Awards October 26, 2026
Counselor Power 50 2026: No. 44 Sandy Gonzalez, MadeToOrder
Welcome to the 2026 Counselor Power 50 list, which ranks the most influential people in the promo products industry.
#44 Sandy Gonzalez
MadeToOrder (asi/259540) – CEO
2025 Rank: #42
Industry Experience: 43 years
Previous Appearances on Counselor Power 50: 4
It’s been a year of intentional growth for MadeToOrder (asi/259540), says CEO Sandy Gonzalez. The company boosted revenue and took on larger, more complex programs. Gonzalez also expanded its leadership team by bringing on Brittany Frase as chief revenue officer a year ago and announcing a trio of promotions: Stephanie Hinkle to director of marketing & vendor partnerships, Hannah Granata to director of digital engagement, and Katie Grimes to head of strategic accounts.
“We expanded our leadership team and have really focused on empowering our leaders with clear goals, accountability and the ability to lead their areas of the business,” says Gonzalez. “We’ve also continued to grow our team and promote from within, creating more opportunities for our employee owners to develop and grow with the company.”
Those changes challenged the company to keep pace, and Gonzalez says MTO responded with clearer roles, improved processes and a continued focus on relationships and communication. MTO is a fully virtual company that’s 100% employee-owned – qualities that have pushed Gonzalez to focus on culture and engagement, from creating a Culture Committee last year to redefining the company’s core values this year. It’s paid off, as MTO finished as the #3 medium company on Counselor’s 2026 Best Places to Work list.
In 2027, “one of my top priorities is continuing to build the leadership structure and infrastructure MTO needs for its next stage of growth,” Gonzalez says. “We’ve made significant progress this year, but we still have work to do to make sure we have the right people in the right roles, with clear accountability and the support they need to be successful.” Continued investment in people, systems and technology will also be important, she adds, so the distributor can take on larger, more demanding projects.
AI Perspective
“At MTO, we want to be very intentional about how we expand our use of AI. We’re continuing to explore where it can have the greatest impact, what tools make the most sense for our teams and how we can use them effectively and responsibly. For me, the goal is simple: if AI can eliminate repetitive work and save time, we can give that time back to our employee owners so they can spend more of it doing what they do best: building relationships, being creative, solving problems and taking care of our clients.
“Personally, I use AI for everything from travel and planning to research and everyday decision-making. It has become a tool I naturally turn to when I want to organize information, explore ideas or think through options.
“Looking ahead to 2027 and beyond, I believe AI will become increasingly integrated into how we work. I want MTO to be smart and thoughtful about that evolution rather than adopting technology simply because it is available. The opportunity I see is using AI to make our people more effective and give them more time for the work where the human element really matters.”