What is power? There’s no singular definition when it comes to Counselor’s Power 50 list, now in its 15th year. Wielding influence, effecting change, driving success – all that and more certainly apply.

However, this year – a year unlike any we’ve ever experienced in our business lives – power in the promotional products industry took on distinct new meanings. Who displayed power this year? The leaders whose faces filled our computer screens, projecting calm and showing the way to recovery. The visionaries who secured PPE to keep their employees working and the country safe. The tacticians who guided their companies through the worst, emerging even stronger.

Watch a video featuring the unveiling of the annual Counselor Power 50 list of the most powerful people in the promotional products industry.

What hasn’t changed is the process that was used to create this year’s Power 50. ASI’s editorial team first tallied up voting by last year’s members along with nominations from industry pros. Then, we gauged each candidate based on their accomplishments over the past year. In such a tumultuous year, it’s not a surprise that there are 10 first-time honorees on this year’s list, as well as the return of two leaders who previously appeared on the Power 50.

What did we learn from this year’s list? Power is always important, but this was the time our industry really needed it. In that light, this year’s members of the Power 50 delivered when it mattered most.

Click on the links below for more information about each Power 50 honoree.

Please note: The full Power 50 article -- with profiles of the people on this year's list -- will appear as the cover story of December's issue of Counselor magazine.