IBC announces award winners
IBC recently announced the winners of several distributor and supplier awards at its annual national meeting.
The 2013 winners were:
- Distributor of the Year: Butler Bros., Lewiston, Maine
- Distributor of the Year (Suppliers’ Choice): Western Tool and Supply Co., Livermore, Calif.
- Distributors of Excellence: Allied Tools Inc., Louisville, Ky.; Missouri Tools, Fenton, Mo.; and Hub Industrial Supply, Lake City, Fla.
- Contract Sales Leaders: Geisler Co., Troy, Mich.; and McAuliffe’s Industrial, Marysville, Ohio
- Strategic Account Management Award (“The SAMMY”): Eric Pfeiffer, Hyde Industrial Blade Solutions, Southbridge, Mass.
- ISA Golden Eagle Recognition Award: Matt Hanna, Abrasive-Tool Corporation, Rochester, N.Y.
- ISA Golden Eagle Recognition Award: Mike Pignataro, Airmaster Fan, Jackson, Mich.
- Supplier of the Year: Krylon Industrial, Cleveland, Ohio
- Supplier of the Year (Distributors’ Choice): ORS Nasco, Tulsa, Okla.
- Suppliers of Excellence: APG, Houston; Standard Abrasives, Rocky Hill, Calif.; and Wright Tool, Barberton, Ohio
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Left to right: IBC's Rich Poole, with Distributor of the Year award winner Pat Butler, Butler Bros., and IBC president Ron Nuñez. |
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Rich Poole and Ron Nunez with Michael Prucha, Krylon Industrial, IBC Supplier of the Year |
The recognition luncheon was just one highlight of this year’s national meeting. In addition to one-on-one round robin meetings, distributor booth forum and distributor network group meetings, IBC’s 2013 meeting featured a keynote presentation from Afterburner Inc., as well as a supplier sponsorship program.
In the keynote address, former Navy F-14 fighter pilot Terry Deitz shared the strategy behind Flawless Execution, a bird’s eye view of how military pilots prepare for and execute a mission. “We learned how these very tactics can be applied to how we run and execute ‘missions’ in our businesses every day,” said Ron Nuñez, president and COO of IBC.
The keynote address complemented the theme of this year’s meeting, “Building High Performance Teams.” In his speech, Nuñez reiterated IBC’s dedication to building high performance teams to better support its buying group stakeholders and develop new business on their behalf. “My team and I have been working hard this year to position IBC for continued success by winning new end-user business for our stakeholders,” said Nuñez. “We have invested in new personnel in the areas of sales and marketing, along with technology, all with a simple goal: to continue to proactively add new end-user customers for the benefit of IBC distributors and preferred suppliers.”
Kevin Burnett, executive vice president at Haggard & Stocking, expressed the value of attending this year’s meeting. “The manufacturers and distributors were prepared to engage and exchange ideas openly and candidly. This lead to constructive conversation on topics of interest: inventory, vending, contract prospects, market forecast, etc. The timing could not have been better with increasing pressure we are realizing from our big box store competition.” Haggard & Stocking is a full-line industrial distributor located in the Midwest.
Terri Eshleman, manager of Group Distribution for Walter Meier Manufacturing, praised IBC’s commitment to creating a collaborative environment. “The 2013 IBC meeting was a huge success for Walter Meier Manufacturing. Instead of tabletop speed dating, IBC provided us with a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere to discuss our business and really get to know the IBC members and their needs. From the sponsorship package to the opportunities that were afforded to us through the meetings and social events, this was a great value to us as a manufacturer.” Walter Meier Manufacturing is a manufacturer and importer of metalworking, woodworking and material handling products under the brands JET and Wilton.
INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY MAGAZINE
The March/April issue of Industrial Supply magazine features an in-depth cover story about Joyce Lansdale and Vallen. Plus, we're featuring articles by contributing writers Dirk Beveridge, Frank Hurtte, and David Kahle, as well as interviews with numerous product and distribution industry experts.
