Lockport, NY - In keeping with its core purpose of helping North American small businesses succeed, NetPlus Alliance held its first annual meeting at the M resort in Henderson, NV on March 16 – 18, 2014. The industrial and contractor supplies buying group developed this meeting at the suggestion of their Advisory Boards, consisting of supplier and distributor executives. The event was attended by over 300 delegates representing 72 distributors and 102 product and service suppliers.
The intense day of business meetings was broken up by an award luncheon, where NetPlus founder, Dan Judge, introduced his daughter, Jennifer Murphy, recently appointed president of NetPlus. Jennifer is the fifth generation to lead the family-owned business, which has industrial roots dating back to 1885.
During the luncheon, several awards were presented to distributors and suppliers. NetPlus Alliance models the awards after the core values that define the group’s operations every day.
Grow Together: The Marketing Excellence award was given to JPW Industries (Jet/Wilton/Powermatic), industry leaders in innovative digital media and web services and developers of a unique new training platform.
Be Nimble: Fastool, Inc. of Wayland, MI. went home with the Distributor MVP award. This distributor added 9 new suppliers in 2013 and attained 29% growth in year over year NetPlus purchases. Ross Post of Fastool stated, “The NetPlus Staff went out of their way to make sure that this meeting would be valuable to distributors and suppliers. We would not have been able to meet as many suppliers any other way. This will be very big for our business. We will be very busy this year.”
Be The Best: The Supplier MVP award went to Drillco Cutting Tools. In 2013, they grew their business in the group by 27%, adding 12 new member accounts.
Keep It Rolling: Four distributor companies were recognized for their loyalty to NetPlus Alliance. They have been members since NetPlus started in 2002: Choice Industrial Solutions, Inc., Conveyer & Caster Corp., Dixie Tool Crib, Inc., and Powers Industrial Group.
Value Relationships: This Partnership Excellence award was presented to an individual who exemplifies partnership excellence in her relationships with NetPlus and our supplier partners. The winner of this award was Heather Terrell of Gogel Fastener and Industrial Supply of Toledo, OH. About the annual meeting, Heather remarked, “It was an extremely valuable experience. The ability to see all the companies associated with NetPlus in one location was amazing. I could not have asked for a better turnout for our company.”
The Dan Judge Founder’s Award is given to a supplier or distributor individual that exemplifies the NetPlus Core Purpose: “Helping American Small Businesses Succeed.” The 2013 award was presented to Pat Mulligan of Newell Rubbermaid.
After the full day of business meetings, attendees gathered in the spacious ballroom for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration, featuring an Irish band. The three-day conference wrapped up the following morning, with educational breakfasts led by industry experts Bart Schwartz of Industrial Channel Research and Rick Wallace of Next Level Coaching, followed by product educational sessions sponsored by several suppliers.
NetPlus Alliance will return to the M Resort for its second Annual Meeting in April, 2015.
Founded in 2002, NetPlus Alliance brings industrial and contractor supplies distributors of all sizes together to improve net profit, share best practices and open doors to new opportunities. NetPlus Alliance leverages the group power and volume from many distributors to negotiate rebate programs with a broad selection of industrial and contractor supplies manufacturers and wholesalers. Categories include abrasives, adhesives, anchors, casters, chemicals, cutting tools, fasteners, hand tools, hoists, hoses, janitorial supplies, ladders, machine tools, material handling, paints, power tools, safety, saw blades, tape and film products, vending and welding equipment. For additional information contact Zach Brado at (716) 438-2014 or visit www.NetPlusAlliance.com.
