Recognizing Marketing’s Finest
Here we present all of this year’s winning submissions, highlighting a different category each week.
SELLING TOOL /
Atlantic Coast Electric Supply (ACES)
ACES Solution Guides
In 2025, ACES recognized that its original product brochures were no longer enough to support consultative selling; engagement by the customers and use by the employees were on the decline. Marketing was also looking for opportunities for supplier and agency partners to increase joint advertising efforts.
In answer, a series of themed, bimonthly Solution Guides was designed to group complementary products around real contractor challenges and seasonal needs.
Each guide framed products within jobsite applications, compliance requirements, efficiency gains, and safety benefits and was structured as not only customer-facing literature, but also a value-driven advertising opportunity for supplier and agency partners.
“ACES Solution Guides deliver a powerful, solution-driven selling platform that keeps every branch on the same page,” said the judges.
Agilix Solutions
2026 Vendor Solutions Calendar
With thousands of products available from dozens of manufacturers, one challenge faced by both customers and sales teams is quickly identifying relevant product solutions during day-today operations. With this in mind, Agilix saw an opportunity to turn a familiar promotional item—the annual wall calendar—into a practical selling tool.
The Agilix Solutions 2026 Vendor Solutions Calendar was designed to serve as both a reference guide and a conversation starter for sales discussions throughout the year.
Each featured manufacturer received a dedicated month highlighting its products, and QR codes were integrated to bridge the gap between printed materials and digital resources—an approach that turned the calendar into a hybrid print-plus-digital selling tool.
“Agilix turned a simple wall calendar into a high-impact, yearlong sales engine that keeps partner products front and center,” said the judges.
Wesco
Industrial Full Throttle Initiative
Wesco’s Full Throttle Industrial Customer Revitalization and Acquisition Initiative accelerated and scaled its existing industrial marketing capabilities by applying deeper data-driven targeting and tighter alignment with sales execution to drive measurable growth.
Focusing on precision, the initiative identified where growth already existed but was not being captured.
Marketing and sales leadership, sales managers, and frontline sellers were brought together to ensure the program was built with field input and real-world applicability. To ensure insights translated into action, a suite of sales enablement and marketing tools was deployed.
Program governance played a critical role in sustaining momentum. Launch calls, recurring office hours, leadership council meetings, and ongoing communications reinforced expectations, enabled feedback, and ensured continuous improvement. Incentives and recognition programs further motivated adoption, directly tying desired behaviors to measurable outcomes.
The judges applauded the initiative, noting that “it showcases an exemplary selling tool that blends data-driven precision with cross-functional alignment to deliver remarkable results.”
Halco Lighting Technologies
Halco Product Searchability
Recognizing that no single website navigation method would effectively serve every type of user, Halco decided on a strategy that would build a unified product discovery ecosystem that supports multiple paths to the same goal: Product Searchability.
Product Searchability provides multiple discovery tools tailored to different user preferences, and the tools connect directly to MyHalco, where logged-in users can access enhanced content, pricing, availability, submittals, and project-specific resources. It removes friction from the product selection process, empowers customers to respond faster to opportunities, and ultimately helps Halco
win business more often. It also ensures continuity between public-facing tools and authenticated MyHalco experiences used by agent partners and distributor customers.
“This selling tool redefines product discovery by giving every user a personalized, friction-free path that speeds decision-making and boosts win rates,” said the judges.
Atkore
Atkore Training Program
Atkore’s winning program offers a flexible, learner-centered approach that drives participation, strengthens knowledge retention, and reinforces its reputation as a solutions-focused industry leader.
Featuring five training formats, the program allows participants to gain market-specific expertise, and an understanding of Atkore solutions from planning through installation to long-term performance. It reinforces how Atkore products work together in real-world applications and demonstrates the program’s ability to evolve based on learner needs, delivering highly relevant, practical, and actionable training for all audiences.
The program has more than 19,000 active users with more than 18,000 courses completed in 2025.
The judges called the program “a powerful selling tool that clearly reinforces the brand and delivers measurable customer value.”
WEBSITE – Honorable Mention
NorthEast Electrical
ProRewards Relaunch
Summit Electric Supply
Bringing Lighting Into Focus
Robroy Industries
Robroy
Coloring & Activity Book
Eaton—Channel Marketing
Digital Showroom Showcase Merchandising Program
Tagged with awards, Best of the Best, marketing