium is gouache on paper, and my style reflects the joy and beauty I find in everyday life. While I earned a degree in healthcare from the University of Kansas, my passion is designing and hand-making gifts, thank you cards and more. What began as a creative hobby has since blossomed into my full-time career.

After spending eight years on the East Coast in Richmond, Virginia, where I launched my business, I returned to Kansas to be closer to family and pursue my passion for art. Today, I lead a small team of incredible women who help package and ship our products nationwide, both to customers and boutiques. As the business continues to grow, I still personally hand-paint and design everything myself, finding inspiration from interior design, nature and fashion, which I weave into my colorful, preppy style.

What professional accomplishments are you most proud of? One of the most meaningful accomplishments for me has been creating a flexible, supportive work environment for the three mothers I employ at Liesel Anne Studios. As a mother myself, I understand the importance of balancing work and family, so I’ve made it a priority to offer non-traditional schedules and remote work that allow these women to contribute meaningfully to the business while still being present for their families. Being able to provide this kind of flexibility feels incredibly special because it enables them to pursue their professional passions while also supporting their families.

Knowing that my business not only spreads joy through art but also supports other mothers in finding balance between work and family life is something I hold close to my heart. It’s a reflection of the values at the core of Liesel Anne Studios, and it is immensely rewarding to see these women thrive both personally and professionally.

Another accomplishment I’m particularly grateful for is building my business, Liesel Anne Studios, from the ground up, despite having no formal background in business or art. The journey has come with its share of ups and downs — navigating challenges with the economy, team dynamics, a cross-country move and fluctuating sales. Each experience has provided valuable lessons, and while it hasn’t always been easy, we’ve persevered. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have developed a brand that reflects my personal style while staying true to our mission of spreading joy through whimsical art and hand-painted gifts.

We are always focused on growing intentionally, and a big part of that is putting ourselves out there more — making new connections, trying new things and exploring fresh opportunities. At the same time, we continue to refine and improve on what we know works well in business. It’s incredibly rewarding to see this vision come to life, share that joy with people around the world, and sustain a business that our customers can rely on.

If you had to choose your greatest personal accomplishment, what would it be? If I had to choose my greatest personal accomplishment, it would be becoming a mother. Motherhood has been the most rewarding and transformative experience of my life. Every day brings new lessons, challenges and joys, and I’m constantly learning through the process. It has taught me patience, resilience and an even deeper sense of empathy.

Being a mother has not only enriched my own life but also improved my relationships with others. I find that I approach my friendships and family connections with a greater understanding and appreciation for the experiences we all share. Balancing motherhood with being a business owner and artist has been a significant part of this journey, and I’m grateful for how it has shaped me both personally and professionally. Being a mother gives me a deeper appreciation for the little moments, and it fuels my passion for creating a life filled with joy and purpose. It’s a role that I cherish and continue to grow in every day.

Lisa Roberts

Owner, Rock Paper Scissors

Tell us about yourself. I’m the owner of Rock Paper Scissors, where I’ve turned my love for stationery, pop culture, unique gifts and the art of thoughtful giving into a thriving business in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Receiving this award is a wonderful reminder of the creativity, passion, and hard work that go into making a store more than just a place to shop, but a community of people. When I’m not curating the perfect gift or coaching a winning softball team, you can find me managing the daily chaos with a smile (and probably a notebook in hand).

What professional accomplishments are you most proud of? Building Rock Paper Scissors into a beloved, successful and steadily growing brand in Ann Arbor. I’ve taken your passion for stationery and gifts and turned it into a retail destination .Managing a thriving team at Rock Paper Scissors, fostering creativity and a customer-first culture while scaling the business and staying true to my brand vision. Balancing entrepreneurship and leadership, excelling both as a business owner and as a head varsity softball coach, where I’ve instilled discipline and teamwork, leading to significant success on the field. Creating unique and memorable customer experiences, such as the Original Stars Hollow event and Gilmore Girls Trivia Night, adding a sense of community and fun to my retail space.

If you had to choose your greatest personal accomplishment, what would it be? That both of our young daughters value a great pen, a thank-you note and enjoy a good episode of Gilmore Girls.

