#23 Lori Bauer

iPROMOTEu (asi/232119) – CEO

2023 Rank: NR

Industry Experience: 27 Years

Previous Appearances on Power 50: 0

Lori Bauer was a shoo-in to debut on the Counselor Power 50 list this year – and that was before her company, Counselor Top 40 distributor iPROMOTEu, scored the biggest distributor acquisition in the promo industry this year.

The purchase in question? It happened last month when iPROMOTEu acquired fellow Counselor Top 40 distributor AIA Corporation (asi/109480) – a deal that brings together two companies with combined 2023 revenue of $365 million. “The acquisition of AIA marks a major milestone for our company, and I’m proud to have guided us through the process,” Bauer says. “It’s been great to see how our two teams are equally passionate about creating new opportunities for our network of independent affiliates and supplier partners. I look forward to delivering unparalleled value to everyone in the iPROMOTEu and AIA communities and leading these teams as they contribute meaningfully to the industry’s future.”

The move provided an exclamation point to Bauer’s year and the first big signature moment of her new role as CEO of iPROMOTEu. It was at the end of January that IPU founder and longtime President/CEO Ross Silverstein departed the company and Bauer (who was the company’s senior VP of affiliate sales and support) stepped in. For Bauer, it was the culmination of a journey that started in 1998 when she joined Counselor Top 40 supplier Koozie Group (asi/40480) – then known as BIC Graphic North America – as an assistant product manager in marketing. Bauer spent 23 years at the supplier, moving up the ranks before making the leap to the distributor side.

Since then, Bauer has hit the ground running. The Counselor 2019 Woman of Distinction has doubled down on her company’s commitment to its affiliates with high-grade marketing tools, ERP integration of the company’s iSuite digital platform and the launch this summer of a mobile app. She also deepened the distributor’s considerable leadership roster with the addition of longtime colleague Dave Saracino, Counselor’s 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, in the role that Bauer previously occupied. “My first months as CEO have been nothing short of action-packed,” she says. “We’ve tackled new challenges with successful outcomes, enhanced our position as a top distributor organization and celebrated many individual staff and Affiliate achievements.”

Bauer’s success speaks to a level of caring that infuses her ability to service customers, partners and colleagues – also evident through her active volunteerism and the many charities inside and outside the industry that she’s worked with, including a stint as the Chair of the Promotional Products Education Foundation (PPEF) Board of Trustees.