PRESS RELEASES

ASI Announces 2025 Counselor Awards Recipients

Justin Zavadil of American Solutions for Business named Counselor Person of the Year

“Justin brings fresh thinking and a future-focused mindset to every decision, while staying true to ASB’s roots.” - Timothy M. Andrews, president and chief executive officer of ASI

The Advertising Specialty Institute^®  (ASI), the leading authority in the $26.6 billion promotional products industry, today announced the recipients of the 2025 Counselor Awards, spotlighting the most influential leaders and companies in promo.

Justin Zavadil, president of American Solutions for Business (ASB, asi/120075) since 2017, was named Counselor Person of the Year. Zavadil led the Counselor Top 40 distributor through transformative growth, expanding ASB into new markets, driving strategic acquisitions and launching new ventures. His focus on e-commerce, operational innovation and an employee-owned culture has led ASB to remarkable growth.

The 2025 Counselor Awards were presented Wednesday night at a celebratory ceremony at McCormick Place Convention Center during the 26th annual ASI Chicago trade show. Full profiles and photos of all award recipients are available now at asicentral.com/news.

First awarded in 1965, the Counselor Person of the Year honor is one of the most prestigious recognitions in the promotional products industry, celebrating excellence, innovation and leadership. 

“Justin brings fresh thinking and a future-focused mindset to every decision, while staying true to ASB’s roots,” said Timothy M. Andrews, ASI president and chief executive officer. “What sets Justin apart isn’t just the numbers – it’s the way he shows up. ASB’s employee-owned model reflects his belief in shared success, with every decision made with the employee stock ownership community in mind. That culture has made ASB much admired in our industry.”

Carleen Gray, CEO of STAHLS’ (asi/88984), was named Counselor International Person of the Year for transforming the Michigan-based firm into a global powerhouse in decoration and on-demand technology. Gray has built bridges across the international promo community while setting the pace for innovation in both the promotional products and print industries.

The 2025 Counselor Award recipients are:

·        Counselor Person of the Year: Justin Zavadil, president, American Solutions for Business (asi/120075)

·        Counselor International Person of the Year: Carleen Gray, CEO, STAHLS’ (asi/88984)

·        Counselor Distributor Entrepreneur of the Year: Millie Tadewaldt, founder, Brilliant (asi/146116)

·        Counselor Supplier Entrepreneur of the Year: Kelly Yarborough, CEO, Sock101 (asi/88071)

·        Counselor Woman of Distinction: Mandi Rudd, director of new markets, Genumark (asi/204588)

·        Counselor Supplier Family Business of the Year: All American Writing Instruments (asi/76811)

·        Counselor Distributor Family Business of the Year: Elite Promotional Marketing (asi/186738)

·        Counselor Bess Cohn Humanitarian Award: Yvette Berke, president, Adapt Ad Specialty (asi/105620)

·        Counselor Lifetime Achievement Award: Alan Vaught, co-founder, Evans Manufacturing (asi/52840)

·        Counselor Sustainability Advocate of the Year: Everywhere Apparel (asi/53059)

At the awards ceremony Wednesday, ASI also revealed the Counselor Top 40 distributor and supplier lists of the highest earning companies in the industry.

2025 Counselor Top 40 Highlights:

·        20% of Top 40 companies achieved double-digit growth

·        Three new distributors joined the Top 40 list

·        4imprint (asi/197045) remained the No. 1 distributor, growing 2024 sales by 3% to $1.34 billion

·        According to Counselor’s estimates, SanMar (asi/84863) led all suppliers again, increasing 2024 revenue by over 5% to $3.8 billion

Recipients of Counselor Awards are nominated by industry peers and chosen by an in-house committee. Honorees are featured in Counselor magazine’s annual State of the Industry (SOI) issue, published each summer in print and online. Using data from the magazine’s annual SOI survey, Counselor provides coverage and analysis of the issues that matter most to the promo market. 

For more information on the Counselor Awards please contact Editor-in-Chief C.J. Mittica at cmittica@asicentral.com.