Every June Counselor Magazine releases their ‘Hot List’ which is their list of the hot talent in the promo industry for the past year. This year Brand Aid’s very own Dane Negrey landed on Counselor’s ‘Hot List’ as one of the young and hip rising talents in the industry. Landing on Counselor’s ‘Hot List’ is like landing on Forbes’ ‘30 Under 30’ or People’s ‘Sexiest Men Alive’. Counselor’s ‘Hot List’ represents a wide range of top performing professionals in the promo industry, both far and wide, who are pushing the industry forward. This year specifically, Counselor’s ‘Hot List’ also represents the rising talent of the industry with only those who have been in it for 5 years or less.
Kyle Richardson wrote about Dane for Counselor’s ‘Hot List’, and showed why he is doing amazing in the industry and a rising talent.
“Do you ever see job titles and wonder, ‘how do you even get that position?’ Certainly, you might think that about Dane Negrey, the ‘chief happiness officer’ at Salt Lake City-based Brand Aid. It turns out to get the gig, it helps to be really, well, happy. And really good at making other people happy.
‘I have bartending background and my goal was to never let a client leave unhappy,’ says Negrey, whose other official title is chief operating officer. ‘I’ve carried that virtue into the promo space and any other business endeavors.’
Sometimes ‘whatever it takes’ is more than you expect, like when an emergency happened with a job right before the Sundance Film Festival. ‘I happened to be at the PPAI Expo when a supplier canceled an order on us a week before an in-hands date,’ he says ‘I was able to find an awards supplier headquartered in Salt Lake and willing to help us.
So Negrey drove there the next day and drew up a design of the trays, which were cut out of acrylic. ‘I bought LED Adhesive strips and power banks for the trays, put them together with my production team, and drove them to Park City the day before the event,’ Negrey says. ‘We basically built the entire product from scratch in one day. It was intense, but they were happy.’
No doubt, it can take a lot of work to keep customers smiling, but it helps when you like what you do. ‘What I most enjoy is working with clients,’ Negrey said. ‘I’m happy when I make clients look good.’”
Seeing Dane featured on Counselor’s ‘Hot List’ was awesome. He is so much fun to be around and we love working with him here at Brand Aid. He is a down to earth, hardworking guy, who makes those around him better. He does whatever it takes to get the job done while always being happy and making those around him happy. His title of Chief Happiness Officer is definitely appropriate.
We want you to get to know Dane a bit more, so you can see just how awesome he is.
What are your three favorite brands and why?: Delta, because they have really stepped up their game in the last few years. Customer service and experience is a massive core value of mine in business, and these guys are nailing it lately. Adidas, because this brand has stood the test of time about as well as any, always staying ahead of the pack. I cannot imagine those three stripes ever not being cool. Timbuk2, because I am a little bag-obsessed. I like having pockets for all of my stuff and these guys make awesome products.
How many years you have been in the promo industry?: Just over three years.
What is your favorite thing about working in the industry?: The never-ending variety of clients and projects I get to work on and helping ideas become tangible products. I especially love when I see people using or wearing premiums that we’ve made out in public.
What are your favorite hobbies or activities when you’re not working?: Playing the piano, riding my 70’s road bike, microbreweries, camping, concerts, and barbeques.
What are your guilty pleasures?: Margaritas, Miike Snow, Dr. Disrespect, and having too many backpacks.
Ready to start your new project?
Brand Aid has the coolest and most innovative merchandise that will represent your organization with pride. We turn ideas into tangible, fun experiences through experiential advertising. We focus on finding the best quality products in your price range, offer creative branding capabilities, and handle everything from ideation to delivery.
Have an idea you’d like to make happen? Contact the amazing Brand+Aid team to schedule a free consultation at 323-800-2241 or shoot us an email at happy@brandaiding.com.
For more information, check out our website: www.brandaiding.com.
