PHOENIX Federated bestowed several awards at the group’s annual awards banquet in Phoenix, Ariz., including the coveted Art Fisher Memorial Award and also announced the 2011 Vendor Hall of Fame inductee.
The banquet was held during Federated’s annual membership meeting April 25-27 at the Arizona Grand Resort.
Jay Burkhart, senior vice president, Global Aftermarket of Federal-Mogul, was inducted as the 2011 Vendor Hall of Fame member.
“He’s been a valued friend, adviser and someone who we can count on. He’s a great example of what this award is all about,” Bo Fisher, chairman, owner and CEO of Fisher Auto Parts, said of Burkhart, adding he’s a “close, strategic ally.”
Jim Sechrist, of Motown Automotive, received the Art Fisher Memorial Award, but was unable to attend the ceremony. Sechrist has served on the Federated Board of Governors and currently serves on the Executive Committee.
Federated also announced the group will be a corporate sponsor for the Marine’s Toys for Tots program. The group, founded in 1947, provides toys to underprivileged kids during the holidays. Toys for Tots gave out 16.7 million toys to 7.2 million kids in 2010.
Federated also auctioned off race packages during the awards banquet to benefit Toys for Tots, raising $65,000 in the span of about 10 minutes. Vendors and Federated members alike bid on NASCAR race packages that included luxury section tickets, a helmet autographed by all the drivers and the chance to start the race at the Federated Auto Parts 400 Sprint Cup "Race Before the Chase" on Sept. 8 in Richmond, Va.
After some intense bidding, Federated member Keystone Auto Parts donated $10,000 in a bid that was matched 100 percent by Fisher Auto Parts. In a separate bid by vendors, Federal-Mogul pledged $20,000, which Federated also matched 100 percent. Federal-Mogul then gave up the signed helmet for further bidding to raise more money. With Affinia donating $5,000 for the helmet, the total came to $65,000.
The complete list of Federated award recipients honored on Thursday night included:
Outstanding Vendor of the Year SMP (Standard Motor Products)
Art Fisher Memorial Award Jim Sechrist of Motown Automotive
Federated Co-Man Vendor of the Year KYB
2011 Vendor Hall of Fame Jay Burkhart of Federal-Mogul
Federated Car Care Support Appreciation: ACDelco, Bosch, CARDONE, CRC, Dayco, Denso, Dorman, Duragloss, East Penn, Federal-Mogul, Strong Arm, Gates, Gent-L-Kleen, Grote Industries, Hastings, J-B Weld, Krylon/Dupli-Color, KYB America, Lisle Corp., Magnaflow, MotoRad, NGK, Rayovac, Remy, SMP, Spectra Premium, Tenneco, USA Industries, WAI
Vendor of the Year Electronic Cataloging Dorman
Federated Co-Man Vendor of the Year Order Fill Anchor Industries
Vendor of the Year Sales Representation Affinia Brake & Chassis
Vendor of the Year Marketing Federal-Mogul
Vendor of the Year Education & Training ACDelco
Vendor of the Year Order Fill Hastings
Vendor of the Year Order Fill USA Industries
Industry Advocacy Award Tim Trudnowski
Marketing Member of the Year Fisher Auto Parts
Co-Man Member of the Year Cold Air Distributors Warehouse of Florida
During a prior meeting, members learned that Federated is making a big push to streamline the supply chain and automate sales activities that are currently labor-intensive, and is investing heavily in data warehousing all to bolster the bottom line.
During an IT meeting, members heard how Federated partner GCommerce is transforming sales of special-order items from several steps into a one-stop order system where they also order faster-moving SKUs.
Federated’s Al Joyner explained how ESC, or Enhanced Supply Chain, was launched with Epicor in the fourth quarter of 2011 and is aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the overall supply chain.
“We hope that through the use of our data, we’ll help drive significant business change,” he said. “We didn’t want to have just another data warehouse. We want the best in the industry. This is a very important initiative for us.”
Members also heard about Federated’s continued sponsorship of racing events and an increase in advertising and marketing impressions.