News March 19, 2018
AIA Corporation, Prime Line Announce New Key Executives
Two of the biggest companies in the promotional products industry have installed new executives in the C-Suite.
AIA Corporation has appointed Randy Mohrbacher (right) to CIO; In a separate move, Prime Line promoted Joe Hoffmann to vice president of sales.
Top 40 distributor AIA Corporation (asi/109480) has appointed Randy Mohrbacher to the position of chief information officer. In a separate move, Prime Line (asi/79530), a Top 40 firm until recently being acquired by the industry’s largest supplier alphabroder (asi/34063), promoted Joe Hoffmann to vice president of sales.
At AIA, Mohrbacher’s job will center on overseeing and executing the distributor’s overall technology strategy. That includes developing enterprise infrastructure to serve the company and its 300 independent franchise owners, as well as managing technology and advancements for order procurement, security and vendor management.
“It’s an exciting time for me to join AIA. The company is in growth mode, and creating a technological infrastructure that supports and accelerates growth is what drives me to get results,” said Mohrbacher.
Interim CIO at AIA since Oct. 2016, Mohrbacher has more than 30 years of experience in technology, having previously provided tech expertise in fields that range from defense, distribution, and financial services, to healthcare, manufacturing and retail. Prior to joining AIA, he was a consultant with Liberty Technology Advisors Inc., the director of information technology at MacLean-Fogg Component Solutions, and also spent 10 years with JPMorgan Chase as the First Vice President/Technology Director.
“We are thrilled that Randy will join AIA in a full-time capacity,” said Matt Gresge, CEO of AIA Corporation. “Randy’s experience runs so deep that the size or scale of a project doesn’t stop him. He’s an engaged and approachable leader who confronts situations head on with thoughtful analysis and forward-thinking strategy to implement the best technology that will improve outcomes and efficiency for AIA and its stakeholders.”
Meanwhile, Hoffmann is ascending to the VP of sales position at Prime Line, which is now effectively alphabroder’s hard goods division. With about 20 years of experience with Prime Line-Jet Line, Hoffmann most recently served as director of national and group account sales. As vice president, he’ll be managing Prime Line’s regional and national sales managers.
Jeff Lederer, president of Prime Line, said Hoffmann’s strategic sales sense and deep knowledge of customers and their needs suggests that he’ll be extremely successful in the new position. “He plays an important role in our exciting future with alphabroder and our go-to-market sales strategy, which focuses on delivering the highest level of service, such as free 24-hour rush service for most items, as well as expanded product offerings,” said Lederer.
In December, alphabroder acquired Prime Line, a promotional products supplier since 1980 that’s headquartered in Bridgeport, CT.
With reported 2016 North American promotional products revenue of $1.14 billion, alphabroder ranked first on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest industry suppliers by revenue. When it was still an independent company, Prime Line ranked 11th on that same list with reported 2016 North American promo product sales of $116.8 million.
Meanwhile, AIA Corporation ranked 8th on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest distributors in the industry, after reporting 2016 North American promotional products revenue of $161.5 million.