Key Takeaways
• Helen Stromberg’s Retirement: Helen Stromberg of StrombergBrand Umbrellas (asi/89955) will retire at the end of the year, concluding a 45-year legacy in the promotional products industry.
• Family Leadership: The Stromberg family led StrombergBrand Umbrellas in growth for three generations, with Arch Promo Group (asi/36663) acquiring the firm in 2022.
When Helen Stromberg joined StrombergBrand Umbrellas (asi/89955), one of the first things she fell in love with about the promotional products industry was how many women held high-powered sales and executive positions.
“I saw a lot of women at high levels in sales roles, but over time more and more were running companies,” Stromberg says. “The promotional products industry is filled with savvy, creative, brilliant women, who run fantastic supplier and distributor firms.”
She’d come from a career working in market and media research in magazine publishing before making the transition to promo – a big change for the role of women, she says.
Richard Stromberg – who would become Helen’s husband – had just taken over StrombergBrand from his father when the two met in 1974.
When he asked her to join the company in 1981, Stromberg became responsible for much of the firm’s day-to-day operations, and later played a large role in product development and distributor relationships, including attending any number of industry trade shows.
“Over the years, I became more involved in all aspects of the business, including regular travel overseas, as I kept an eye on global umbrella design trends and advancements in production,” she said.
Helen and Richard’s daughter, Jennifer, came on at Stromberg in 2020 as a vice president – the third generation of Strombergs to take on leadership at the company. The family stewarded the firm to years of growth, with Helen continuing as president of the firm upon Richard’s passing in 2021.
The following year, Helen and Jennifer received an acquisition offer for Hudson Valley Umbrella Co. – the parent company of StrombergBrand – from Arch Promo Group (asi/36663), an Illinois-based supplier. Helen remained at the firm as general manager following the acquisition, working to expand Stromberg’s product range with the expanded reach of Arch.
And after ensuring the family business was settled, she’s ready to settle back herself.
“The promotional products industry has been very good to me,” she says. “We have a wonderful reputation and StrombergBrand’s continued success is in the right hands. I am so happy that Richard, Jennifer and I were able to leave behind this positive legacy.”
