#17 Ira Neaman & Rob Watson

Vantage Apparel (asi/93390)

2023 Rank: #22

Ira Neaman – President and Executive Chairman

Industry Experience: 47 Years

Previous Appearances on Power 50: 18

Rob Watson – CEO

Industry Experience: 17 Years

Previous Appearances on Power 50: 0

Less than a year after returning to Vantage Apparel as CEO, Rob Watson makes his Counselor Power 50 debut, joining Vantage founder (and Power 50 mainstay) Ira Neaman. Watson formerly held leadership roles at the Counselor Top 40 supplier, helping to enhance the customer experience, streamline operations and drive business development. Neaman remained the company’s president but relinquished the CEO position and took on the title of executive chairman, where he focuses on the supplier’s vision and strategy.

Watson’s influence has been readily apparent in the past year. Vantage launched a new webstore platform and created a digital integrations team to facilitate on-demand ordering and fulfillment. This past summer, Neaman and Watson oversaw an exclusive apparel collaboration with Toronto-based Redwood Classics Apparel (asi/81627), a supplier of premium Canadian-made garments, and added a selection of hard goods thanks to an exclusive agreement inked with fellow Counselor Top 40 supplier Starline USA (asi/89320). The supplier also continues to expand their international offerings through their partnership with Poland-based decorator Lynka, a firm Vantage acquired in 2021.

In the midst of all this, they’ve also found time to add direct-to-film decoration, revamp their Santa Ana, CA, and St. Louis showrooms, and give back; Vantage is a member of 1% for the Planet, and donates proceeds from sales of its Earthwise Collection to eco causes, like Clean Ocean Action. The bold initiatives propel the duo five spots up this year’s Counselor Power 50 list.