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Hit Promotional Products Promotes Execs

The Top 40 supplier announced several key leadership changes at the company.

Top 40 supplier Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125) is making changes to its executive and leadership teams, announcing a slew of promotions within the company.

four circle head shots, three men, one woman

Doug Donnell, Rishiraj Mukharjee, Julieanne Schmidt and Nathan Cotter receive promotions at Hit.

Doug Donnell has been named chief operating officer. Previously, Donnell was the vice president of supply chain. He’s spent 17 years in the promotional products industry, with experience in trade show management, sales, purchasing, product safety and compliance, product development and supply chain management.

“Doug has been a key part of our success over the last 10 years and has been instrumental in supporting the growth of the company,” said C.J. Schmidt, CEO.

Eric Shonebarger, president of Hit, agreed, noting that Donnell has many qualities that make an excellent COO, from being a “hands-on leader” to the “unique ability to seamlessly pivot between the strategical and tactical.”

Rishiraj Mukherjee has been named chief information officer. Previously, he was the vice president of information technology. Mukherjee brings nine years of progressive IT experience and seven years of industry experience. He currently serves on the PPAI tech committee and the PromoStandards committee where he develops integrations standards for the industry. He has a bachelor’s degree in electronics and telecommunications from West Bengal University of Technology. He also has a master’s in signal processing and an MBA with a concentration in business analytics from the University of South Florida.

“Whether creating a new app or providing new analytics, Raj brings the technical innovation that powers the company’s growth,” Schmidt said.

Shonebarger added: “Raj is a lifelong learner, hard worker, and remains composed under pressure all while solving very complicated problems.”

Julieanne Schmidt was named vice president of human resources, shifting from her previous role as director of human resources at Hit. As a 22-year industry veteran, she brings a wealth of knowledge in benefits, payroll, workplace safety and HR experience to this new role. Schmidt has spent the majority of her career in HR, gaining experience in areas such as acquisitions and reducing turnover during periods of extreme growth and market challenges. She has been directly involved with implementation and oversight of employee safety, benefit compliance and social accountability programs. She holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from St. John’s University in New York where she graduated with honors.

“I’m confident in her ability to continue to recruit and develop talent to further our company objectives and culture,” said Schmidt.

Nathan Cotter has been named vice president of supply chain. Cotter has worked at Hit for over seven years, serving in roles as a compliance coordinator, compliance manager and most recently the vice president of compliance. He’s responsible for product safety, regulatory compliance and social responsibility throughout a diverse supply chain. Cotter holds a bachelor’s from Monmouth College and a certificate in advanced product safety management from St. Louis University. He’s also currently a member of PPAI’s Product Responsibility Action Group.

“He has done an incredible job taking our compliance program to the next level,” Schmidt said.

Hit also announced other key promotions and role changes at the company: Steven Lynch is now director of quality and compliance, Grafton Meadows is now director of inventory management and Andy Shoneck is now director of logistics.

A family-owned business that has been around for more than half a century, Hit ranked fifth on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest suppliers in the industry, posting 2020 North American promotional products revenue of $442.6 million.