#16 John Bruellman & Kevin Walsh

Showdown Displays (asi/87188)

2025 Rank: #13

John Bruellman – CEO

Industry Experience: 20 years

Previous Appearances on Counselor Power 50: 6

Kevin Walsh – President

Industry Experience: 40 years

Previous Appearances on Counselor Power 50: 6

Last year, Counselor Top 40 supplier Showdown Displays (asi/87188) fully integrated the product line of AAA Innovations, which the supplier acquired in 2024. Company President Kevin Walsh says the company continues to see benefits from that integration this year. “The consolidated business now offers a wide variety of event, display and tailgating products that are available as print on demand,” says Walsh.

Beyond that, Walsh and CEO John Bruellman – who fall three spots on this year’s Counselor Power 50 list – are particularly proud of the continued recognition the company receives for its customer service capabilities. “Winning our fifth consecutive gold medal for the Customer Service Team in the Americas from CCW – that’s kind of a big deal and a true measure of how passionate our team remains,” Walsh says.

International sales remain a strong source of growth for Showdown, with its European business accounting for about a quarter of total global volume and promotional products sales in the region increasing by more than 50%. Bruellman says the company’s North American and European operations are becoming more closely aligned. “We’re rapidly becoming known as the preferred partner for our categories across all European geographies,” he says. “Some of that’s due to our current U.S. distributor customers who have entered the European market and continue to expand their businesses there. We’ll continue to grow that business in countries where we’re underpenetrated.”

Walsh says the path forward for Showdown looks similar to its competitors: managing tariff volatility and other economic variables, and working diligently to keep pace with technological innovations, especially AI. “To date, we’ve been successful in our efforts,” he says, “but the technology continues to evolve at an increasingly rapid pace.”