EAST BUTLER — David Ball has worked his way up from salesman to president of an internationally recognized brand management firm by focusing on personal and professional growth.

Ball, president of IDL Worldwide in East Butler, oversees about 300 employees who provide design, engineering, fabrication and installation to brands and retailers. That work is aimed at improving clients' methods of selling products and communicating with their customers.

IDL Worldwide, part of the Matthews Brand Solutions companies, services many of the world's largest brands including Chevron, BP, Starbucks, Nike and Walmart, as well as other brands like Giant Eagle and GNC.

The company was founded in 1943 in East Butler.

“Everything we do is very creative and ever-changing,” Ball said.

“It's one of those industries that everybody interacts with. You see our products every time you go shopping.”

Born in Canton, Ohio, Ball moved to Western Pennsylvania with his family as a toddler and graduated from Baldwin High School in 1986.

He then attended Penn State University's McKeesport campus for two years before heading to State College and earning a degree in marketing in 1990.

His first job out of college in sales and marketing management for petroleum producer Coastal Energy took him all over the east coast.

“It was one of those jobs where I had eight different apartments in two years,” Ball said. “But I always had a desire to get back to the Pittsburgh area.”

After Coastal Energy, Ball took a job selling medical supplies, but the position did not appeal to him.

“I went into a blind interview with IDL Worldwide and just fell in love with the entrepreneurial nature of the industry,” Ball said.

He was hired into IDL's sales department in 1994, tasked right away with convincing major corporations that IDL was the firm to promote their brands.

“At that point, I was traveling to Manhattan every week and calling on big companies. My first client was House of Seagrams (a spirits company),” Ball said.

“I had good mentors and worked hard. A lot of hustle. This is a hustle kind of business. If you are able to outwork and outhustle your competition, you can make a name for yourself.”

Through the years, Ball worked his way up through IDL's sales and marketing departments, eventually earning positions in design engineering and project management.

He said his sales experience helped him understand what exactly companies needed to promote their brands.

“Really bringing that market view, understanding what the customer and the market need, bringing that to our internal teams, that's what I brought. I wasn't so internally focused,” Ball said.

He said his work in sales allowed him to see the efficacy of different types of marketing.

“If you look at traditional advertising (print and television), the use of it is certainly under a lot of scrutiny,” Ball said.

“Social media, in-store marketing and packing are three areas that really are being pushed right now because they have the immediate attention of the customer.”

Of course, constantly scanning brand marketing and analyzing it becomes second nature for an individual in Ball's field and tough to turn off.

“I think anybody that's passionate about our industry, probably is a little annoying to shop with,” he said.

“That's the beauty of our industry. Anybody that has a passion for retail science can excel in this business. It's all about how you process that and realize how you are being influenced to buy a product or helped to connect with it.”

Ball's marketing savvy and awareness earned him the executive vice president of client services' office, and finally the presidency of IDL.

“Never stop investing in yourself. I read a lot, I go to seminars and I have met with an executive coach every Monday for the past five years. He is a business coach. He helps me develop ideas and he holds me accountable (for maintaining personal discipline), Ball said.Currently, Ball's title is president of global client services for Matthews Brand Solutions.Matthews International, Pittsburgh's oldest company, founded in 1850, bought IDL in 2004. Matthews International is a publicly-owned company.“Nike is our largest customer, currently,” Ball said.“But it is a very competitive marketplace. I think we operate under our premise of having strategic, creative world-class project management and limitless capacity.”IDL's 700,000-square-foot East Butler facility, of which the company occupies about 600,000 square feet and rents the remainder, is its North American brand technical and manufacturing center, Ball said.The East Butler facility includes a print shop for digital and screen printing, assembly packaging, warehousing and distribution services. About 250 of IDL's 300 employees work there.Ball said IDL, through Matthews, does some manufacturing in China and has product partners across the globe.“We are continuing to grow in the business,” Ball said.“It's really about the business and what it means to the community here. People have a more substantial global player in their backyard than they even realize.”Always focusing on improvement and looking through a marketing lens, Ball said that backyard “has a lot going for it.”“To me, it's about building pride in what Butler is. Butler County has a lot of beautiful natural resources and businesses.”Ball, who lives in Upper St. Clair with his wife, Lori, and two daughters, ages 14 and 10, said Butler County's attributes are too often overlooked because of its proximity to prestigious Allegheny County.“You need to look at it as a county that's more cost effective to live in, where a lot of good development is taking place,” he said.

<B>BALL FILE</B><B>Name:</B> David Ball<B>Address:</B> Upper St. Clair, Allegheny County<B>Position:</B> President, IDL Worldwide<B>Family:</B> Wife, Lori, and two daughters, ages 14 and 10<B>Education:</B> Baldwin High School, 1986; Pennsylvania State University, marketing, 1990<B>Quote:</B> “I had good mentors and worked hard. A lot of hustle. This is a hustle kind of business. If you are able to outwork and outhustle your competition, you can make a name for yourself.”<B>ON THE JOB</B><B>Name:</B> IDL Worldwide, a part of Matthews International, a publicly-owned company<B>Address:</B> 500 Grant Ave., East Butler, PA 16029<B>Top Official:</B> David Ball, president<B>Services:</B> Provides design, engineering, fabrication and installation to brands and retailers<B>Clients served:</B> Local and global clients, including Giant Eagle/Market District/Get-go, GNC, Starbucks, Apple and Nike<B>Employees:</B> About 300 overall, more than two-thirds of whom work in East Butler<B>Contact:</B> 724-231-4700 or online at idlww.com/<B>Mission Statement:</B> “Good is the enemy of Great”<B>BUSINESS INSIGHT</B>David Ball, president of IDL Worldwide, an East Butler-based marketing and brand solutions firm, has spent 20 years helping companies increase the prestige of their brands.Here are some of his tips for success in marketing:• “I have found that my No. 1 tip for everybody, and it may seem obvious, is work hard and hustle every day.”• “Learn to communicate at all levels, from the shop floor to the corporate offices. Communication means everything.”• “Be passionate about collaboration.”• “Never stop investing in yourself. I read a lot, I go to seminars and I have met with an executive coach every Monday for the past five years. He is a business coach. He helps me develop ideas and he holds me accountable (for maintaining personal discipline).”• “Learn to provide more value than you consume. Any situation you are in, every day, you need to look at who you interact with and find if you are taking more value from them than you are providing.”