#22 Jake Himelstein

BAMKO (asi/131431) – CEO

2025 Rank: #17

Industry Experience: 13 years

Previous Appearances on Counselor Power 50: 4

For Jake Himelstein, AI is no longer just a side project. The CEO of Counselor Top 40 distributor BAMKO (asi/131431) uses the technology every day, putting AI to work on tasks like prepping for board and client meetings, pressure-testing decisions and analyzing research in depth.

“My view is that when employees start using AI tools on their own, that’s a demand signal, not just a risk. Our job is to give them the right tools and guardrails,” says Himelstein, who falls five spots on this year’s Counselor Power 50 list owing to lower influence ratings from the overall promo industry.

BAMKO’s sales dipped a modest 1% last year, with Himelstein citing tariffs and freight volatility as the company’s biggest challenges. But the distributor remained flexible with its sourcing and communicated with clients early and openly about any changes it planned to make. Now, Himelstein says large program wins and investments in talent, including expanded marketing and sales management teams, are beginning to pay off.

Looking ahead, Himelstein says AI will start to move from answering questions to doing the work. “Distributors who build that into their workflows will be faster and leaner than everyone else,” he tells Counselor. “What AI won’t replace is relationships or the physical product. As more of life goes digital, a great item people can hold in their hands matters more, not less. That’s good news for our industry.”