The 2026 ASI Power Summit in San Diego concluded on Tuesday, Oct. 27, with a half day of programming.

After a motivational keynote address by Racecar Driver Torsten Gross, ASI CEO Ashish Mittal interviewed David Doctorow, CEO of Counselor Top 40 distributor Custom Ink (asi/173232) and a member of the Counselor Power 50 list of the industry’s most influential people, about the future of e-commerce over the next 10 years.

Custom Ink (asi/173232) CEO David Doctorow (right) discussed the next decade of e-commerce with ASI CEO Ashish Mittal on the third day of the Power Summit.

“If something isn’t working, make the call and move on,” said Doctorow. “And then figure out how to measure success.”

Doctorow added that his company welcomes honest feedback from clients. “We’ve gotten away from listening to customers,” he said. “We got comfortable with how we were doing things. But if we run into failures, we’re getting somewhere.”

Next, ASI’s Jake Krolick and Tricia Walter hosted “ASI Power Summit Family Feud.” A $2,500 donation to cancer research was made on behalf of the winning distributor team, consisting of Josh Ebrahemi of Counselor Top 40 distributor Nadel (asi/279600), Joe Falcone of Counselor Top 40 distributor The Sourcing Group (asi/330100), Jo-an Lantz of Counselor Top 40 distributor Geiger (asi/202900), Chris Lee of Facilisgroup (asi/475998) and Andy Shape of Counselor Top 40 distributor Stran Promotional Solutions (asi/337725).

Lastly, Carrie Schaeffer, sales enablement manager at ASI and a member of the Cohn family, moderated a panel featuring next-generation leaders at family-owned businesses: Jason Lipsett, president and CEO at Charles River Apparel (asi/44620); David Geiger, president of Geiger and a member of the Counselor Power 50; and Mitch Freed, CEO of Counselor Top 40 distributor Genumark (asi/204588) and a member of the Counselor Power 50.

From left: Jason Lipsett of Charles River Apparel (asi/44620), David Geiger of Geiger (asi/202900), Mitch Freed of Genumark (asi/204588) and Carrie Schaeffer of ASI discuss leading their families’ companies into the next phase of growth.

“We’re reimagining Charles River,” said Lipsett about the supplier his grandfather Walter (now 99) established in 1983. “We want it to be easy to work with us. Humility, confidence and a growth mindset are key attributes.”

ASI also announced that Jodie Schillinger, executive vice president of Maple Ridge Farms (asi/68680) and a member of the Counselor Power 50, won this year’s social media contest. As the attendee with the most #ASIPowerSummit posts, Schillinger will receive complimentary registration for the 2027 event, to be held at the Stein Eriksen Lodge in Park City, UT, Nov. 8-11.

Missed any of our coverage from this year’s event? You can find it here:

The Science of Cognitive Fitness

Louisa Nicola, Ph.D., a neurophysiologist and cognitive performance coach, delivered the first keynote address of the event. She specializes in cognitive longevity and fitness, with an emphasis on preventing brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s, and offered lifestyle tips to keep the brain healthy and thriving.

A Steady US Economy Signals Promising Q4

Three-time Power Summit speaker Mary Kelly, an economist, retired Navy commander and CEO of Productive Leaders, shared up-to-date key economic metrics as the industry heads into the all-important fourth quarter. “Spending habits are holding up,” said Kelly, “and the middle class is steadily moving into the upper middle.” Still, she cited slower hiring in the U.S. and geopolitical and trade uncertainty as business owners continue to face headwinds.

The Power of Agentic AI

Returning Power Summit speaker Isar Meitis, CEO of MultiplAI, shared insights about how agentic AI – using largely autonomous AI systems that can analyze, make decisions and execute on business goals – will be a game-changer for the promo industry. “AI agents do it better, faster and cheaper than people,” said Meitis. “It can quickly analyze a proposal that didn’t win the business, apply judgment and suggest improvements.”

Sharing the Beauty of Traditional Craftsmanship

Juan Jose Sánchez, chairman of premium tequila brand Clase Azul México, sat down with ASI CEO Ashish Mittal to discuss building a company that celebrates both Mexico’s tequila-making tradition and the local artisans who paint its signature ceramic bottles. “We’re in the emotions business,” he said. “We help people connect socially with tequila and mescal.”

Day 1 & 2 Wrap-Up

The first two days of the event featured discussions on technology, private equity, business challenges and sentiment, as well as networking opportunities that included an interactive upcycled garment activity.

Counselor Announces the 2026 Power 50

The annual Counselor Power 50 dinner on Oct. 26 honored the 50 most influential people in the industry – the list was topped this year by Jeremy Lott of Counselor Top 40 supplier SanMar (asi/84863), CJ Schmidt of Counselor Top 40 supplier Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125) and Jo-an Lantz and David Geiger of Counselor Top 40 distributor Geiger.