#7 Marc Simon

HALO Branded Solutions (asi/356000)
CEO

2023 Rank: #4

Industry Experience: 23 Years

Previous Appearances on Power 50: 18

Marc Simon has led Counselor Top 40 distributor HALO Branded Solutions from bankruptcy in the early 2000s to being a distributorship that consistently ranks in the top one or two for revenue.

Under his leadership, HALO eclipsed the billion-dollar sales mark in 2022 and nearly reached the milestone tally again in 2023. Given HALO’s size and increasingly global footprint, and along with Simon’s guiding hand, it’s clear why he’s remained in the top 10 of the Counselor Power 50 every year except once since the list’s inception in 2006.

Still, Counselor’s 2019 Person of the Year drops three places on this year’s list, a result of factors that include slightly lower influence scores from peers and declining revenue last year (a drop of 7%). Simon had earned a reputation for being a prolific dealmaker, having secured a series of major acquisitions (including multiple other Counselor Top 40 distributors) in the past two decades. It’s been a bit quieter on the M&A front for HALO of late, but Simon has still spearheaded strategic buys that advance the company, including at least two acquisitions so far in 2024.

Simon shares that a keen focus on internal improvements is setting HALO up for continued success now and in the years to come. “We’ve expanded our capabilities to meet the evolving needs of clients in the post-COVID world, investing in a broader range of solutions, including promotional products, corporate uniforms, awards, recognition programs and print services,” Simon notes. “We’ve also prioritized attracting and retaining top talent, building a collaborative team that works closely with account executives and sales teams to deliver impressive results.”