Strategy

Counselor 2024 Power 50

In a roller-coaster decade, these are the leaders navigating the highs and lows to lay the foundation for long-term success.

Halfway through the 2020s, it’s been a decade full of highs and lows: the depths of the pandemic, the trials of supply chain and labor disruption, the boom times of recovery and the current challenges of slow sales and tight budgets. It has called for leaders who can meet the moment.

The Counselor Power 50 is a collection of these entrepreneurs and executives in the promo industry who have demonstrated all the right qualities. With the perfect mix of pragmatism and boldness, they’re steeling their companies against the ebbs and flows to reach long-term success.

Our process for assembling the Counselor Power 50 starts by surveying last year’s members and the promo industry at large to determine whose influence is rising and falling. We also put out a call for nominations for potential new members. We then research each candidate and examine their career accomplishments and achievements in the past year. This information in its totality helps establish who is recognized on our annual list.

This year and moving forward, Counselor has decided to include only leaders whose companies conduct business as promo suppliers and distributors. (This makes industry service providers, nonprofits, politicians and outside business leaders ineligible.) The change has a notable effect this year – the Counselor Power 50 features 17 people who weren’t on last year’s list, including 15 people making their first appearance. The list also features 20 women – more than have ever appeared on the Counselor Power 50 since its inception.

Come meet the leaders who have their companies sprinting to success in the second half of the decade and beyond.

Click on the names below to read more about each Power 50 honoree.

Counselor 2024 Power 50

2024 rank Name/Company 2023 rank Rank change Previous times on Counselor Power 50
1 Jo-an Lantz
Geiger (asi/202900)
5   4 18
2 CJ Schmidt
Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125)
2 same 14
3 Jeremy Lott
SanMar (asi/84863)
3 same 11
4 Kevin Lyons-Tarr & Suzanne Worwood
4imprint (asi/197045)
1   3 18 & 5
5 Greg Muzzillo & Vera Muzzillo
Proforma (asi/300094)
6   1 18
6 Frank Myers
S&S Activewear (asi/84358)
26   20 1
7 Marc Simon
HALO Branded Solutions (asi/356000)
4   3 18
8 Larry Zavadil & Justin Zavadil
American Solutions for Business (asi/120075)
9   1 18 & 10
9 Chris Anderson
HPG (asi/61966)
7   2 5
10 Jay Deutsch
BDA (asi/137616)
12   2 18
11 Dan Pantano
alphabroder (asi/34063)
8   3 3
12 Jonathan Isaacson & Frank Carpenito
Gemline (asi/56070)
10   2 18 & 1
13 John Bruellman & Kevin Walsh
Showdown Displays (asi/87188)
11   2 4
14 Craig Nadel & Debbie Abergel
Nadel (asi/279600)
13   1 12 & 7
15 Lance Stier & David Miller
NC Custom (asi/44900)
17   2 6
16 Mark Freed & Mitch Freed
Genumark (asi/204588)
19   3 7 & 2
17 Ira Neaman & Rob Watson
Vantage Apparel (asi/93390)
22   5 18 & 0
18 Trevor Gnesin & Clive Goldberg
Logomark (asi/67866)
20   2 18 & 0
19 Brandon Mackay & Brittany David
SnugZ USA (asi/88060)
18   1 13 & 6
20 Carleen Gray
GroupeSTAHL (asi/88984)
25   5 6
21 Pierre Montaubin
Koozie Group (asi/40480)
28   7 1
22 Jake Himelstein
BAMKO (asi/131431)
21   1 2
23 Lori Bauer
iPROMOTEu (asi/232119)
N/A N/A 0
24 Bill Korowitz & Dan Jellinek
The Magnet Group (asi/68507)
27   3 16 & 0
25 Andy Shape
Stran Promotional Solutions (asi/337725)
24   1 2
26 Jo Gilley
Overture Promotions (asi/288473)
29   3 5
27 Memo Kahan & Kate Alavez
PromoShop (asi/300446)
33   6 7 & 0
28 Ray Titus & Andrew Titus
Fully Promoted (asi/384000)
39   11 8 & 1
29 Norm Hullinger & Megan Spire
BELLA+CANVAS (asi/39590)
16   13 9 & 2
30 Daron Hines
Staples Promotional Products (asi/120601)
35   5 2
31 Chris Vernon & Lisa Hubbard
The Vernon Company (asi/351700)
31 same 18 & 2
32 Chris Lee
Brand Addition (asi/202515)
34   2 5
33 Michael Scott Cohen & Jon Alagem
Harper + Scott (asi/220052)
43   10 2
34 David Schneiderman & Todd Schneiderman
Something Inked (asi/329822)
45   11 1
35 Taylor Tadmor
Tekweld (asi/90807)
N/A N/A 0
36 Heather Smartt & Kenny Ved
Goldstar (asi/73295)
N/A & 47 N/A & up 11 0 & 1
37 Susan Drenning
Taylor Corporation (asi/333647/97270)
37 same 1
38 Yuhling Lu
Ariel Premium Supply (asi/36730)
N/A N/A 1
39 Brian Porter
Starline (asi/89320)
N/A N/A 0
40 Neil Ringel
PCNA (asi/66887)
36   4 3
41 Tamara Borello
ePromos Promotional Products (asi/188515)
40   1 1
42 Susan Lewandowski
BEL Promo (asi/39552)
N/A N/A 0
43 Aaron Hamer
Boundless (asi/143717)
N/A N/A 0
44 Sandy Gonzalez
MadeToOrder (asi/259540)
N/A N/A 2
45 Ben Grossman
Grossman Marketing Group (asi/215205)/SwagCycle
49   4 1
46 Tracey Barton
Deluxe/Safeguard (asi/178720/316203)
46 same 6
47 Mitch Kaeser & Brad Kaeser
Kaeser & Blair (asi/238600)
N/A N/A 0
48 Teresa Fudenberg
Storm Creek (asi/89879)
N/A N/A 0
49 Jose Gomez
Edwards Garment (asi/51752)
N/A N/A 0
50 Jodie Schillinger
Maple Ridge Farms (asi/68680)
N/A N/A 0

N/A=not applicable, new to list