Counselor Top 40 distributor ASB (asi/120075) has a long history, and it all started with print. Now one of the biggest names in the industry (and shorter, following its recent rebrand), ASB is known for doing it all.
And now it has a new leader, albeit one who’s been present at the company for long enough to have overseen a good chunk of its evolution. Justin Zavadil, recipient of Counselor’s 2025 Person of the Year, a member of Counselor’s Power 50 list of the industry’s most influential people and recently appointed CEO and president of the Minnesota-based firm, a Counselor Best Place to Work, joined the Convergence Corner podcast to speak not only about his transition to this new role, but also the history of ASB and the ins and outs of how distributors can incorporate print and promo together as complementary services.
“We are still about 50-50 print and promo,” Zavadil said.
ASB is continuing its evolution to be a modern distributor with the implementation of company store programs and e-commerce, which Zavadil said has become the company’s “bread and butter.”
“We’ll put something up on an e-commerce store, and those stores will have everything from business cards and stationery to labels and direct mail, as well as an apparel store,” he said. “And there are so many kitting projects that we do that might be shipping out a mug and a shirt, but it also has an HR manual. That all goes together.”
Zavadil said the goal is to be a valuable consultative partner that takes an agency approach with its clients.
“We always talk about wanting to be a marketing service provider, right?” he said. “You don’t just want to sell print and products. We want to be an extension of our customer’s marketing team without being on their payroll.”
Podcast Chapters
00:57: Growing Up at ASB
03:55: From Print to Promo
05:48: Blending Print and Promotional Products
10:00: Challenges of Selling Print and Promo
14:42: Misconceptions About Print and Promo
17:48: Advice for Distributors and Closing Thoughts
Key Takeaways
• Justin Zavadil’s experience working in nearly every department at Counselor Top 40 distributor ASB (asi/120075) shaped his leadership approach and prepared him to become the company’s CEO.
• Promotional products grew from a small addition to ASB’s print business into one of its fastest-growing revenue streams while the company continues to maintain a strong print business.
• Company stores, kitting programs and print-on-demand technology allow distributors to combine print and promotional products into a single streamlined customer solution.
• Successful distributors position themselves as an extension of their customers’ marketing teams by simplifying purchasing, fulfillment and inventory management.
• The biggest barriers to selling integrated print and promo programs are training, technology and salesperson confidence rather than customer demand.
• Print and promotional products each have misconceptions, but automation and e-commerce have made both categories easier to integrate into long-term customer programs.
• The best distributors focus on asking customers about their pain points and delivering flexible, end-to-end solutions instead of trying to sell specific products.
