#14 Lori Bauer

iPROMOTEu (asi/232119) – CEO

2025 Rank: #18

Industry Experience: 29 years

Previous Appearances on Counselor Power 50: 2

For iPROMOTEu (asi/232119) CEO Lori Bauer, who moves up four spots on this year’s Counselor Power 50 list, 2026 has been a year of transformation.

For one, the Counselor Top 40 distributor’s Distributor Exchange division – which facilitates acquisitions of distributorships – made a significant move in September by acquiring Flywheel Brands (asi/212986), a merchandising, print and e-commerce platform.

“The Flywheel acquisition is a win on two fronts,” Bauer says. “It brings in-house print expertise and MerchButler.AI, an AI-powered platform, into the iPROMOTEu ecosystem, giving our independent affiliates new competitive tools to scale and grow right away. It also expands DX’s capacity, making it an even stronger option for distributors planning their next chapter and creating better long-term outcomes for sellers.”

And, after acquiring former Counselor Top 40 distributor AIA Corporation (asi/109480) two years ago, Bauer’s team expects to finalize the integration this year by migrating more than 150 distributor owners onto the iPROMOTEu platform.

Still, 2026 hasn’t been without its challenges for the former Counselor Woman of Distinction. “Clients remained cautious in 2026,” she says. “Budgets faced more scrutiny and decisions took longer as buyers weighed every dollar.”

She and the executive team strive to help iPROMOTEu’s affiliates meet these challenges head-on with resources like managed marketing services and personalized sales coaching, along with continued investment in technology. Bauer believes MerchButler.AI, gained through the Flywheel deal, will give the distributor’s affiliates a true competitive edge by complementing the search and sourcing expertise they already offer. In early 2027, iPROMOTEu affiliates will have a white-label version of this client-facing marketing tool, branded for their own distributorship.

Speaking of technology, iPROMOTEu has consistently beaten its speed-to-market goals for iSUITE, the firm’s proprietary order management system. Bauer credits that accomplishment to the hiring of former PPAI President/CEO Dale Denham, who joined as iPROMOTEu’s chief information officer in March.

Looking ahead, Bauer is focused on supporting affiliates’ success by continuing to invest in technology, including AI, and launching initiatives that make running a distributorship more efficient and profitable. But that’s only possible with the right teams and people in place.

“My goal is to build on our culture to develop the next generation of industry leaders across our teams,” she adds, “because success includes helping people reach their full potential.”