In 2019, Jo-an Lantz was named president and CEO of Top 40 distributor Geiger (asi/202900) – the first person outside the Geiger family to hold those titles at the more than 140-year-old family-run company.

She had helped propel the juggernaut to consistent growth (a 27% overall increase in revenue from 2017 to 2019) and aggressive international expansion while maintaining the company’s reputation as a leader on a number of fronts, from technology to sustainability. Kicking off the year, Lantz, Counselor’s 2020 Person of the Year, anticipated more growth, as well as more acquisitions domestically and internationally.

Watch the interview with Jo-an Lantz above.

And then came the familiar record scratch: COVID-19.

At PSI Dusseldorf – Europe’s largest promo show – in mid-January, Lantz first heard of a minor supply chain issue in China. “I just didn’t understand the depth of the problem,” Lantz told Tim Andrews, president and CEO of ASI, during an interview at the ASI Power Summit Live on Thursday.

In March, Geiger announced that all employees would work from home except for those in decoration and distribution centers in the U.S. and London. On March 12, Lantz said the company began to see sales on a global basis quickly plummeting. During the company’s annual fireside chat – done virtually for the first time – she informed partners and employees about the company’s adjusted forecast for 2020, estimating a 40% decline. Geiger received funds from the Paycheck Protection Program, but when they ran out in mid-June, layoffs and furloughs were implemented.

Jo-an Lantz, Counselor’s 2020 Person of the Year.

“I was terrified,” Lantz said. “I know decisions I’ve made have had a negative impact on my colleagues. One of the leadership aspects I was working on prior to COVID was to not communicate my anxieties and to have a good poker face. Well, I was also coping with my terminally ill mother all through the summer and wasn’t communicating that with anyone other than my immediate colleagues.”

After making those necessary adjustments and pivoting to PPE, Geiger’s sales are projected to be down only 13% for 2020. While some sales associates have had their best year ever, others have really struggled. Lantz credited those who have succeeded with being hard workers, optimists and having a diverse mix of business.

About 60% of the workforce has been brought back, Lantz said, and the company is currently hiring for different specialties, such as kitting and corporate programs. “We’re budgeting for growth in 2021,” Lantz said. “Our pipeline of new clients is full, and we’ll be budgeting for a pay increase as well. We expect to be behind for the first quarter, but once March 12 hits, we know we’ll be up.”