A fixture at HALO Branded Solutions (asi/356000) for nearly a quarter of a century, Marc Simon is retiring as CEO from the Counselor Top 40 distributor that he helped shepherd from bankruptcy to the second-largest player in the promotional products industry – and one of the first distributors to break past the billion-dollar barrier in annual revenue.

Marc Simon (left), a two-time Counselor Person of the Year and CEO of Counselor Top 40 distributor HALO Branded Solutions (asi/356000), is retiring at the end of the month. Jim Hilt (right), a career executive with previous roles at Asset Marketing Services, Shutterfly, Barnes & Noble and IBM, has been named as his replacement and will begin Sept. 2.

Jim Hilt, who most recently served as CEO of Asset Marketing Services, has been named as Simon’s replacement at the Sterling, IL-based HALO, effective Sept. 2.

“HALO is a strong, innovative company – a clear leader in the industry,” Hilt said. “That reputation is built on trusted partnerships with clients and suppliers, along with a commitment to creating amazing brand products and experiences that impact people every day. I’m excited to join such a talented team, support our people-first sales approach and drive new opportunities for growth.”

At Asset Marketing Services, Hilt spearheaded a brand revitalization, expanded product categories, streamlined operations, implemented advanced technology platforms and successfully led the company’s sale to A-Mark Precious Metals. His career also includes senior leadership roles at Shutterfly, Express, Barnes & Noble, Sears Holdings and IBM.

Scott Gilbertson, partner at TPG, the private equity firm that oversees HALO, said: “Jim is a proven leader with the vision, executional discipline and customer focus to build on HALO’s strong foundation. We are confident he will drive the next stage of growth and deliver even greater value for our clients, account executives and partners.”

Simon is the only industry leader named Counselor Person of the Year twice, first in 2006 and then in 2019. During his tenure at HALO, he also appeared on Counselor’s Power 50 list of the most influential people in promo 19 times.

“Serving as CEO of HALO has been the honor of my career,” said Simon. “I’m proud of the growth we’ve achieved, the innovation we’ve embraced and the culture we’ve built. HALO is well positioned for continued success, with a talented leadership team and an extraordinary group of account executives and employees.”

Gilbertson added, “We are fortunate to have been Marc’s partner, grateful for his exceptional leadership, and deeply appreciative of his many years of dedicated service and lasting impact on HALO.”

Simon stepped into the CEO role at HALO in February 2001. Prior to that, the Chicago native with a juris doctorate from the University of Illinois College of Law was a partner in the law firm Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg until 1995 and then served as chief financial officer of APAC, a national outsource telephone call service.

When he joined HALO, it was a company in dire straits, a result of mismanagement and related factors that occurred before he joined. Simon himself has admitted that, at the time he accepted the position, he didn’t understand the full scope of the distributor’s woes.

Thanks to some tough decisions and an unwavering belief in the company’s future ascendance, Simon was able to right the ship, returning HALO to profitability by May 2002. The following year, he led the company’s emergence from the Chapter 11 bankruptcy it had entered in July 2001 and negotiated a deal that saw the Illinois-based distributor acquired by private equity firm H.I.G. Capital.

The partnership was a bellwether of what’s become an ongoing trend in the promo industry, which has seen a flood of private equity (PE) funding across suppliers and distributors in the last decade or so.

Over the years, Simon led HALO into partnerships with other PE firms, including most recently facilitating a sale to California-based TPG Growth in 2018. In February of this year, HALO announced the successful completion of a strategic refinancing with the assistance of TPG, a capital infusion that leaders said was designed to position the distributor for long-term growth.

A Legacy of Growth

In 2003, HALO’s annual revenue was $60 million. Last year, the distributor topped out at $964.7 million – a more than 1,500% increase over the last two decades. HALO consistently ranks among the top two in revenue in the promo industry, and in 2022, the company – along with Counselor Top 40 distributor 4imprint (asi/197045) – tipped over the billion-dollar mark for North American promo products sales.

In Counselor’s most recent Top 40 list of the largest distributors in the promo industry, HALO ranked second and reported 3% year-over-year growth in 2024.

In addition to impressive organic growth, a key factor in the company’s expansion over the years has been a slew of high-profile acquisitions, including several former Counselor Top 40 distributors. Most recently, HALO acquired two Wisconsin-based distributors in 2024: Think It Then Ink It and Star Promotions. In 2022, HALO acquired former Counselor Top 40 firm BrandVia Alliance. Other former Counselor Top 40s acquired over the years include Axis Promotions (asi/128263) in January 2020, Caliendo Savio Enterprises in January 2018 and Sunrise Identity in August 2018.

Other notable acquisitions include: Richmond, VA-headquartered Boost Promotional Branding in January 2019; Taylor, MI-based Chamberlain Marketing Group in October 2018; New York City-based Captiv8 in September 2018; California-based American Pacific Promotions in November 2017; Seattle-based Catalyst Marketing in February 2017; New York-based incentives firm Michael C. Fina Recognition also in February 2017; Costa Mesa, CA-based Clean Fun Promotional Marketing in October 2016; Waco, TX-headquartered Harvey-Daco in September 2015; and Phoenix-based Commotion Promotions in August 2014.

Despite the massive growth, company executives say HALO has been able to maintain a family feel, with employees lauding Simon for putting his people first. Simon has attributed that caring attitude to the values instilled in him by his parents: a mother who was an educator and a father who owned a taxicab company. In 2019, when he was named Counselor Person of the Year for a second time, he said of his achievements at HALO: “The more we grow, the more attention we pay to the people who create this growth.”