Leadership

Mr. Simon was appointed Chief Executive Officer and a director of HALO in 2001. Prior to joining HALO, Mr. Simon spent 22 years in private law practice and five years as a leading executive in the call center industry. Mr. Simon was recently honored as "Person of the Year" by Counselor, a leading industry trade publication. Mr. Simon is a CPA and holds a JD and a BS in accounting from the University of Illinois.

Hemant Kumar joined HALO in 2022. He has extensive global experience working with Fortune 500 and high-growth companies. His expertise spans different industries including healthcare, credit cards, and automotive. He has lived and worked in India, Taiwan, Canada, and the USA. He is a key opinion leader within the finance fraternity and has spoken at various finance forums. In 2020, Sage recognized him as ‘Finance Futurist’ among 10 Global CFOs. Hemant is an Executive Scholar from Kellogg School of Management and is a Chartered Accountant (CPA eq.) and Management Accountant (CMA eq.). He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce (Hons.) from Delhi University.

Mr. Pollack joined HALO as the Chief Operating Officer in 2021 and leads all worldwide operations and technology infrastructure for the company. Prior to HALO, Mr. Pollack spent 17 years in key operational and commercial leadership roles with Stericycle, a multi‐billion‐dollar leader in the healthcare & business services industry. Mr. Pollack most recently served as Senior Vice President of Global Sales Operations & Strategic Markets. Mr. Pollack holds a BS in Business, with a focus on Finance and International Business from Indiana University.

Kim Sandifer joined HALO in 2020 as HALO’s first HR Business Partner with over 20 years of experience in business-facing HR and operational management roles. Sandifer held senior HR positions at several Fortune 500 companies over the course of her career and was instrumental in building a best-in-class HR function at HALO. Sandifer spent her first two years at the company partnering with senior leaders and standing up an HR Business Partner function focused on executing the company's talent strategies, developing leaders and improving organizational effectiveness. Sandifer was promoted to Chief HR Officer in 2023 and is a member of the Senior Leadership and Executive Teams. Mrs. Sandifer holds a BA in Finance and Economic from Elmhurst College and is a Smith College Leadership Consortium Alum.

Mr. Stutz joined HALO in 2008 and is responsible for all commercial aspects of HALO including sales, business development, marketing and ecommerce. Prior to HALO, Mr. Stutz spent 18 years at Cintas Corporation managing the Promotional Products Business unit. Mr. Stutz has appeared on Counselor magazine's Power 50 list and was named one of the promotional products industry’s 2013 Best Bosses by PPB magazine. Mr. Stutz served on the boards of Cincinnati's St. Vincent DePaul Society and the Warren County United Way. Mr. Stutz graduated from the University of Cincinnati.

Ms. Arendarczyk joined HALO as SVP of Transformation in 2022 and leads Halo’s Business Transformation Office, inclusive of EPMO, Organizational Change Management, Business Process Optimization, Business Technology Solutions, and Master Data capabilities.  Prior to Halo, Ms. Arendarczyk held a variety of corporate and consulting leadership and executive roles over the course of her 20+-year career, helping companies to achieve strategic growth goals, improve operational efficiency, and reduce risk through multi-year business and IT large program delivery and transformation.  Ms. Arendarczyk holds a BS in Operations Management and International Business from Penn State University.

Mr. Barrett joined HALO in 2017 with the acquisition of Michael C. Fina Recognition. Mr. Barrett has over 25 years of experience in senior operational leadership roles and is responsible for the HALO Program’s Centers of Excellence: Digital Solutions & Implementations / Account Management / Merchandising / Inventory Management / Global Sourcing, Import Compliance & Logistics / Fulfillment & Production / Strategic Initiatives as well as Facilities Management at all HALO business units. Mr. Barrett holds a BS in Business Administration from California University of Pennsylvania.

Paul Bellantone has a proven track record of success in the promotional products industry and brings more than two decades of experience to his role as HBS Group President. After registering over twenty years of experience at PPAI, a trade association in the promotional products industry, Mr. Bellantone became CEO in 2011 and later joined HALO's Executive Team as SVP of Sales in 2021. In 2022 he transitioned to SVP Customer Experience, and was appointed Group President of HBS in January 2023. A graduate of Rutgers University with an MBA from Texas Woman's University, Bellantone is consistently featured on Counselor’s Power 50 rankings.

