News October 04, 2023
BAMKO Names Brad White VP of Business Development
The Top 40 firm noted that White has extensive experience in the industry, including time at other Top 40 distributors.
The eighth-largest distributor in the North American promotional products market has appointed an industry veteran to a key leadership role.
Top 40 distributor BAMKO (asi/131431) has hired Brad White as vice president of business development. In this newly created role, White will help power the Los Angeles-headquartered company’s global business development efforts.
In particular, he’ll be supporting and developing BAMKO sales personnel, leading talent acquisition efforts and bolstering enterprise sales initiatives.
“We are beyond thrilled to add Brad to the team,” said Jake Himelstein, president of BAMKO and a member of Counselor’s Power 50 list of promo’s most influential people.
Himelstein continued: “This hiring is a statement about our willingness to invest in the industry’s best talent as a way of supporting the growth and success of our sales team. Beyond being an optimal culture fit for our action-oriented, dynamic philosophy of being a sales-first company, Brad is going to play an important role in upholding our core commitment to our salespeople: the promise that BAMKO will do everything in our power to maximize their success.”
White has more than 25 years of experience in promo. His resume includes time as vice president of business development at Top 40 distributor Boundless (asi/143717).
White was most recently a senior vice president of business development with Gander Group, a firm that provides branded merchandise, digital marketing and gifting giveaway solutions primarily to the casino industry. He was also previously director of promotional marketing at Taylor Communications, parent company of industry powerhouses that include Top 40 distributor Taylor Promotional Products (asi/333647).
“I’ve been a long-time admirer of the BAMKO team and their approach to growth,” said White. “What the BAMKO team has built the last few years is unlike anything I’ve ever seen in my time in this industry. My plan is to be the best teammate I can possibly be, and I’m eager to be a part of the success that we get to have together.”
Based on reported 2022 North American promo revenue of $387.9 million, BAMKO ranked eighth on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest distributors in the industry. The firm had a bumpy start in the first half of 2023, but executives are optimistic that top-line performance could pick up in the second half of the year.