#48 Jose Gomez

Edwards Garment (asi/51752) – President/CEO

2024 Rank: #49

Industry Experience: 17 years

Previous Appearances on Counselor Power 50: 1

Jose Gomez moves up a spot this year, as he marks his second appearance on the Counselor Power 50, and has positioned himself as an expert in navigating the tricky tariff situation that’s marked much of 2025.

Indeed, Gomez noted that changes in trade rules brought upon by new import tariffs have been the biggest challenge Edwards Garment (asi/51752) faced this year. “On the supply side, we had to react to cost increases by using our supply chain flexibility and scale to negotiate the lowest possible increases and deal with changes in country of origin,” he explains. “On the front end, these changes created significant economic uncertainty, which reduced growth plans in many of the industries we served and translated into delayed or reduced purchasing decisions.”

Gomez has been a fixture at Edwards for almost 15 years, starting out as vice president of sourcing and operations. He was appointed president of Edwards in 2021 and added CEO to his title in 2022. During his tenure with the company, he’s helped geographically diversify sourcing, with a strategy that’s involved producing products nearer to home. He was also instrumental in getting the EdwardsX custom clothing division off the ground.

Despite a challenging first half of the year, Gomez says he’s been particularly proud of his team’s ability to increase penetration in apparel programs at a national scale, with large organizations relying on Edwards styles. In 2026, he intends to continue that growth. “We have great brand equity as a reliable partner to our long-term distributors,” Gomez says. “This needs to be continuously updated and increased to newcomers to the industry.”