#5 Jo-an Lantz & David Geiger

Geiger (asi/202900)

Jo-an Lantz – CEO

2024 Rank: #1

Industry Experience: Entire Career

Previous Appearances on Counselor Power 50: 19

David Geiger – President

2024 Rank: NR

Industry Experience: 15 years

Previous Appearances on Counselor Power 50: 0

Running a family business is no easy feat. But Jo-an Lantz and David Geiger, the leaders at Counselor Top 40 distributor Geiger (asi/202900), are up to the challenge.

The 147-year-old company has gone through some significant changes in the last 12 months – none bigger than appointing David Geiger as president in November 2024. He took over the role previously held by Lantz, who remains CEO but had held both titles since 2019. David, who started with the company in 2007 and was named general counsel in 2018, represents the fifth generation of Geiger family leadership.

“Stepping into the role of president has been an honor, a great responsibility and an exciting new chapter,” Geiger says. “My experience as general counsel gave me deep familiarity with the legal and strategic side of the business, but this transition has allowed me to connect with our people, clients and partners in new and meaningful ways.”

Lantz, meanwhile, is a Counselor Power 50 mainstay who has appeared on the list every year since its inception and was named the Counselor 2020 Person of the Year. This year she continued expanding the company’s footprint, adding Texas-based Elevate Brand Marketing (asi/600369) as an affiliate and also acquiring Germany-based SOESTMEDIA through Geiger GmbH, its Germany-based subsidiary. Lantz says these acquisitions helped the company navigate economic uncertainty.

When it came to tariffs, Geiger responded quickly and efficiently by pivoting where necessary. “We shifted some major production runs to countries that had lower tariffs,” Lantz says. “Fortunately, our global business has resulted in a more expansive supply chain and we had suppliers already in place that could respond.” While it wasn’t easy to manage the uncertainty of tariff percentages and the messaging around them, Lantz says her team navigated the uncharted waters with good communication and a solid supply chain strategy.

Earlier this year when David stepped into the role of president, Lantz said, “David brings a deep understanding of Geiger’s values and a progressive approach to our global operations.”

David adds that Lantz’s mentorship has made the transition smoother than he anticipated. Thanks to her leadership, he says, his priority now is to listen, learn and continue his family’s legacy while finding opportunities to innovate.