East Granby, CT – IBC hosted its annual National Meeting October 19 to October 21 at the Sheraton Gateway Suites, Rosemont, IL for stakeholders in its buying group network. Preferred Suppliers and Independent Distributors from across the country met to make new connections, strengthen business relationships and share best practices to grow their businesses. Attendees of this year’s event experienced program enhancements to the annual meeting that made it one of IBC’s most successful events in the company’s history.
Each year during the three-day event IBC recognizes distributors and suppliers who best represent the dedication, quality and standards of excellence that customers have come to expect from members of IBC’s buying group. At the annual Awards and Recognition Luncheon on Sunday, October 20, IBC honored the following distributors and suppliers for going above and beyond to serve their customers:
- 2013 Distributor of the Year: Butler Bros. (Lewiston, ME)
- Distributor of the Year (Suppliers’ Choice): Western Tool and Supply Co. (Livermore, CA)
- 2013 Distributors of Excellence: Allied Tools Inc. (Louisville, KY), Missouri Tools (Fenton, MO), and Hub Industrial Supply (Lake City, FL)
- 2013 Contract Sales Leaders: Geisler Co. (Troy, MI), and McAuliffe’s Industrial, L.L.C. (Marysville, OH)
- 2013 Strategic Account Management Award (“The SAMMY”): Eric Pfeiffer, Hyde Industrial Blade Solutions (Southbridge, MA)
- 2013 ISA Golden Eagle Recognition Award: Matt Hanna, Abrasive-Tool Corporation (Rochester, NY)
- 2013 ISA Golden Eagle Recognition Award: Mike Pignataro, Airmaster Fan (Jackson, MI)
- 2013 Supplier of the Year: Krylon Industrial (Cleveland, OH)
- 2013 Supplier of the Year(Distributors’ Choice): ORS Nasco (Tulsa, OK)
- 2013 Suppliers of Excellence: APG (Houston, TX), Standard Abrasives (Rocky Hill, CA), and Wright Tool (Barberton, OH)
The recognition luncheon was just one of the highlights of this year’s National Meeting. In addition to its successful one-on-one round robin meetings, distributor booth forum and distributor network group meetings, IBC’s 2013 meeting featured an impactful keynote presentation from Afterburner, Inc., as well as a successful 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 leading manufacturer and importer of Metalworking, Woodworking and Material Handling products in North America offering customer-specific solutions for manufacturing products from its brands JET and Wilton.
To view photos from IBC’s 2013 National Meeting, visit IBC’s Facebook page. For more information about IBC, please call (888) 509-5609 or visit www.industrialbuyers.com.
