43. Derek Block

Touchstone (asi/345631)

2020 Rank: N/A

Title: CEO

Industry Experience: 25 years

A former hockey player, Derek Block is the definition of an underdog comeback story. He last appeared on the Power 50 in 2013, back when his company was in its first iteration of success – a past Counselor Distributor Entrepreneur of the Year and a young industry maverick who was moving fast and breaking rules. Then his business suffered some setbacks and he was hit with devastating personal news in the form of a cancer diagnosis. Now, eight years later, Block is healthy, firmly back in charge and running a business that may be one of the great turnaround tales of the industry. Last year, the company’s sales grew by a whopping 49% (at a 32% profit margin, in case you were wondering), with “less than $50,000 of that in PPE,” according to Block, because the idea of putting a price tag on life-saving items in the middle of a pandemic didn’t sit well with him.

He and his team leaned into one of the most powerful tools they’ve developed over the years of their rebuild – data. They did deep dives into where current clients were spending, areas that were ripe for growth, and new markets they could tap into. Already ahead of 2019’s sales and beating its budget projections for this year, Touchstone is on a serious upswing, and the industry has noticed. In fact, Block was nominated to be back on the Power 50 by other members of the list and promo pros overall, as his is an uplifting, phoenix-like success story amidst a steady stream of punishing news where the hits just keep coming. And it’s just what the industry needs.