#2 CJ Schmidt

Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125) – CEO

2025 Rank: #2

Industry Experience: 22 years

Previous Appearances on Counselor Power 50: 16

This is the fourth consecutive year that CJ Schmidt, CEO of Counselor Top 40 supplier Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125), ranks second on the Counselor Power 50 list. His accomplishments in the past year demonstrate why he remains firmly in the upper echelon of promo’s most influential leaders.

Schmidt led the supplier to more than 4% growth last year, adding $28 million in revenue. In August, Hit opened an 800,000-square-foot facility in Cincinnati as well as a 70,000-square-foot location in Ningbo, China, allowing the Largo, FL-based company to print and ship products globally. Last fall, Hit hosted its first CSR and compliance conference with the Ningbo team to discuss corrective action plans, subcontracting disclosures and transparency expectations. Schmidt oversaw all this while guiding the company through new tariff realities, including communicating price increases, as well as geopolitical pressures that led to shipping container delays and shortages.

Now, after two major facility openings, Schmidt is looking forward to shifting his focus to the inner workings of the business once again. He’s continued to aggressively partner with leading retail and industry brands, the latest being BYBBA, a sustainable bag brand that makes products from plastic reclaimed from oceans, rivers and coastlines, and donates a portion of proceeds to support further cleanup efforts. Schmidt also once again leveraged his deep connections to bring on industry talent, as evidenced by the addition of veteran Brian Porter (a former Counselor Power 50 member) this past summer as vice president of business development.