Louis Weisbach (with Ruth)
March 5, 2001 Louis Weisbach, the founder and chairman of a leading distributor of customized promotional products, was recently named to Leadership 2000, the group of Democratic supporters who donated or raised $350,000 for the party. But Weisbach's contribution was unconventional: He donated stock in his company, Halo Branded Solutions. Why? Republicans enjoy a larger donor base, forcing Democrats to depend on corporate executives whose worth is often greater on paper than it is in cash. "Until there is campaign finance reform," Weisbach told Business Week, "Democrats have to be incredibly creative." Weisbach has been consistent, if not creative, with his campaign contributions. In 1998, he ranked No. 14 on the Mother Jones 400, giving $248,000 to support Democrats. That same year he attended a fundraiser featuring Bill Clinton that raised $500,000. If Weisbach really wanted to be creative, he could give the Democrats mugs or golf shirts with a donkey logo. Halo offers more than 300,000 items that can be customized with corporate logos or marketing messages, and performs a variety of business services for clients, including inventory management, event promotion, and telemarketing. Last year the company moved into the computer era when it bought Starbelly.com, an online distributor of promotional products. John R. Kelley Jr. (No. 235), the CEO of Halo, also supported the Democrats, giving $231, 609 to the party and its candidates. -- Brett Coker | | |
