{"id":2399,"date":"2013-07-18T19:04:15","date_gmt":"2013-07-18T23:04:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/timandrewsblog-asicentral.com\/timblog\/?p=2399"},"modified":"2013-07-18T19:04:15","modified_gmt":"2013-07-18T23:04:15","slug":"a-special-family-affair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timandrewsblog-asicentral.com\/timblog\/2013\/07\/18\/a-special-family-affair\/","title":{"rendered":"A Special Family Affair"},"content":{"rendered":"

If the 2013 Counselor<\/em>\u00ae<\/sup> <\/em>Awards<\/a> had a theme, it was family, from the recognition given to family businesses of the year to the three generations of Cohns on stage handing out the awards during a glittering ceremony at the Art Institute of Chicago<\/a>.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The women were stunning, the men distinguished and the food delicious. Beyond the finery, what struck me most was the camaraderie. Everywhere I looked I saw people talking to each other, laughing and really connecting, whether it was during cocktails, the behind-the-scenes tour of the Impressionists galleries or over dinner. In the end, networking really is what this industry and the art of business is all about.<\/p>\n

In addition to recognizing outstanding individuals and companies in seven categories, we announced the Top 40 Distributors and Top 40 Suppliers rankings \u2013 the largest companies in our $19.4 billion industry based upon 2012 revenue. Click here<\/a> for complete coverage of all our winners, and be sure to check www.asicentral.com<\/a> and our Facebook pages for show info and photos.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I was really touched by the first award handed out, in honor of Cohn family matriarch, Bess Cohn, and her long-standing commitment to philanthropy. In his acceptance speech, Danny Rosin, co-owner of Brand Fuel (asi\/145025<\/em>), spoke about the importance of giving back and, as the messages displayed on screen during our live tweet stream acknowledged, Danny \u201cexemplifies volunteerism.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before handing out the Marvin Spike Lifetime Achievement Awards, ASI\u00ae<\/sup> Chairman Norman Cohn (pictured with me and his family) gave a truly heartfelt tribute to his dear friend, former ASI president Marvin Spike, who passed away in December. And hearing Bill Vernon, who accepted on behalf of the 100+-year-old Vernon Company (asi\/351700<\/em>), tell stories about his old pal Marvin and his early days with Norman back in Iowa was like a living history lesson of the entire industry.<\/p>\n

Maribeth Sandford, CEO of Bag Makers (asi\/37940<\/em>), shared her lifetime achievement award with four generations of her family, including her adorable 6-month-old great-granddaughter, Josie. \u201cThis is what it\u2019s all about \u2013 family,\u201d she said during her acceptance speech. \u201cAnd what a wonderful opportunity I\u2019ve had with the ASI family.\u201d
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Chris Lee, our International Person of the Year, might have said it best when he summed up the industry as \u201camazing people, amazing stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

The final award of the night, for Counselor<\/em>\u2019s 2013 Person of the Year, meant a lot to me, personally, since it went to one of the very first people I met when I joined ASI over 10 years ago: David Nicholson, president of Top 40 supplier Polyconcept North America<\/a>, a $443 million company. I really meant it when I described David, pictured left, in my introduction as one of the warmest, most welcoming people I\u2019ve ever known.<\/p>\n

Good friends and family, amazing food, inspiring stories and a lotta laughs. Now, that’s my definition of a special night for a very special industry.<\/p>\n

Additional winners of the 2013 Counselor <\/em>Awards are:<\/p>\n