PRESS RELEASES
ASI Unveils 2024’s Most Powerful People In Promo
Geiger President/CEO Jo-an Lantz takes the No. 1 spot on the Counselor Power 50
“It’s an honor to celebrate the trailblazers and visionaries shaping the future of the promotional products industry” - said ASI CEO Timothy M. Andrews
The Advertising Specialty Institute® (ASI) today revealed the 2024 Counselor Power 50 list of the most influential entrepreneurs and executives driving innovation in the $26.1 billion promotional products industry. Topping the list is Geiger President/CEO Jo-an Lantz, who claimed the No. 1 spot after ranking No. 5 in 2023, marking her 19th appearance on the Counselor Power 50.
“It’s an honor to celebrate the trailblazers and visionaries shaping the future of the promotional products industry,” said Timothy M. Andrews, president and chief executive officer of ASI, the premier technology, marketing and information provider in the promo sector. “These leaders are not only pushing boundaries, they’re also redefining what success looks like in a competitive, ever-evolving and increasingly global market.”
This year’s list reflects the dynamic growth and transformation across the promo sector, driven by bold leadership. The annual ranking is released by ASI’s Counselor magazine, a trusted source for promotional product trends, market data and industry news for 70 years.
This year’s Counselor Power 50 includes 25 distributors and 24 suppliers. Since more than one executive from the same company can be honored, the list includes a total of 70 industry leaders. The top 10 leaders of the Counselor Power 50 are, in order:
- No. 1: Jo-an Lantz, President/CEO, Geiger (asi/202900)
- No. 2: CJ Schmidt, CEO, Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125)
- No. 3: Jeremy Lott, President/CEO, SanMar (asi/84863)
- No. 4: Kevin Lyons-Tarr and Suzanne Worwood, 4imprint, CEO and Senior Vice President of Merchandising and Supply Chain, respectively (asi/197045)
- No. 5: Greg Muzzillo and Vera Muzzillo, founder and CEO, respectively, Proforma (asi/300094)
- No. 6: Frank Myers, CEO, S&S Activewear (asi/84358)
- No. 7: Marc Simon, CEO, HALO Branded Solutions (asi/356000)
- No. 8 Larry Zavadil and Justin Zavadil, Founder/CEO and President, respectively, American Solutions for Business (asi/120075)
- No. 9: Chris Anderson, CEO, HPG (asi/61966)
- No. 10: Jay Deutsch, CEO, BDA (asi/137616)
Lantz earned the top spot for her leadership in international expansion, spearheading strategic acquisitions in Europe since 2018 that solidified the Lewiston, ME-headquartered firm as one of the most formidable distributors in the United Kingdom – Europe’s second largest national market for promo sales. Named 2020’s Counselor Person of the Year, Lantz also achieved high influence scores in this year’s Counselor Power 50 survey.
As highlighted in her profile on asicentral.com/news, Lantz is a global ambassador for promo, representing the U.S. in WAGE (World Advertising Gifts Exchange), a network of promo companies spanning over 25 countries. Geiger remains a major player in North America, with $330.3 million in 2023 domestic revenue, while pioneering sustainability efforts in the industry.
ASI honored the Counselor Power 50 at a celebratory dinner during the three-day ASI Power Summit, an annual event for industry leaders featuring valuable networking and top industry speakers and business experts at the Rancho Bernardo Inn in San Diego, CA. The 2025 ASI Power Summit is October 12-14 in Scottsdale, AZ.
Introduced in 2006, the Counselor Power 50 annually spotlights distributor and supplier executives who exert considerable impact on the promo market.
The creation of the Counselor Power 50 starts with voting by last year’s members and the industry at large, along with nominations of potential new members from industry pros, after which ASI Media executives gauge each candidate based on their accomplishments over the past year as well as their career-long track record.
This year and moving forward, Counselor will include only leaders whose companies conduct business as promo suppliers and distributors. The change had a notable effect this year – the Counselor Power 50 features 17 people who weren’t on last year’s list, including 15 people making their first appearance. The list also features 20 women – more than have ever appeared on the Counselor Power 50 since its inception.
For more information on the Counselor Power 50 contact ASI Editor-in-Chief C.J. Mittica at cmittica@asicentral.com. Michele Bell is ASI senior vice president of content and global alliances.
