HALO Branded Solutions (asi/356000), the largest distributor by revenue in the North American promotional products industry, has hired a new executive and announced new roles for two other company leaders – moves the Sterling, IL-headquartered firm asserts will fuel competitive advantage and growth.

Paul Bellantone, former CEO of industry trade association Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), has been named senior vice president of customer experience. Bellantone joined HALO in 2021 as senior vice president of sales for the western U.S.

HALO executives Paul Bellantone, Dawn Olds and Cathie Hernandez

In his new position, Bellantone’s charge is to develop strategies to address the many needs of HALO’s global client base. The industry veteran, who spent about two decades at PPAI including 10 years as CEO, will report to HALO CEO Marc Simon.

In another key move, Dawn Olds is stepping into the role of senior vice president of industry relations and DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) at HALO. Olds, the current chair of the PPAI board of directors, has been with HALO for 33 years and previously served as senior vice president of operations.

Reporting to Jim Stutz, HALO’s vice president of sales and business development, Olds “will be accountable for translating her knowledge and relationships into strategies to improve our prominence externally and to deliver value for our account executives,” HALO said.

Meanwhile, Cathie Hernandez has joined HALO as senior vice president of drop ship operations, reporting to COO Kevin Pollack. Going forward, she’ll be responsible for propelling HALO’s capabilities in all aspects of order management, including processing, customer service and billing.

Hernandez comes to HALO from Equifax, a multi-billion-dollar leader in the workforce solution, data and technology market. Her experience also includes executive leadership roles at AllCom Global Services, a provider of critical technology infrastructure solutions.

“Paul and Dawn are excellent examples of how industry veterans help HALO continue to be a destination of choice for account executives and customers,” said Simon, a member of Counselor’s Power 50 list of promo’s most influential people. “Cathie is the latest executive we have attracted from outside the industry to provide depth and experience to support future growth, enhancing the selling experience for our valued sales team and providing innovative solutions for HALO clients.”

Based on reported 2020 North American promo product revenue of $765.7 million, HALO ranked first on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest distributors in the industry. HALO has more than 2,000 employees and 42 global offices. The firm’s clients include more than 100 of the Fortune 500 as well as thousands of mid- and small-size organizations.