January 04, 2023
Carpenito Becomes President/CEO of Gemline; Isaacson Now Executive Chair
Frank Carpenito, who has been with the Top 40 supplier as president since 2019, is taking over the CEO role from Counselor Power 50 member Jonathan Isaacson.
There’s a new chief executive officer at the 10th largest supplier in the North American promotional products industry.
Gemline (asi/56070) has announced that Frank Carpenito has been promoted to the dual position of president/CEO. He has been company president since 2019.
Frank Carpenito and Jonathan Isaacson of Gemline.
In the CEO role, Carpenito will be replacing Jonathan Isaacson, who ranks fourth on Counselor’s Power 50 list of promo’s most influential people. Isaacson had been serving as Gemline’s CEO and board chair, also since 2019. Going forward, he will be executive chair of the company’s board of advisors.
“Gemline has achieved tremendous growth over the last three years under Frank’s day-to-day leadership, despite a very challenging environment,” said Isaacson. “I am confident that, by staying true to our core values, delivering an exceptional customer experience, innovating relentlessly, and developing our internal teams, Frank will ensure we continue to grow and prosper and consistently exceed the expectations of our distributor partners.”
As CEO, Carpenito will hold responsibility for all of Gemline’s functions, day-to-day operations, and the implementation of its strategic plans. Before becoming Gemline president, Carpenito served a five-year term on the supplier’s board of advisors.
“I am honored that Jonathan has entrusted me to lead Gemline,” said Carpenito. “Gemline holds a very special place in the industry thanks to Jonathan’s many years of exceptional leadership. He continues to be a well-respected leader and visionary in our industry, while also serving as an effective mentor to me and many others across our company. I look forward to continuing to partner with him and the entire Gemline team to realize our ambitious strategic goals.”
As executive chair, Isaacson will focus on vision and strategy, continuous improvement, and industry outreach. He also intends to expand his efforts to support Gemline’s commitment to corporate social responsibility. Carpenito will have an expanded role in supporting Isaacson’s efforts in the industry and community.
Before joining Gemline, Carpenito spent three decades in the consumer products industry. In his most recent role prior to Gemline, he served as CEO of BigMouth, Inc., a global consumer products company known for outdoor lifestyle products. Previously, he was CEO and president of Gordon Brothers B2B and United Natural Foods - East. Additionally, he held key leadership roles at Procter & Gamble, Pepsi-Cola, and Newell-Rubbermaid/Berol.
Isaacson is one of promo’s true heavyweights.
Counselor’s 2021 Person of the Year, Isaacson’s prominence soared during the most challenging days of COVID, due to the role he played as a community leader and an industry educator on business and health issues stemming from the pandemic. Over the years, Isaacson has ensured that Gemline is at the forefront of important developments in the industry. These include partnering with sought-after retail brands, generous corporate charitable giving, and operating in a more sustainable manner that’s better for the environment. He’s done all that while leading Gemline to impressive annual sales growth.
Based on 2021 North American promo product revenue of $127.5 million, Gemline ranked 10th on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest suppliers in the industry.