Awards

Counselor Power 50 2026: No. 46 Teresa Fudenberg, Storm Creek

Welcome to the 2026 Counselor Power 50 list, which ranks the most influential people in the promo products industry.

Teresa Fudenberg

#46 Teresa Fudenberg

Storm Creek (asi/89879) – CEO

2025 Rank: #47

Industry Experience: 12 years

Previous Appearances on Counselor Power 50: 2

Teresa Fudenberg, CEO of Storm Creek (asi/89879), remains committed to advancing the sustainability of her B Corp-certified apparel company – a focus that helps move her a rung higher on this year’s Counselor Power 50 list. In the past year, the supplier racked up a number of milestones, including winning the Meaningful Capitalism Award for Minnesota-based companies, which Fudenberg says was especially exciting “because it recognizes the balance we work hard to achieve between building a successful business and creating positive impact.”

In addition, Storm Creek bumped up its EcoVadis rating from Gold to Platinum, placing the company in the 99th percentile globally. The supplier also introduced Bluepass for its products, a sustainability and safety certification that replaces the previous Bluesign designation.

Scaling the business quickly while maintaining an emphasis on sustainability and charitable giving presents unique challenges, but Fudenberg says she remains committed to navigating change while staying focused on company values and communicating openly with the team. “I’m very proud of the work we’ve done to build a company that’s bigger than any one person,” she says. “As we grow, I’ve become increasingly focused on developing our people, strengthening our leadership and building a business that can thrive for the long term.”

AI Perspective

“We’ve fully onboarded Claude companywide at Storm Creek, and it has already helped us become smarter and more efficient. We’re using AI to accelerate reporting, access information faster, build live dashboards and reduce repetitive work so our team can spend more time thinking strategically.

“We started with a Champions Team and are certainly still learning, but I’m proud of how quickly our team has embraced it – especially for a company our size.

“That said, I don’t believe AI is a magic bullet. You still need great people, good judgment and strong relationships. AI can make a good team more effective, but it doesn’t replace the people who understand your customers, your business and your culture. Our goal is always to stay curious with eyes wide open, so we see AI’s place in making Storm Creek better.”