The year’s most-listened-to (and most-watched) episodes from our weekly Promo Insiders podcast were united by a few common themes. M&A has been huge in the promo industry, so it’s no surprise that three of the year’s top podcasts focused on major acquisitions and partnerships, including one involving ASI. Our Counselor Awards and Salesperson of the Year honors, with multiple interviews from those awards making our Top 10 list, and no surprise, compelling figures – including a blind World Trade Center survivor and a leading executive with stops at Levi’s and Gibson – were at the heart of many our listeners’ favorite episodes. Here are ASI Media’s Top 10 Promo Insiders podcasts from 2024.

1

Talking 7-Figure Sales With ASI Media’s Distributor Up-and-Comer of the Year

In only his second full year as a promotional products sales pro, Rielly Troyer personally generated more than $1 million in annual revenue. Such rare success at such a young age earned Troyer ASI Media’s Distributor Up-and-Comer of the Year award for industry salespeople – as well as a lot of eager ears who were curious how the 24-year-old was able to do it. In this interview, Troyer – who works for his parents at Michigan-based Proforma Printhouse (asi/491465) – shares how he targets clients and provided examples from successful case studies.

2

The A-to-Z of Selling or Buying a Promo Business

ASI Media Executive Editor Christopher Ruvo declared this year the industry’s “most momentous ever for M&A,” with multiple high-profile acquisitions involving Counselor Top 40 companies, including the summer’s mega deal that brought together billion-dollar Counselor Top 40 suppliers S&S Activewear (asi/84358) and alphabroder (asi/34063). Unsurprisingly, interest in buying and selling promo companies is at a fever pitch, as evidenced by the interest in this live webinar with Jamie Watson, a partner at Certified Marketing Consultants and one of the foremost experts on promo industry M&A.

3

Executive Insights on the ASI, PRINTING United Alliance Deal

Though not technically a merger or acquisition, the partnership struck between ASI and the PRINTING United Alliance tapped into the same vein of deals that are fundamentally shaping the landscape of the print and promo industries. After the partnership was announced on April 30, ASI President & CEO Tim Andrews and Alliance President Dave Leskusky appeared on Promo Insiders to paint the big-picture view on why the partnership made sense and the growing synergies between the print and promo industries. ASI and the Alliance have since made multiple major announcements, including the launch of a dual membership and news of a new ASI Show Pavilion that will be hosted within the 2026 PRINTING United Expo.

4

A Deep Dive Into Boundless’ Acquisition of Touchstone

A year that saw multiple major acquisitions of Counselor Top 40 companies kicked off in February with a barn-burner when Top 40 distributor Boundless (asi/143717) purchased fellow Top 40 firm Touchstone (asi/345631). Boundless CEO and Counselor Power 50 member Aaron Hamer and Touchstone Founder Derek Block discussed how the deal came together, the future of the partnership and their views of M&A activity in the market.

5

What a Blind World Trade Center Survivor Can Teach Business Leaders About Teamwork & Trust

Blind since birth, Michael Hingson has carved out a decorated career in both sales and speaking and proved, as he said during his talk at this year’s ASI Power Summit, that “blindness isn’t the problem, it’s our attitude about blindness.” Prior to the Power Summit, Hingson – who helped others navigate 78 flights of stairs on 9/11 to escape the World Trade Center – shared his thoughts on being a disability advocate and the lessons that can be applied to the business world.

6

Exclusive Interview With Counselor Person of the Year CJ Schmidt

In powering Counselor Top 40 supplier Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125) to over 100% growth in the eight years he’s been running the company, CJ Schmidt has proved to be one of the savviest operators in promo. Such achievements earned Schmidt Counselor’s 2024 Person of the Year award, adding an exclamation point to a remarkable journey of maturation and growth since taking over his family’s business. In this episode, ASI Senior Vice President Michele Bell interviews Schmidt on his successes, notable misses and why he’s in it for the long haul.

7

ASI Media’s 2024 Distributor Salesperson of the Year on How She Rebuilt Her Client Base From Scratch

It was impressive enough that Rose Sarro found success in the promo industry after a career change, including years ago earning a past honor as an ASI Media Salesperson of the Year finalist. Even more amazing is that Sarro took a five-month sabbatical in 2021 and gave up practically all of her existing clients, and yet bounced back even stronger by nailing the first-ever million-dollar order for Promo Direct (asi/300477). The ASI Media 2024 Distributor Salesperson of the Year winner reveals how she achieved sales records and why listening to clients is so imperative to her success.

8

Pelican CEO JC Curleigh Riffs on ‘140-Year-Old Startups’ & Turning Around Gibson Guitars

JC Curleigh has had a remarkable career leading recognizable heritage brands, including Levi’s, Gibson and M&M Mars. Now the CEO of Pelican, which makes protective cases, coolers and drinkware that are carried by Counselor Top 40 supplier Logomark (asi/67866), Curleigh is leading a brand that makes “the gear that protects gear” as he says. In this interview, the veteran exec talks about his experiences working with the world’s biggest brands and discusses the biggest marketing mistakes that companies make.

9

Top Insights From Counselor’s 2024 State of the Industry Report

Our Counselor editorial team works for months on our annual State of the Industry report – so it’s nice that after all that effort, people want to hear what we have to say about it. Counselor Editor-in-Chief C.J. Mittica and Senior Executive Director of Research Nate Kucsma took to the virtual airwaves after the study was released to discuss the top findings, from the growth of drinkware to sales challenges.

10

Catching Up With Jessica Hiner, 2024 Supplier Salesperson of the Year

The third entry in this year’s Top 10 from our popular Salesperson of the Year awards, this episode dug deeper with Jessica Hiner, vice president of business development at Counselor Top 40 supplier The Magnet Group (asi/68507) and ASI Media’s 2024 Supplier Salesperson of the Year. The extraordinary rep shares her best advice and the habits that keep her productive and successful.