Gary Haley, president of supplier Beacon Promotions (PPAI 113702), has announced his retirement effective June 30.
A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, Haley began his career at St. Paul-based distributor Brown & Bigelow in 1974 as a management trainee and spent 11 years there rising to marketing manager for proprietary products. He then moved to the supplier side of the industry with Advertising Unlimited, Inc. in Sleepy Eye. When the company was acquired by Norwood Promotional Products in 1999, Haley became senior vice president marketing and relocated to Norwood’s headquarters in Austin, Texas.
In 2003, together with a group of 10 partners, Beacon Promotions was launched with the acquisition of supplier companies Frontier Line and Crowd Specialties, and the new supplier opened for business in 2004.
The company thrived adding eight acquisitions and product partnerships, including Canyon Outback and the Imagery Group, by 2012. Beacon forged strong relationships with many industry distributors earning multiple PPAI Supplier Star awards. Late last year, Beacon agreed to an acquisition deal with PPAI Supplier Star Award winner Hub Pen Company, one of the largest writing instrument suppliers in the U.S., a move aimed at helping both companies serve the market with a broader portfolio of products and services. As part of the deal, Haley continued his role as president until his decision to retire earlier this year.
Haley is a longtime PPAI volunteer including presenting education sessions and serving on the Editorial Advisory Committee, Leadership Advisory Group and Product Responsibility Action Group and chairing the Suppliers Committee. He’s also shared his industry expertise with countless audiences by writing for PPB and PPAI’s Trusted newsletter, serving as a panelist for various PPAI education programs and providing volunteer leadership for his regional association, Upper Midwest Association of Promotional Professionals, where he has served on its board of directors and various committees. In 2016, the regional association awarded him its UMAPP Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2017, its Volunteer of the Year award.