Nick Kiefer is the 35-year-old Vice President of Sales at Touchstone in Mason, Ohio. He began his career at Aerotek selling contract engineering and was recruited by Touchstone in its early growth phase. He loves the diversity, flexibility and fast pace of the promotional products industry. If not for this career, he would own a tiki bar in the Caribbean. He leads by example and positive reinforcement, having spent time learning the industry himself. His biggest influence is his mentor Andrew Backen, who introduced him to sales fundamentals. His advice for newcomers is to start small and focus on basics rather than feeling overwhelmed. In his free time, he enjoys outdoor activities like boating, hiking and golf

1. Nick Kiefer, 35
Vice President of Sales
Touchstone, Mason,
Ohio
His big break: I began my profes-
sional career working at Aerotek sell-
ing contract engineering right out of
college. I worked at Aerotek for two
years until I was recruited to Touchstone in the early growth phases of
the company. Like most others, I had no prior knowledge of what the
promotional products industry had to offer.
Why he loves the industry: [I love the] diversity, flexibility and fast
pace. We support clients all over the world of various size, industry
and focus. Our clients are all very unique, and we thrive on providing
customer solutions with a focus on relevant product execution.
His backup career: I would more than likely own a tiki bar on an
island in the Caribbean living it up in the tropics.
His leadership style: I lead by example and through positive re-
inforcement. I understand what it takes to learn, navigate and build a
book of business in the promotional products Industry. I’ve spent my
time in the trenches and now earn my sense of accomplishment by
teaching and helping others achieve success of their own.
His biggest career influence: My boss and mentor, Andrew
Backen. Andrew is now the executive vice president at Touchstone.
Andrew hired me out of college in 2005 to come work for him at
Aerotek. He introduced me to sales and taught me how to be [a]
fundamental, systematic sales professional. To this day, I teach the
same fundamentals that I learned almost 10 years ago.
His advice for those starting out: This is advice I give on a
regular basis to all of my new hires: Start small and focus on the
basics. Don’t allow yourself to become overwhelmed with the endless
amount of suppliers, products and services available in the industry. I
keep all of my new hires on a tight regiment of what they are exposed
to and strategically allow them to expand out over time as they pro-
gress in their development.
What he does for fun: I love the outdoors—boating, hiking, golf-
ing, camping, snow boarding and surfing. My wife, Kristen, and dog,
Leni, especially love to travel. We fully appreciate all of the beautiful
scenery and landscapes the world has to offer.
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40Meet the young professionals
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