News July 12, 2023
Top 40 Supplier Hirsch Names New CEO
Paul Hirsch is rising to the chief executive role at the Houston, TX-based firm that his father founded.
Hirsch (asi/61005) is sticking with family leadership in the C-Suite.
The Top 40 supplier just announced that it has promoted Paul Hirsch to chief executive officer.
Peter Hirsch, founder of the Houston, TX-based firm and Paul’s father, will retain his position as president.
“Paul’s elevation to CEO further places him in the leadership role for the continued growth of Hirsch Inc.,” said Peter Hirsch, winner of the 2018 Bess Cohn Humanitarian of the Year Award.
Peter continued: “Paul has served the organization in many capacities with great skill over the years – including his most recent role as vice president. This has given him a keen understanding of both the organization and the amazing people who truly make Hirsch special.”
Paul Hirsch began working in the family company in 1999.
The supplier said Paul has a strong background in applying technology to create operational efficiencies, and his appointment as CEO signals a continued commitment to leverage technology to “increase performance within the company and provide tools to benefit our distributor partners.”
His educational background is in management information systems at the University of Houston’s C.T. Bauer School of Business. He’s the co-Founder of Patriot Coolers, a brand offered by Hirsch.
“I look forward to continuing Hirsch’s path of successfully bringing premium retail brands to the branded merchandise industry and helping our distributor partners grow their respective businesses,” Paul said.
Formerly known as Hirsch Gift, the firm rebranded to simply Hirsch in the autumn of 2022. Employing more than 100 people, Hirsch offers a wide array of products, including bags, technology items, outdoor gear, drinkware and more. The firm sells a range of retail brands. In April, for instance, Hirsch announced partnerships with Blendi, Cuisinart and four other retail brands.
Based on reported 2021 North American promotional product revenue of $38.3 million, Hirsch ranked 40th on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest suppliers in the industry.
Word on Paul Hirsch’s appointment comes as another Top 40 firm, distributor Kaeser & Blair (asi/238600), also revealed an in-the-family leadership change the same day. Longtime President/CEO Kurt Kaeser, a member of Counselor’s Power 50 list of promo’s most influential people, has moved to the role of chairman, while his sons Mitch and Brad have taken over as co-CEOs.