Women to Watch: Jo-an Lantz leads a fast-growing global company with generations-old values
Photo / Tim Greenway
Jo-an Lantz, president/CEO of Lewiston-based Geiger, leads a team of 600 employees and 450 independent sales representatives.
Geiger
70 Mt. Hope Ave., Lewiston geiger.com- What the company does: Global distributor of promotional products
- Staffing: 600 employees, 450 independent sales representatives
- Founded: 1878 in Newark, N.J.; moved to Lewiston in 1955
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Fun fact: Geiger, a company headquartered in Lewiston, is the world’s largest promotional products distributor to be privately owned by a single family.
For over 140 years, the company was also led by the Geiger family. That changed in 2019 when Jo-an Lantz rose from chief operating officer to become president/CEO.
Lantz has built her career at Geiger, and is actively helping others build theirs. She’s recognized as a mentor and an inspiration by employees and peers, including for her work on the board of Promotional Products Association International, the industry’s trade group.
She now leads a company with sophisticated technology and offices throughout the U.S. and Europe — but which expresses belief in values from a founding in 1878.
Mainebiz: You’re the first Geiger leader from outside the Geiger family. Was it difficult to take on your role because of being an 'outsider'?
Jo-an Lantz: I have never felt like an outsider. Much of the credit belongs to Gene Geiger, former CEO [and current board chairman], who made the baton transfer seamless. Every business has its own culture. Geiger’s culture of respect is foundational.
MB: Why did you originally join the company and then stay with it?
JAL: I joined right after college. My intention was to work at Geiger for a period of time, then move to a different company with different opportunities. But like so many of my colleagues, I found countless opportunities here at Geiger and never left. Long-term associates here are the norm. People stay.
MB: You co-founded the Women’s Leadership Conference of your industry’s trade group. What inspired you to help create the conference, and what is your goal for it?
JAL: During my tenure on the board of [Promotional Products Association International], there were few women CEOs, board members or leaders. When my term finished, I felt the need to create a forum to mentor, educate and provide networking opportunities for women in the promotional industry.
With Geiger’s support and with four amazing other women, we created the Women’s Leadership Conference. This past year we celebrated our 20th anniversary, in Nashville, with well over 200 women leaders attending the multi-day event. My vision is to create an International Women’s Leadership Council and to expand our reach.
MB: Geiger has grown, in the U.S. and internationally, by joining with other companies. What is your strategy for acquisition?
JAL: We have a well-thought-out, strategic plan for growth, both organically and through acquisition. We search for specific acquisitions that fit a profile. We consider companies we come across or that approach us, and we work with firms to help find companies fitting the profile.
Geiger’s international acquisition strategy and joint ventures are driven by demand from our clients. Global organizations have very specific brand requirements, and need local firms to actively consult on the best ways to apply their brand in promotions.
As the world becomes less and less personal, our industry of branded merchandise — for example, recognition items, awards, logoed apparel — is a way to be hyper-personal.
MB: What would you say is your greatest strength as a leader, and where would you like to be stronger?
JAL: My greatest strength is being an empathetic, authentic leader who can build a very strong, cohesive team.
The Geiger leadership team and I can become stronger by striving to expand our knowledge base, to continuously improve, and to communicate using a shared set of terms and concepts.
MB: How will Geiger be different five years from now, and how do you think you will be different as a businessperson?
JAL: Geiger will continue to be a privately held, family-owned business with a culture of respect. Respect for our employees, for people, for the planet and for society at large. That culture of respect will not change.
We want qualities like that to continue to be top of mind with our clients and potential clients.
What will change is our evolution into an enterprise that is both global and local. Our business platforms and digital commerce systems will support our organization and our clients, wherever they may be.
My desire as a leader is to continue to learn, to evolve as a person and as a businessperson, and to mentor others toward their personal career goals. My goal is to learn and to try something new, every day.
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