Larry Cohen joined HALO in 2020 with the acquisition of Axis Promotions. Prior to joining HALO, Mr. Cohen served as the President of Axis Promotions, which he founded in 1991. Axis was widely recognized for its strategic approach to the promotional products industry, including delivering creative solutions that were 180 Degrees From Ordinary. Axis has regularly ranked as a top promotional merchandising agency in the United States. Mr. Cohen served on the board of PPAI and now serves on the Executive Committee of HALO. Mr. Cohen is a graduate of Duke University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Mr. Fina joined HALO in 2017 with the acquisition and rebranding of Michael C. Fina Recognition as HALO Recognition. Mr. Fina has over 20 years' experience in recognition, reward and incentive solutions. Mr. Fina holds a BA in Management from the University of Florida.

Mr. Fina joined HALO in 2017 with the acquisition and rebranding of Michael C. Fina Recognition as HALO Recognition. Mr. Fina has over 24 years’ experience in recognition services, brand advocacy and promotional products. Mr. Fina holds a BBA in Management from Hofstra University.

Mr. Gaur joined HALO in 2022 and leads technology functions. Mr. Gaur is an accomplished Senior Executive, with more than twenty years of success across the omni-channel retail, digital, e-commerce, start-ups, wholesale, and fundraising industries. Prior to HALO, Mr. Gaur held leadership positions at companies including On Campus Marketing, LLC (OCM.com) as CIO, Cherry Bros., LLC (Cherrydale.com) as CIO; SteinMart, Inc. as VP of Application Engineering & Solution Delivery, and Fanatic, Inc. in roles of progressive seniority, including Director of Engineering. Mr. Gaur holds a BE in Computer Science from R.K.D.F Institute of Science & Technology and an MS in Computer Science from Utah State University.

Ms. Hernandez joined HALO in 2022. Prior to joining HALO, Ms. Hernandez served as Vice President Sales, Enterprise Account, and Employer Services at Equifax, a $29 Billion workforce solutions, data and technology company, headquartered in St. Louis. Ms. Hernandez has experience in all areas of the order lifecycle and brought a transformation and executive mindset coupled with a "can do", enthusiastic attitude to HALO. Ms. Hernandez holds a BA in Business Marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Mr. Jakubowski joined HALO in 2018 with over 12 years’ experience representing public and private companies, focusing on mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining HALO, Mr. Jakubowski served as Vice President, Deputy General Counsel at LKQ Corporation and a corporate associate at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Mr. Jakubowski holds a JD from Vanderbilt University and a BA in Economics from Northwestern University.

Mr. Limes has been Senior Vice President of Sales for HALO since 2004. Mr. Limes is a 24-year veteran of the promotional products industry with extensive sales and management experience and previously was the Vice President of Sales at JII Promotions. Mr. Limes is also the Chairman of the PPAI Leadership Advisory Committee. Mr. Limes holds a BBA from Ohio State University.

Mr. McGuire joined HALO in 1999 as Vice President, Marketing and Sales Support. Mr. McGuire has over 30 years of promotional products experience. Prior to joining HALO, Mr. McGuire held executive business development and marketing positions with industry manufacturers. Mr. McGuire holds a BA in Communications from Central College.

Mr. Mounger joined HALO in 2018 with the acquisition of Sunrise Identity. Mounger started Sunrise in the early 90’s with a vision to be a full service promotional merchandise company servicing Fortune 100 companies.  Investing heavily in technology and compliance, Sunrise became one of the largest companies in the industry and has consistently been awarded as one of the best place to work. Mounger has over 25 years’ experience in branded merchandise solutions, sourcing and product development. Mr. Mounger was recently honored as the "Distributor Entrepreneur of the Year" by Counselor, a leading industry trade publication. Mr. Mounger holds a BS in Business and International Business from the University of Washington.

Ms. Olds has held senior executive positions throughout her 35-year HALO career, including roles in Finance, IT, M&A, and Operations. As Senior VP of Corporate Communications and DEI, Ms. Olds is responsible for developing and executing strategies to amplify a One HALO culture through corporate communications and HALO's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion practice. Ms. Olds is an active member of the promotional products community, currently serving as Past Chair of the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) Board of Directors, and is a multi-year congressional delegate in Washington, DC for PPAI's LEAD initiative. Ms. Olds is a frequent volunteer for childhood education and women's professional programs in her community of Sterling, Illinois. She holds a BA in Information Technology from the University of Phoenix.

Mr. Wurtzel joined HALO in 2019 with 13 years of experience as a strategic marketing leader. Prior to joining HALO, Mr. Wurtzel was a marketing director at Mars Wrigley, where he oversaw the brand development and management for a portfolio of consumer products. Mr. Wurtzel holds an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis and a BSBA from Boston University.