Photo: Crum Electric CEO Jeff Hockin, Electrical-U.S. Division board member and AD LLC Board lead director, receiving Member of the Year for Leadership Award from Jack Templin, President, Electrical & Industrial Business Unit and Chief Programs Officer at AD.
GRAPEVINE, Texas – Showcasing the very best of the AD community, the 2021 AD Electrical-U.S. and Mexico North American Meeting honored divisional members and supplier partners who set the bar high in an industry-leading, highly competitive group of distributors. At a special 2021 AD Electrical Spirit of Independence Awards ceremony Oct. 26, AD Electrical members and suppliers received awards in the areas of sales performance, marketing excellence, employee engagement, leadership and giving back.
In a community that thrives on partnership and mutual success, the Spirit of Independence awards celebrate engagement and growth by fostering greater participation among members and suppliers. The awards also help AD members and suppliers learn more about each other’s successes.
Jack Templin, president of the AD Electrical & Industrial Business Unit, kicked off the awards ceremony with a special recognition of member companies marking significant anniversaries this year. Dealers Electrical Supply, Hein Electric Supply Co., Main Electric Supply Co., Mastro Electric Supply Co. and Malloy Industrial Services are all celebrating 75 years in business. CBT Company, Baldwin Supply Company and Hunzicker Brothers have hit the 100-year mark. And C.N. Robinson Lighting Supply is one of very few companies in any industry to reach 150 years in business.
Describing C.N. Robinson’s transition from seed distributor in 1870 to large-scale lighting distributor today, Templin remarked on the company’s extraordinary journey.
“They survived World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the economic crisis of 2007 and now a global pandemic,” Templin said. “Their resilience and strength are admirable.”
AD Member of the Year awards recognize member companies who significantly grew their purchases from AD suppliers, participated in key AD programs and divisional initiatives and actively contributed to AD’s governance and support. These members are seen as leaders among their peers in the division. The following companies received 2021 AD Member of the Year awards:
- 2021 AD Electrical-U.S. Tier One Member of the Year: Bell Electrical Supply
- 2021 AD Electrical-U.S. Tier Two Member of the Year: Main Electric Supply Co.
- 2021 AD Electrical-Mexico Member of the Year: Gastelum y Gastelum
AD Supplier of the Year awards go to supplier partners who are highly engaged with and supportive of the AD community. These suppliers have increased purchases from members, offered powerful incentives, implemented progressive distributor policies, widely participated in AD programs and made strong use of sales and marketing activities.
The following companies received 2021 AD Supplier of the Year awards:
- 2021 AD Electrical-U.S. Tier One Supplier of the Year: Mersen
- 2021 AD Electrical-U.S. Tier Two Supplier of the Year: Acuity Brands
- 2021 AD Electrical-Mexico Supplier of the Year: Kobrex
The Best Conversion to an AD Supplier award honors a member and supplier partner who joined forces to implement an effective conversion from a non-AD supplier to an AD supplier. The 2021 AD Conversion of the Year award winners are Locke Supply Co. and Siemens.
The Best Annual Planning Process award spotlights the AD member that planned and implemented the most effective AD Field Marketing Summit, as well as providing year-round communication and follow-up with their AD supplier partners. The 2021 AD Best Annual Planning Process Award winner is The Reynolds Company.
The AD Supplier of the Year for Marketing Excellence award recognizes a U.S.-based supplier whose marketing programs have had the greatest overall impact in sales and market share growth for AD members. The winner also effectively communicates the value of AD throughout their organization. The AD Supplier of the Year for Marketing Excellence is Atkore.
The Best AD Workplace Recognition award is presented to companies that achieve an overall engagement score of 85% or higher on a third-party engagement survey or are recognized regionally or nationally as a “best place to work.” The 2021 Best AD Workplace Recognition winners are Alen Eléctrica, Atkore, BRICOS, Klein Tools, Kirby Risk Corporation, Risoul and Schaedler Yesco.
One of very few awards given to an individual, the AD Member of the Year for Leadership award honors a person who has shown extraordinary initiative in helping to lead their division. This year’s award was presented to Jeff Hockin of Crum Electric Supply.
A member of AD since 1989, Hockin served on the divisional product committee and board as well as AD’s LLC board, where he was most recently lead director. Commenting on Hockin’s commitment to representing all AD members, Templin expressed gratitude for his contributions.
“It would be difficult to navigate our true north if we didn’t have the guidance and leadership from members like Jeff,” said Templin. “His selfless sacrifice has truly made AD and our independent distributor community better.”
Closing out the ceremony, AD’s Chairman and CEO, Bill Weisberg, presented the AD Giving Back award. This award is given to either an AD supplier or member that leads by example, making the health and success of their community a priority to their company and empowering their employees to contribute. This year, Kirby Risk Corporation received the AD Giving Back award in recognition of their role in establishing and sustaining a local Junior Achievement chapter.
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