#18 Craig Nadel & Debbie Abergel

Nadel (asi/279600)

Craig Nadel – President/CEO

2025 Rank: #14

Industry Experience: 43 years

Previous Appearances on Counselor Power 50: 14

Debbie Abergel – Chief Strategy Officer

2025 Rank: #14

Industry Experience: 27 years

Previous Appearances on Counselor Power 50: 9

Craig Nadel and Debbie Abergel, the longtime duo at the helm of Counselor Top 40 distributor Nadel (asi/279600), slip four spots on this year’s list after receiving lower influence ratings from the promo industry on the Counselor Power 50 survey. But their company has had quite the year so far. Multiple Nadel-powered promo campaigns have made national headlines, from OpenAI’s viral public company store to a Buc-ee’s parody segment on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver that prompted a “Buc-off” promo launch.

The company also has been rapidly growing, both in sales – notching a couple of quarters of double-digit percentage sales increases – and with acquisitions, including Tugboat in California and All Branded Group in Australia to expand its presence Down Under. When it comes to acquisitions, Nadel and Abergel share, the goal is always to find companies that align with Nadel’s culture, people and approach to campaigns. Those qualities always remain top of mind for the distributor, which finished as the top extra-large company on Counselor’s 2026 Best Places to Work list.

The larger focus, though, is consistently on organic growth, with a targeted approach toward markets experiencing a boom. “There are always good clients out there willing to spend if you can help them with their marketing efforts,” Nadel notes. “There are always sectors of the economy doing well.”

Nadel has also prioritized continuing to invest in tech and software solutions, aiming to improve the client experience and expanding their overall capabilities – and the goal for 2027 is “to continue developing new tools and services that help us go to market, build greater efficiencies across the business and continue investing in our people.”