2025 Hall of Fame Inductee
The Hallmark Brand and Legacy, Founded by J.C. Hall
J.C. HALL
J.C. Hall founded Hallmark in 1910. A teenage entrepreneur from Nebraska, an 18-year-old Hall dropped out of high school, crammed two shoeboxes full of postcards, and started his business in Kansas City, Mo. He led Hallmark Cards for 56 years until he stepped aside as chief executive officer in favor of his son, Don Hall.
Hallmark forged the company’s first-ever licensing agreement in 1932 to use Disney characters on greeting cards. Walt Disney and Hallmark founder J.C. Hall formed a lasting friendship as well as an ongoing business relationship.
DONALD HALL, SR.
Don Hall led Hallmark serving as president and CEO from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s. As CEO, he led Hallmark through its greatest period of growth, overseeing innovation in greeting cards, including the launch of the Shoebox humor line and introduction of product lines for African American, Hispanic and Jewish consumers.
He also led the development of Hallmark’s network of independent retailers, expanded the company’s reach into international markets and envisioned the of new product lines such as Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments. He oversaw development of the Crown Center retail and office complex in Kansas City, as well as the acquisition of Crayola, and directed an initiative articulating Hallmark’s “beliefs and values” to guide decision-making as the company grew. He took great pride in the Hallmark Hall of Fame, maintaining his father’s commitment to high-quality family and life-affirming entertainment.
DONALD J. HALL, JR., Executive Chairman, Hallmark Cards, Inc. Board of Directors
Don Hall, Jr., a grandson of company founder Joyce C. Hall, joined Hallmark in 1971 and has worked in manufacturing, customer service, product development, and sales. He has served as a member of Hallmark’s board of directors since 1990.
In 1993, Hall was promoted to general manager of Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments, the company’s Christmas ornament brand. In 1995, he was named vice president of creative and became a corporate officer. Hall became vice president of product development in 1997, and in 1999, he was named executive vice president of strategy and development. He assumed the role of president and CEO in January 2002, becoming the third generation of the Hall family to lead the company. In 2015, his brother, David E. Hall, was named president and joined Don in leading all aspects of Hallmark’s portfolio of businesses. In 2019, he moved into his current role of executive chairman of the board of directors.
DAVID E. HALL, Executive Vice Chairman, Hallmark Cards, Inc. Board of Directors
David Hall, a grandson of the company’s founder, Joyce C. Hall, joined Hallmark in 1981. He has held management positions in sales administration, finance, and order distribution. He worked as a staff attorney in Hallmark’s legal department, served as director of retailer relations and communications for the card/specialty channel, and was director of subsidiary integration for a greeting card subsidiary of Hallmark. He has served as a member of Hallmark’s board of directors since 1996.
In 1999, Hall was named vice president for U.S. marketing and sales at Binney & Smith (now called Crayola, LLC), a Hallmark business that manufactures and sells Crayola® brand products. In 2002, Hall returned to Kansas City as senior vice president of human resources for Hallmark. Starting in 2005, he served as president of what was then Hallmark North America, leading operations for Hallmark’s North American businesses before being named president of Hallmark Cards, Inc. in 2015 and was named to his current role of executive vice chairman of the board of directors in 2019.
ANDY PENCE, Vice President, Gold Crown Customer Development
Andy Pence, a great grandson of the company’s founder, Joyce C, Hall, currently serves as Vice President of Gold Crown Customer Development at Hallmark, where he is accountable for the vision, brand experience, and relationship management needs of the Gold Crown network.
Andy has nearly 15 years of experience at Hallmark, having served in roles supporting Hallmark’s distribution operations, field service organization, and mass channel customers before stepping in to lead Hallmark Business Connections, Hallmark’s business-to-business subsidiary, in 2019. In 2022, Andy served as vice president – location-based entertainment & retail for Crayola leading efforts to expand and maximize the Crayola Experience, a hands-on attraction that enables families to immerse themselves in the Crayola brand—located in Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Texas. Andy returned to Hallmark in 2024, bringing his diverse customer and consumer-facing experience, and a deep understanding of the importance of the Gold Crown network to the Hallmark brand to his current role.