There are moments in our personal and professional lives when we must make a decision. This year’s Counselor Awards recipients faced those moments, made the hard choices and took the road less traveled. It set them on the path to success …. and into the same hallowed space as many of promo’s greatest luminaries. Consider the backstories of some of this year’s honorees:

• The longtime distributor leader who had a desire to make his company a Top 40 player – and boldly took it public on the stock market to get there.
• The young duo who committed to the promo industry and are now creating some of the highest profile merch collaborations.
• The supplier exec who blurted out on live TV her intention to donate $5 million to charity, and then doubled down on that promise.
• The humble kid from Iowa who took an interest in gifts of Smucker’s jelly ... and followed that curiosity to become the architect of the modern promo industry.

Read our stories of their bold swings and consider the next time you face a monumental decision. What will you do?