Renata Bokalo

Director of Sales, Shoppe Object/ANDMORE

Tell us about yourself. I am the sales director and founding member of Shoppe Object. I am also a member of the design, gift and home industry for over 25 years as a buyer/retailer, showroom director and now trade show producer. After graduating from Barnard College, I became an artist rep. In 1999, I founded auto — a pioneering, tastemaking, industry-disrupting, lifestyle and design store in the meatpacking district of NYC. In 2010, I started working at Aesthetic Movement, launching the jewelry and accessories division before becoming co-sales director. I am New Jersey born, N.Y.C. bred by Ukrainian parents, and currently divide my time between Hudson Valley, New York and Philadelphia with my husband.

What professional accomplishments are you most proud of? I am most proud of creating Shoppe Object. Shoppe Object was the culmination of so many facets of my professional career and was a huge and risky challenge. I am so proud of its success and all the amazing ways it enables our community of makers to thrive. In our last NYC show, I was especially proud to help bring five designers from war-torn Ukraine.

If you had to choose your greatest personal accomplishment, what would it be? Starting a retail store, auto, at age 26 having no prior experience. Along the way, we weathered many challenges but the experience I gained and relationships made were priceless. While this started my career as an entrepreneur and led me to where I am now, it was such a personal journey and labor or love, sweat and tears that it has become my proudest personal accomplishment.

Ryan Martz

Owner, Fire & Pine

Tell us about yourself. Raised near Cleveland, I am a graduate from The Ohio State University in 2005. I began my first gift business (LetterArt.com) in 2009 while attending law school. I moved our business to South Carolina in 2010 and have continued to innovate ever since. We launched our now flagship home décor and gift brand, Fire & Pine, in 2016. We also launched another décor brand, Print & Pine, in 2023, and Displays 4 Days, a retail display manufacturer, in 2024.

I currently live near Hilton Head Island, South Carolina with my wife Jessica and three sons; Kieran (8), Aiden (1) and Shannon (1).

What professional accomplishments are you most proud of? After 15 years in the home décor and gift industries, I am most proud of putting together an unbelievable team that is able to continuously churn out new and exciting products. We have been able to foster an environment that takes shots and learns from mistakes. We have also been able to maintain an amazing production team that keeps up with our product idea shenanigans and never misses a step.

If you had to choose your greatest personal accomplishment, what would it be? I am proud to have been able to, after all of these years, find a healthy work-life balance. As a business owner, it can be incredibly difficult to “turn it off” once you get home from work. Family is the most important thing in the world to me, and I am so thankful to have such a supportive wife and such amazing kiddos.

Shannon Martin

Owner & Creative Director, Shannon Martin Design

Tell us about yourself. I am the founder of Shannon Martin Design. I come from a long line of wonderfully witty women who spent countless hours sitting on porches and around dining room tables sharing laughter and making memories. As a lifelong photographer and copywriter-turned-designer, I suppose it was only natural I became a storyteller myself.

I first designed my collection drawing from old family photos and have since begun to include other friends’ snapshots, as well. So, when I say, “My mother was such a card,” it’s literally the case! She, along with my sisters, grandmother, uncles, father, etc., can be found on my all-occasion cards and other gifts. I still get so much joy pairing quips and quotes with just the right image. As we like to say here at Shannon Martin Design, “Every Picture Tells A Story.”

What professional accomplishments are you most proud of? I have won quite a few Louie Awards, which is a huge honor, of course. But the thing I am most proud of is the community I have built with my company. How any success I enjoy is shared by the many people who make this all possible — from my own team to the thousands of shop owners around the world who continue to support us and share how much their customers love our line — that’s a win-win, for sure!

Also, a shout out to the fine folks at Biely & Shoaf, my distributors and longtime business buddies. We are headed into 2025 celebrating a 20-year partnership together, and I am so grateful for their support. And? We have lots more newness in the works!

If you had to choose your greatest personal accomplishment, what would it be? That I am an outspoken advocate for animals and care deeply about them. All my dogs — and there have been many — were rescued. There’s something so special about loving an animal through hard times and giving them a new life. Immensely grateful, they are filled with glee and unconditional love, which they are quite happy to show you. Non-stop. Even when you are trying to get work done. Or have dinner. Or sleep. Seriously, though, it’s all worth it and I’ll happily do it again many more times, as much joy as it brings me. Who really rescued who?