#42 Joseph Sommer & Dominique Volker

Whitestone (asi/359741)

Joseph Sommer – Chairman

2025 Rank: #49

Industry Experience: 15 years

Previous Appearances on Counselor Power 50: 1

Dominique Volker – President

2025 Rank: #49

Industry Experience: 11 years

Previous Appearances on Counselor Power 50: 1

After debuting on the Counselor Power 50 last year, Joseph Sommer and Dominique Volker, the duo at the top of the Counselor Best Place to Work Whitestone (asi/359741), climb seven spots on this year’s list amid what Volker calls a “stabilizing year” for the company. Following a series of acquisitions throughout 2024 and 2025, the company concentrated on getting “the right people in the right seats” this year – moves that helped support a staggering 70% annual sales increase so far. Volker attributes the rise to growth with its largest clients and three seven-figure orders that Whitestone secured, bolstered by “a maturing sales force, deepened client relationships and capitalizing on the investments around technology to support large-scale programs,” she says.

There’s been a major transition involving Sommer, Counselor’s 2024 Distributor Entrepreneur of the Year who built Whitestone out of his New York City apartment at age 23: He’s stepped back from the company’s day-to-day operations and into a role as chairman, focusing on advancing the promo industry more broadly (including through his position on the PPAI board). “Our industry is entering a period of profound transition, shaped by artificial intelligence, continuing supply chain uncertainty and a generational transfer of leadership,” Sommer says. “I want to help ensure that we respond thoughtfully – not simply by protecting what has worked in the past, but by building an industry that’s more innovative, accessible and compelling for the next generation of leaders and talent.”

Volker, who was promoted to president in early 2025, is dialed in to the processes and workflows that will allow scalable, sustainable growth for Whitestone, particularly when it comes to building long-standing partnerships. And she’s looking forward to spending as much of her time creating client relationships as leading the company’s strategic direction on its quest to reach $100 million in annual sales. “If we lean too hard into operational wants and needs, we lose some of what got us here in the first place through relentless hustle and nimbleness to getting things done,” Volker says. “There's no one-size-fits-all in this kind of role and I feel incredibly blessed and fortunate to be in a position where I can in some ways form the role around my strengths.”