Liz Kalil
V.P. Business Development
416.240.4129
“Integrity is a big part of my personality that works best for me, and I pride myself in doing a good job and helping the company move forward.”
Those who have navigated the promotional products industry for more than twenty years are few and far between, simply because so many elements of the industry, in its modern sense, either didn’t exist, or were in their infancy at that time. Liz Kalil, however, is one of those few people; she worked in in the industry at its newest when she was the President of the ELK Corporation, which would eventually join forces with SVS Marketing, bringing Liz to her current position as SVS’s VP of Business Development, where she can put her expertise in brand name retail products to good work while expanding SVS’s already impressive profile of clients.
As an industry veteran, Liz has worked with clients that include Fortune 500 companies, and specializes, appropriately, in specialty products. For many of her clients, Liz is relied upon to bring a unique product idea seamlessly through the journey from concept to bulk order. As one of SVS’s most experienced sales representatives, she is a logical choice for her position, where she spends much of her time looking for opportunities to expand SVS’s profile in any way she can.
When Liz started out with ELK, brand name and products with custom logos on them were a rare concept, and she would often need to travel into the United States, or to Europe, to fulfill unique orders for her clients. This allowed her to stand out from her competition in a big way. Over time, the practice became increasingly common, but at the time, Liz and the ELK Corporation were pioneers of a new kind of product marketing. Today, her creativity and expertise are highly valued by her coworkers and clients alike.
“I am very persistent and never give up until I’m in the door. … and I enjoy working with my clients and team members.”
Liz’s work in promotional marketing has come a long way from its humble beginnings, but some things haven’t changed; her affinity for teamwork, for example, is as strong as ever, and continues to be an important part of day-to-day work at SVS Marketing. As someone who gets along well with people, and as someone who wants to see success both for her clients and company, Liz is still an effective and well-respected salesperson in this industry. In fact, a great many of her clients over the years have come to her simply through the referral of their colleagues; her reputation precedes her, and helps her to advance her clients’ images through brand marketing and, in particular, through e-commerce.
Liz’s specialty lies in working with online marketplaces for the financial and automotive industries. She enjoys working with specialty products and unique items for her wide range of clients, and, although financial markets are her specialty, she’s happy to work with any and all businesses that could benefit from promotional items — and certainly has the expertise and adaptability to work with any business that may come her way.
“When I first started ELK, I travelled to the States and Europe to find unique items that no one in our industry carried in Canada. My product selection was very different from the standard t-shirt and cap offerings. … Now, everyone in the industry is offering brand name, and it’s much easier to find and logo. We pioneered the concept over twenty years ago.”