The National Electronic Distributors Assn. (NEDA) gave its Gail S. Carter Award to Dave Herring, co-owner and president of Projections Unlimited Inc., a Tustin, Calif. distributor and longtime NEDA member.

NEDA presented the honor at its annual executive conference in Chicago in November. The Carter Award is the association's highest individual honor.

The association also honored seven individuals with its Distinguished Service Awards: Manny Brunson, Hagemeyer NA; Jim Bruorton, KEMET Electronics; Carla Mahrt, Tyco Electronics; Greg Mefford, Vishay Americas; Kip Poncher, Hawk Electronics; Jeff Ray, TTI Inc., and Frank Robertazzi, formerly of Avago.

The seven were honored for having made significant contributions to the distribution industry and for their active roles in NEDA.

“These individuals have generously given their time and talent for the betterment of the industry through their involvement in NEDA,” said NEDA's president Frank Flynn. “Without them, [we] would not be a world-class association.”

In addition to the individual awards, NEDA presented the Component Manufacturer of The Year Award to Vishay Intertechnology Inc.

For information, go to: www.nedassoc.org

Jackie Britt, financial officer at Rubber & Accessories Inc. in Lakeland, Fla., will be the 2008 president of NIBA-The Belting Assn.

Joining her on the NIBA board will be Frank Klaene, F. N. Sheppard & Co. (first vice president); Don Garner, Nashville Rubber and Gasket (second vice president); and Michael Labbé, Rema TipTop (treasurer.) NIBA's immediate past president, René Morf, VIS USA, will serve on the executive committee.

Britt is the first woman president of NIBA as well as the first second-generation president. Her father, Harry Robb Jr., was president in 1986.

For information, go to www.niba.org

The National Fastener Distributors Assn. has reached an agreement with iLumen Inc. to make the iLumen Financial Information Network available to NFDA members.

The iLumen Network connects private companies with financial performance data, industry information and business advisors. This new service will be provided to all NFDA members.

“Providing valuable comparative information to our members has always been a top priority,” said Joel Roseman, president of NFDA and executive vice president of Arnold Industries. “However, past efforts have required a lot of effort with minimal results. We were looking for a better solution and iLumen's financial analysis and industry benchmarking service provided the ease of use and real-time results that we required.”

The iLumen Network standardizes the collection, mapping and analysis of financial information that companies securely upload directly from any accounting system. Benefits include financial trending analysis, financial benchmarking and industry intelligence.

“This is a great opportunity for members to upgrade the way they manage their financial performance on many levels,” said Mark Shannon, vice president of Tower Fasteners and president-elect of NFDA.

NFDA and iLumen will be conducting a series of informational webcasts for NFDA members beginning in January. These webcasts will provide additional information on the iLumen Network as well as analysis of current trends affecting the industry.

For information, go to: www.nfda-fastener.org; www.iliumen.com