Blog

February 9, 2015

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January Sales Meeting

In January, we once again gathered together for our Annual Sales Meeting in Albany, NY. We were incredibly excited this year to welcome representatives from our newest vendor partners, Formica® Corporation and their adhesive partner, Choice Brands, for some sales training.

 

 

Our day concluded as it always does with our Award ceremony and dinner, where we get the chance to recognize some of our exceptional employees.

 

 

 

 

 

The first award of the night was the Pride Award. This award is given each year to individuals who make an extra effort to make a difference in their branch and at Atlantic Plywood as a whole. The people that receive this award have not only consistently accomplished the task and goals that have been asked of them, but have also shown a strong commitment to Atlantic’s missions and values. They take great Pride in not only getting the job done, but also going beyond what is expected of them in contributing their time, energy, and talents to further the growth and development of our Company.

Pride is a personal commitment! It is an attitude which separates! Because to them “It is a Matter of Pride”

This year’s winners were: Bill Littell – Westbrook, Sam Alejandro – Connecticut Call Center, Albany HUB, Tim Woodger – Purchasing.

 

 

The next award given out was for Inside Sales Rep of the Year. This person exemplifies what we feel Atlantic Plywood inside salespeople of the future should be- in work ethic, intelligence, follow through, pride of accomplishment, and overall attitude.  He/She is perceived by  his/her peers to be the Best of the Best. The nominees for ISR of the Year were: Michelle Moore – Connecticut Call Center, Pete Correia – East Providence and Alexa Carpenter – Rochester. This year’s winner was Pete Correia.

The next award was for Most Improved Outside Sales Rep of the Year. To qualify, this Individual, as of January of 2015, had to have a minimum of two years employment, and have shown remarkable improvement in his/her territory with respect to certain products, overall results and in professional growth as an Outside Salesperson.

The winner of Most Improved OSR was Dan Hanlan.

 

 

Our next award was for Outside Sales Rep of the year. This person bests represent and has accomplished the goals that each manager has set forth for that individual.  He/She is a good representative of Atlantic Plywood on the street and shows quantitative results in selling the whole product line. He/She is perceived by their peers as the best of the best! This year’s nominees were Arsenio Alvarez – Carlstadt NJ & Lew Paine – Westbrook Maine.

This year’s winner was Arsenio Alvarez.

 

 

This year we had the great honor of introducing a new award.  From our VP Marty Wojick, “Awards are given as recognition of excellence in a particular field.  In many endeavors, the top award is named for an individual who has excelled in his or her particular field over many years and whose name becomes synonymous with being the absolute best in that field.”

“To receive such an award is an honor indeed, but to have the award named after you puts you at the very top of your profession and recognizes you as the very best in your field. It is in this spirit that we are re-naming the Atlantic Plywood Salesman of the Year Award.  From this year onward, it will be known as the Bob McKenna Award in recognition of Bob’s dominance in the area of sales over his many years at Atlantic Plywood.

Some fun facts about Bob:

Bob’s total sales in 2014 were more than 3 of our branches and almost equal to 5.

Bob’s sales were up in 17 out of 19 key product categories.

Bob sold more hardwood plywood than 6 of our branches.

Bob sold more pre-finished plywood than 8 of our branches.

Bob has accomplished all of this while raising 12 kids with his wife!

We congratulate Bob and know he will continue to be an inspiration to all in years to come.”

 

 

 

 

Our final individual awards of the night were for our Gold Circle of Excellence. The Gold Circle recognizes those individuals who not only accept difficult assignments, but complete them with results beyond expectations. These individuals recognize challenges on their own and take it upon themselves to find a solution or come up with an idea that will make Atlantic Plywood a better company.

To all of us, these individuals are worth their weight in gold.

In 2011 the past winners were Jeff Engelbrecht, Wayne Moriarty, Tom Palie, Lew Paine, Earl Nelson and Charlie Woodger. In 2012 the winners were Bob McKenna, Pete Correia, Ken Gill, and Sean McDonald. And In 2013 we recognized David Prifti and Eric Brooks.

Each of these individuals received an engraved watch and a Solid Gold Eagle coin and has their name engraved on the Gold Circle of Excellence plaque that hangs in the corporate offices reception area for all to see.

The first recipient this year was Gail O’Keefe – Purchasing. Gail has taken our demanding Atlantic attitude and defused it with experience and confidence.  She does her job quietly, effectively and always with a pleasant demeanor.  She accomplishes all of her daily duties even if it means coming in early or staying late to see it through.  Gail is always looking out for Atlantic’s best interest by questioning pricing, delivery dates and production issues, and is never afraid of going to the top to get resolution.  Nothing fancy, just solid gold performance every day. Congratulations, Gail!

 

 

Our second recipient this year was David Beaudry – Regional Sales Manager. Dave interviewed for his job at Atlantic at a Friendly’s where he was working back in 1983. He told Paul Vella back then that he knew everything about the products we sell because his father did woodworking in his basement.

Dennis Zdun, who was the foreman in CT at the time, told Paul Vella many times over to get rid of this guy while Dave was standing there. He just wouldn’t go away! Slowly but surely he became the go to guy in CT! He grew the Tape and Veneer business by double digits for many years. He survived a screwdriver that came flying out of Paul Vella’s office, through the drywall, and stuck into the back of his chair! He sets an example everyday with his dedication and work habits. He has become a salesman’s salesman and a great example of how to succeed in our company. He moved into a hotel for more than 2 years to help teach the metro market how and why AP is so successful! He became a grandfather a few years back and his daughter proudly named his grandson DAVID! And one of the things we all love about him the most – he is always the first to laugh at his own jokes.

One thing is for CERTAIN…Atlantic Plywood would not be the same without him. Congratulations, Dave!

 

 

Our final award of the evening was for Branch of the Year. This year’s award went to the branch that generated the greatest increase in operating income over the prior year and far exceeded the budget that was set for them. This branch saw a significant increase in profit while maintaining their expenses. Their talented sales staff worked as a team to generate great results. This year’s branch of the year was Carlstadt, NJ.

 

 

 

After the awards, we had the chance to test out some new delivery options for our new Formica® samples….

 

 

Our President, Paul Vella, wrapped up the dinner portion of the evening with some inspirational words and lofty goals for Atlantic Plywood and our new vendor partners.

 

 

 

Our day concluded with some team bonding.