Welcome to the 2018 Power 50 list, which ranks the most influential people in the industry.

#1 Marc Simon, HALO Branded Solutions (asi/356000)

2017 Rank: 6
Title: CEO
Industry Experience: 17 years

For the second time ever, Simon is ranked in the top spot in our Power 50 rankings, the result of a recent whirlwind stretch of deal-making that’s positioned HALO as an increasingly dominant player in the market.

HALO kicked off 2018 by acquiring fellow Top 40 distributor Caliendo Savio Enterprises (CSE) (asi/155807) and followed up in August by buying Top 40 distributor Sunrise Identity (asi/339206). Most recently, in September, HALO purchased Chamberlain Marketing Group (asi/160501). This buying spree came on the heels of a similarly aggressive period in 2017, when Simon’s HALO bought American Pacific Promotions, Catalyst Marketing and Michael C. Fina Recognition.

As industry consolidation becomes more apparent, these deals make it clear that Simon expects HALO to lead the way.

“HALO continues to work with its valued suppliers to create efficiencies, find the right solutions and meet our clients’ needs.” Marc Simon, HALO

“I see consolidation as the inevitable process of maturation of our industry,” says Simon. “Studies show that a small number of large companies can compete based upon their scale and breadth of capabilities. Those same studies show that a number of small players will be nimble and quick-moving to meet particularized niche segments of the market to stay competitive. As industries mature, companies caught somewhere in the middle find they’re not big enough to compete with really large players; many of these companies find that it’s more important to scale up than remain independent.”

The 66-year-old Sterling, IL-based company has certainly benefitted from these acquisitions, becoming the third largest distributor in the industry after the firm reported 2017 North American promotional products sales of $416.4 million – a 47.5% increase over the previous year. Refusing to rest on his laurels, Simon constantly seeks more growth opportunities for HALO, whether they’re through mergers and acquisitions, private equity firm funding or infrastructure enhancement. In order to lead HALO’s 1,300 employees, about 800 of whom are independent reps, Simon says he strives to be a good role model, cheerleader and communicator, valuing honesty and transparency above all.

“HALO continues to work with its valued suppliers to create efficiencies, find the right solutions and meet our clients’ needs,” Simon says. “As companies become more analytical about how they allocate their marketing and advertising resources, our industry will continue to be strong. We’re uniquely positioned to put properly themed product in the hands of the right audience, where the product is demographically appropriate and can be designed to meet the price points of the client, such that you’ve got multiple viewings by your targeted audience.”

While his company continues to grow, so does Simon’s family. He and his wife have six grandchildren now, a wonderful responsibility that requires equal attention. He credits his wife with allowing him to focus on the business end while she takes care of everything else. “Balancing a family life and a demanding business life requires constant prioritization and constant rebalancing of what’s most important and what’s most important at a particular time,” he says. “I try to remain flexible to assess what I ought to be doing and when I ought to be doing it.”