Paul Bellantone, the former CEO and president of Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), has joined HALO Branded Solutions (asi/356000) – the second largest distributor by revenue in the North American promotional products industry.

Sterling, IL-headquartered HALO announced Monday, April 5 that Bellantone will fill the newly created role of Senior Vice President of Sales for the Western U.S. He will report to Jim Stutz, HALO’s Executive Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Business Development.

Paul Bellantone, HALO

“Paul’s leadership at PPAI the past 20 years will prove to be an exceptional resource for our sales team,” Stutz said. “He will also be responsible for developing relationships with industry distributors and sales professionals who can use HALO’s selling tools and technology to grow their business.”

Bellantone said that he has long held a “deep respect for what the HALO team has accomplished. … Their capabilities and culture as an organization are an excellent fit for me and I look forward to collaborating with this talented team.”

HALO CEO Marc Simon, who ranked third on Counselor’s most recent Power 50, a ranking of the most influential people in promo, said HALO is excited to have Bellantone join.

“Paul is highly respected in our industry and throughout HALO,” Simon said. “His deep knowledge of our unique industry dynamics and forward view of how industry sales professionals can succeed in the new normal will bring great value to HALO. He is a perfect fit for our executive leadership team and the many initiatives we have in place to continue our successful growth.”

Bellantone registered more than 20 years of experience at PPAI, a promo industry trade association, before leaving the organization in March 2021. The Rutgers University graduate, who holds an MBA from Texas Woman’s University, became PPAI CEO in 2011. Prior to that, his PPAI roles included Executive Vice President and Vice President, Business Development & Marketing. Bellantone ranked 27^th on Counselor’s most recent Power 50 ranking.

With reported 2019 North American promotional product revenue of $787 million, HALO ranked second on Counselor’s most recent list of the 40 largest distributors in the industry. The new list is due out in the summer of 2021.