Top 40 distributor AIA Corporation (asi/109480) says it’s putting an emphasis on growth and enrichment opportunities for its network of owners. To that end, the Appleton, WI-based company has expanded its owner success team with a promotion and two new hires.

Andres Blanco has been promoted to vice president of owner success. In addition, Kali Zecy and Kelli Bernd have joined the AIA team as owner success managers.

AIA Corporation has promoted Andres Blanco to vice president of owner success and hired two new owner success managers: Kali Zecy (right) and Kelli Bernd (left).

“AIA is dedicated to investing in the success of our owners,” said Rich Berg, senior vice president of owner success. “This team serves as trusted advisers to our distributors, as they play a crucial role in providing personalized support, coaching and training.”

Blanco joined AIA in 2019 as an owner success manager and was later promoted to director after demonstrating a proven track record of helping owners accelerate their business growth. In his new role, he will work in partnership with Greg Burpee, vice president of owner success, to create deeper owner relationships and focus on the development of cross-functional initiatives, including new tools and services to build owners’ businesses. Blanco will report to Berg.

“Having spent the last three years at AIA and more than two decades in the industry, I have a vast understanding of the needs of our owners,” Blanco said. “I’m excited to take this knowledge to the next level at AIA, helping our team create individual success plans for our owners and always enhancing our cadence of resources to meet their evolving needs.”

Zecy has a strong background in customer success, having worked at Top 40 distributor Staples Promotional Products (asi/120601), Bardavon Health Innovations, and as a consultant advising clients on promotional product procurement, vendor relationships and global shipping during the pandemic. She will use her 15 years of industry experience to become ingrained in owners’ businesses, gaining a clear understanding of their business model and the resources needed to help move the companies forward. 

Bernd brings 20 years of distributor experience and joins AIA from INM Marketing Group (asi/229643), where she served as the director of marketing. She managed all social platforms and blog content, developed custom marketing kits and created multiple sales tools for the business development team. Bernd’s past knowledge will benefit owners as she works closely with them to develop customized business plans that fit their specific needs and preferences.

With reported 2020 fiscal year North American promotional products revenue of $146.2 million, AIA Corporation ranked 16^th on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest distributors in the industry. The 2022 list will be revealed later this month. AIA was also named to Counselor’s most recent Best Places to Work list.