#49 Joseph Sommer & Dominique Volker

Whitestone (asi/359741)

2024 Rank: NR

Joseph Sommer – CEO

Industry Experience: 14 years

Previous Appearances on Counselor Power 50: 0

Dominique Volker – President

Industry Experience: 10 years

Previous Appearances on Counselor Power 50: 0

Joseph Sommer started his distributorship Whitestone (asi/359741) in his one-bedroom New York City apartment at the age of 23. Since then, he’s piloted the company on a remarkable growth trajectory along with his first employee (and now company president) Dominique Volker. Now, a year of major growth, acquisitions and international expansion land the duo on the Counselor Power 50 list for the first time.

Last summer, Sommer and Whitestone made a pair of acquisitions just days apart: purchasing Design Like Whoa in San Francisco and Merchful in Ontario, Canada, the latter of which expanded the NYC-based company’s footprint to the U.K. and EU. The distributor followed that up in late January by acquiring Illinois-based distributor American Apparel & Promotions.

Then in early spring, Sommer became CEO and promoted longtime colleague Volker, formerly vice president of sales, to president of the company. Together, the two have Whitestone poised to hit its five-year goal of $50 million in annual revenue by the end of next year, with 60% growth this year and continued scaling of the company’s European operations.

The two have acquired plenty of awards along the way; Sommer was named the Counselor 2024 Distributor Entrepreneur of the Year and Volker was an ASI Media Salesperson of the Year finalist in 2023. Their people-first philosophy earned Whitestone the number-two overall ranking on Counselor’s most recent Best Places to Work list.

“By empowering Dominique to lead the executive and sales teams, something she’s doing brilliantly, it’s freed me up to focus on strategy: international expansion and future acquisitions,” says Sommer, who just joined PPAI’s Board of Directors. “It’s also given me back time to step into a true CEO role, where I can balance big-picture vision with building the partnerships that will carry us into the next decade.”

Volker’s top priority is to lead the company into its next phase as a player in the international promo marketplace. “Our creative approach has continued to set us apart, giving us a bigger seat at the table with global brands who now see us as true partners,” she says. “We’re trusted to bring new ideas, make strategic suggestions and educate on best practices.”