Welcome to the 2019 Power 50 list, which ranks the most influential people in the industry.

#38 Tracey Barton Safeguard/Deluxe (asi/316203/178720)

2018 Rank: 41
Title: Director of Promotional Products
Industry Experience: 17 years

Tracey Barton has been leading a massive transformation at Top 40 distributor Safeguard/Deluxe.

A 17-year industry veteran, Barton became responsible for Safeguard’s promotional products channel in January of 2017, in addition to her role as director of distributor support. After years of aggressive acquisitions driving the company’s revenue, she shifted focus to cultivating organic growth by strengthening relationships with preferred suppliers and developing a core network of distributor franchises. As a result, revenue increased 15% to $127 million in 2018.

“We’ve allowed ourselves to catch our breath and now we’re growing at a more sustainable rate,” Barton says. “It’s been freeing to set my own path and help set the path of where we’re going in the future.”

With more than 5,000 clients in markets like healthcare, finance and retail, Safeguard remains one of the fastest-growing Top 40 firms, offering print materials, promo products and web-driven marketing services. The company has amped up investment in its distributor network, providing all the tools, support and back-end services that distributors need to grow. Barton has overseen the launches of an internal newsletter, “In the Know With Promo,” a weekly webinar called “Fired Up Fridays” and a video series that educates franchisees on new products. For its incredible efforts, Safeguard’s promo and apparel team was named “Customer Service Team of the Year” in 2018, receiving a prestigious Gold Stevie Award from American Business Awards.

“That reflects the amount of passion my team puts behind their energy every day,” Barton says. “I’m not here without them. The average tenure is 15 years because they’re happy to be here and they’re supported by their teammates and management.”

As the face of Safeguard’s distributor network, Barton hasn’t missed an ASI Show in 16 years. She and her team host training sessions and educational panels, bringing suppliers up close with distributors to grow their comfort level with promotional products and apparel. “When we host a panel, I steer away from talking about products and instead talk about opportunities,” Barton says. “When people hear a success story from someone similar to them, they can take it back to work and put it to use. They walk away with many new ideas on how to approach customers.”

Safeguard constantly informs its distributor franchisees about industry news, latest trends, upcoming events, seasonal products, marketing tools and opportunities to connect with preferred suppliers. “Tracey and her team have built a supplier tool kit that helps distributors when they’re in the field,” says Kellye Santos, VP of customer service and operations at Safeguard/Deluxe.

Barton and Santos have worked together for almost 25 years, starting at telecommunications firm Uniden. When Santos jumped to Safeguard, she brought Barton in as a data analyst. “She was horrible,” Santos laughed. “But I knew what her talent was and that was leading people. When a position finally opened, she took over and hasn’t looked back since.”

As Barton’s manager for the past 17 years, Santos has seen her friend grow into a remarkable leader, fostering creativity and collaboration among her team. Refusing to rest on her laurels, Barton is currently developing a training program at SanMar that allows industry newcomers to learn every step of the apparel production process. Eventually, the in-person, hands-on training will be turned into a video that can be streamed online.

“She understands the needs of the business and her team and coordinates each one of those things,” Santos says. “Intuitive and a quick study, she’ll continue to help our business grow through education, creative ideas and providing support tools. She’ll be the primary source of expertise, knowledge and resources for our Safeguard/Deluxe family.”