Counselor Top 40 distributor HALO Branded Solutions (asi/356000), the second-largest distributor in the promotional products industry has acquired What’s Happening Promotions (asi/359209), a distributor based in Gainesville, FL.

Marc Douglass, president of What’s Happening Promotions, said the acquisition will create new growth opportunities for the brand, which offers a wide range of custom products like sunglasses, socks and travel mugs. The agency was founded in 1998 and now employs 24 people.

“Partnering with HALO enables us to expand what we deliver to our clients – offering greater access to creative talent, advanced technology and unmatched operational strength,” he said. “It also creates exciting opportunities for our team to grow and collaborate within the industry’s leading organization. This partnership reinforces our core mission of helping brands connect, engage and grow through impactful promotional and brand engagement solutions.”

What’s Happening Promotions will maintain its full team and operate as What’s Happening Promotions Powered by HALO, according to the two companies. Financial terms of the deal were not released.

This isn’t HALO’s first rodeo when it comes to acquisitions. Last year, the distributor purchased Jackson, WI-based Star Promotions and Middleton, WI-based Think It Then Ink It – the latest in a series of acquisitions in the company’s history, including multiple former Counselor Top 40 distributors.

“Marc and the What’s Happening Promotions team have built a successful business defined by service, creativity and strong client partnerships,” said Jim Stutz, vice president of sales, marketing and business development at HALO. “We’re thrilled to welcome them to HALO and look forward to supporting their continued growth with our scalable solutions, technology and operational capabilities.”

At the beginning of September, Jim Hilt stepped into the role of CEO, replacing HALO’s longtime leader and two-time Counselor Person of the Year Marc Simon. Hilt, who was named a Counselor Power 50 member for the first time this year, has ambitious plans to grow HALO into a multibillion-dollar distributorship and “transform [HALO] into a technology company” – goals he revealed in a Q&A last week at the ASI Power Summit.

In that interview, Hilt didn’t dismiss the possibility that HALO would continue to make future acquisitions, but noted that “I’m not probably focused on [M&A] as a core strategy, and I think that’s a difference in terms of where we’ve been.”

HALO ranked second on Counselor’s most recent list of top distributors in the industry based on a 2024 North American promotional products revenue of $964.7 million.