Our annual picks of the industry’s rising stars – a brave, bold group that’s trailblazing a unique path to success.

Joe Durham

HALO (asi/356000)

When the Great Recession hit, Joe Durham lost his job teaching and coaching high school football in Cobb County, GA. Some people would’ve pouted, but Durham took it as a motivator. “My wife introduced me to an owner of a distributorship,” he says.

At that moment, Durham’s career selling promo products was born. With Durham’s drive, his success was virtually guaranteed. After learning the promo trade at STG Marketing (asi/316175), Durham transitioned to HALO (asi/356000), where he’s increased his sales every year since joining the company. In 2017, he says he’s "on the verge" of getting his biggest client yet – a large hardware company. Durham’s philosophy on winning huge deals: “If you’re not asking the question, it’s always going to be a no.”

Durham’s perspective is also noble one. “Sure, I want to be up over a million dollars in sales soon – reaching that level would validate everything,” he says. “But I want to be happy and have balance in my life.”

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