Promotional Industry Recognizes Most Influential Figures in Its Sphere, According to ASI's Counselor® Magazine

The Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) has recently released its annual Counselor Power 50 list, honouring the most influential figures in the promotional products industry. The list, which ranks the most powerful people in the $24.7 billion sector, saw a significant change this year with a woman taking the top spot for the first time: Suzanne Worwood, COO of 4imprint.

Based in London, U.K., with main operations in Oshkosh, WI, 4imprint aims to become a $1 billion company by 2022. The company, currently the largest distributor in the industry, achieved an after-tax profit of $35.2 million on global sales of over $738.4 million in 2018. Kevin Lyons-Tarr, CEO of 4imprint, has been leading the company since 2018, alongside Suzanne Worwood, with the shared goal of reaching this ambitious revenue target.

The Power 50 list includes nine newcomers, reflecting the dynamic nature of the industry. Among the notable names are C.J. Schmidt, president and COO of Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125), and Chuck Fandos, CEO of Facilisgroup. Another notable inclusion is Ely Eastman, CFO, and Sharon Eyal, CEO, respectively, of ETS Express (asi/51197).

The celebration of the Power 50 took place at the 13th annual ASI Power Summit, held at the Loews Coronado resort on San Diego Bay. The event featured inspiring keynotes, expert panel discussions on various topics such as trade wars, mergers and acquisitions, selling to Gen Z, and a supplier-distributor debate on order errors. The discussion on the recent cyberattack at alphabroder, the largest supplier in the industry with 2018 revenue of $1.64 billion, was also a significant part of the summit. The firm recovered its order processing and shipping platform with no evidence of customer data or account information being compromised.

The discussion on alphabroder's cyberattack included advice from Microsoft Cyber Security Architect Matt Soseman on warding off and recovering from such attacks. Timothy M. Andrews, ASI president and CEO, praised the Power 50 list recipients for their adaptability and leadership.

Other notable figures on the list include Marc Simon, CEO of HALO Branded Solutions (asi/356000), Jeremy Lott, president of SanMar (asi/84863), Ross Silverstein, president and CEO of iPROMOTEu (asi/232119), and Greg Muzzillo and Vera Muzzillo, founder and CEO, respectively, of Proforma (asi/300094).

The Counselor Power 50 list annually spotlights executives from various sectors, including distributors, suppliers, and industry outsiders, who hold significant power and influence in a global marketplace. The 2021 list is a testament to the resilience, innovation, and leadership of these industry titans.