The Embassy, WIT and AD buying groups each held meetings in the late summer, early fall. Here are some of the key takeaways from each event.
Embassy in Napa: Embassy kicked off the 2018 second half of buying-group meetings with its annual shareholders gathering that took place in August at the Silverado Resort & Spa in Napa, California.
This year’s meeting was sponsored by Bemis and Matco-Norca. Both manufacturers made presentations to Embassy shareholders during the general session.
After that, Embassy honored exiting board members Don Maloney (Coburn Supply) and John Mills (WHCI Plumbing Supply). Embassy shareholders also heard member profiles from J&B Supply Co., and J. Lorber Co., as well as a talk from Josh Linkner on “Harnessing Innovation: Turning Raw Ideas into Powerful Results.”
J. Lorber Co. is celebrating 100 years in business in 2018.
WIT In Boston: WIT’s Fall Networking Meeting was held in early September at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf. During the meeting, WIT presented its annual RISE awards that honor WIT owner companies in any aspect of their businesses.
This year’s grand-prize winner was Cayce Mill Supply for its CMS Connect event, which featured about 100 vendor/product specialists in attendance and attracted more than 300 legitimate prospective customers.
First runner-up was Snow & Jones for its custom bathtub event that drew more than 75 attendees. Snow & Jones’ goal with the event was to drive showroom traffic and gain further awareness within the design community.
Mid-City Supply was the other finalist for its 70 acts of random kindness initiative that highlighted the Indiana/Michigan distributor’s focus on being a community partner.
WIT owners also heard from Chris Perry, vice president of outreach and executive education at PlanetRetail RNG, a global eCommerce consulting and data intelligence firm. Perry is the son of VAMAC CEO Chris Perry.
The day was capped off by WIT members going on a tour of The Portland Group’s state-of-the-art Splash showroom in Newton, Massachusetts.
AD in Florida: On the heels of the major news of AD transitioning into a member-owned organization, the buying group held its PHCP Divisions North American Meeting at the Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee, Florida. The meeting attracted a record-breaking 1,000-plus attendees.
At its annual AD Spirit of Innovation awards banquet, the following companies were honored: Habegger Corp. (HVAC member of the year), DiversiTech (HVAC supplier of the year), Locke Supply (plumbing member of the year), Matco-Norca (plumbing supplier of the year), BPS Supply Group (PVF member of the year), Viega (PVF supplier of the year), Vulcan Threaded Products (best conversion of the year), Consumers Pipe & Supply (best field marketing summit), Lohmiller & Co. (best workplace recognition), Famous Enterprises (best workplace recognition), Corken Steel (best workplace recognition), American Pipe & Supply (best workplace recognition), Southern Pipe & Supply (best workplace recognition) and Central Supply (AD Giving Back Award).
Brian G. Peirce, president and CEO of Peirce-Phelps, is the recipient of this year’s AD Leadership Award.
