Background

Brian Hensen got his start in promotional products straight out of college, joining an ownership group where he spent fifteen years working every job in the business — an apprenticeship he describes as his MBA — before going on to build and lead Avail Labs as President & CEO. Avail Labs is an enterprise branded-merchandise platform that replaces scattered vendors and manual workflows with a single system, connecting sourcing, kitting, fulfillment, gifting, and company stores through a proprietary ERP — and, unusually for a technology company, running its own operations facility for fulfillment, kitting, and apparel decoration.

Why American Operator

When Brian first heard about American Operator's mission, it connected right away — his small-town roots and his belief in the impact small businesses have on their communities drew him to the mission of keeping local ownership thriving. Having learned an industry from the ground up and built a technology-driven business within it, he's a strong resource for operators taking on niche manufacturing and distribution companies, especially those with an e-commerce dimension, where he can offer both hard-won industry knowledge and guidance on building sales systems and go-to-market strategy.