Hal Schwartz

Hal Schwartz is a proud 1987 graduate of Eastern Michigan University, School of Business with a degree in marketing.

After a fifteen-year career in the office product industry, Hal became a partner and CEO of Bradley Marketing Group, a promotional products and branded marketing company. Under his leadership, the company grew to a formidable entity, and in 1997 was acquired by the leading publicly traded promotional products company. In 2001, Hal became the chief operating officer of Beanstalk, the promotional product division of Ford Motor Company with annual sales of $75 million. He was part of the executive team that represented Beanstalk in the sale of the company to a private equity firm.

Hal went back to his entrepreneurial roots and began a start-up in the beverage industry. His new company, Direct Distribution, became an exclusive Red Bull Energy Drink Distributor. Hal introduced the first cans of Red Bull Energy Drink to Western Michigan, with exclusive territories in mid and western Michigan. Under Hal’s leadership, the company grew to a multi-million dollar entity.

After retiring in 2015, Hal has been an active mentor at the EMU College of Business and SCORE, a national mentoring organization assisting small businesses.

Experience

• Small business start-ups
• Family business dynamics
• Operational business practices
• Sales and marketing