Subject: FW: AWMA Marketplace News-March 3, 2014
From: Bob Gatty <BobG@awmanet.org>
Date: 3/29/2014 4:46 PM
To: Angel Ramos <nlsfc1@gmail.com>

3rd of 3

Robert Gatty
Vice President of Communications
American Wholesale Marketers Association
Direct: 301-908-1918
Bobg@awmanet.org

From: AWMA <info@awmanet.org>
Date: Tuesday, March 4, 2014 at 2:59 PM
To: Robert Gatty <bobg@awmanet.org>
Subject: AWMA Marketplace News-March 3, 2014

AWMA M&SE Newsletter
AWMA Marketplace & Solutions Expo
March 3, 2014
Featured Exhibitors
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AWMA Marketplace & Solutions Expo Update
 
 
Buyer attendees continue to meet with exhibitors on the Thursday Expo floor.
AWMA Marketplace & Solutions Expo Closes on a High Note
"This was the best AWMA show ever," said Stu Kelly, convenience channel director at Procter & Gamble Distributing LLC. "The customer interfaces, the networking, the conversations we've had have been great.  AWMA merchandised the show to draw increased interest. It's just been great."
 
That was the reaction of many exhibitors and distributors as the association's annual convention closed Thursday afternoon, Feb. 27 at the Paris Las Vegas following three outstanding morning sessions, a fascinating keynote address by pro football legend Archie Manning, nearly five more hours of Expo time, educational programming on the show floor, and $7,500 in cash prize giveaways.
 
"You can see where we're heading. It was a home run for sure," reacted AWMA Chairman Mark Davenport, division president of Core-Mark Carolina, Sanford, NC, a division of Core-Mark International. "We absolutely did what we needed to do in revamping this event. Kudos to Freeman XP, who helped us revitalize our show and thanks to everyone who helped. We've got to stay engaged and I'm anxious to get feedback from our vendor partners."
 
Davenport pointed to the new AWMA Women's Leadership Initiative, proposed by, and developed with the help of Debbie Robins, president, Century Distributors Co., Inc., Rockville, MD as an important step forward. He attended the kickoff breakfast for the initiative, featuring Marianne Cooper, research associate, Michelle R. Clayman Institute for Gender Research, Stanford University. "That was absolutely outstanding," he said, complimenting Robins on her effort.
 
He also noted that the Expo provided new programming designed to help small distribution companies succeed against their larger competitors. A Thursday morning roundtable discussion with small distributors produced a myriad of solid ideas on how to cut costs and increase the bottom line. Al Bates, chairman, Profit Planning Group, led that session and also presented a second program for small distributors in the new Solutions Café and Theatre on the trade show floor.
 
Anne Barker-Smith, an expert on food safety practices, met one-on-one in the AWMA Knowledge Bar.
Other innovations at the Expo included a Knowledge Bar, sponsored by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., American Snuff Company and Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company where speakers and industry experts, like Bates, met one-on-one with attendees to discuss their issues of concern. In addition, the new Buyers Circle by Convenience Distribution™ provided ongoing information about show deals, and included the New Products Showcase, as well as a lounge area for attendees to relax and network.
 
Davenport was also pleased with the inclusion of AWMA's InfoMetrics information and data during the Expo, including a Marketplace Solutions Theatre presentation by two distributors who are using the program to improve sales and profits, a presentation on "What's Hot and What's Not" in foodservice, based on InfoMetrics data, and an appearance at the Knowledge Bar by InfoMetrics experts. Of course, the Expo was preceded Tuesday with a special Buyer's Program, which demonstrated how distributors could use InfoMetrics effectively.
 
"Now, we have to continue these programs and decide how to keep making improvements," said Davenport. "This was only the beginning."
 
A packed room during the closing general session with keynote speaker Archie Manning.
 
"Keep on Sawing Wood"
Pro football legend Archie Manning, who says he's now recognized more for being Eli's and Peyton's dad rather than his success as a former New Orleans Saints quarterback, told the Expo audience Thursday he has a saying when adversity strikes his two pro quarterback sons: "Keep on Sawing Wood." The Hershey Co. exclusively sponsored the session.
 
Manning spoke about being a better leader in your professional and personal life.
 
Manning who encouraged his audience to "Think like a winner, think like a leader." He candidly shared experiences from both on the football field and at home with his family, which includes another son, Cooper, who also was a scholastic football star, a wide receiver, but suffered a serious health condition and was unable to pursue a football career. Cooper is now a financial consultant.
 
That experience profoundly affected Peyton, his father said, motivating him and teaching him the blessings of life. "He learned to not only play the game for his teammates, but to play for his brother," said Manning.
 
He described the work that Peyton did to recover from four neck surgeries that cost him the 2011 season, only to return to the field and lead the Denver Broncos to the Super Bowl. "The question is not 'Will you face adversity,' but 'What will you do with adversity?'" he said. " Every time you do what is right, you are a leader. Every time you do what's hard, you're a leader."
 
Asked what he told Eli following a subpar season with the New York Giants last year, Manning said, "Keep on chopping wood." In other words, you just don't quit and you keep on fighting.
Women's Leadership Initiative Kicks Off
Marianne Cooper wowed the audience during the first women's leadership initiative.
 
A packed breakfast meeting Thursday morning addressed issues facing female executives. Cooper, the lead researcher for the book Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg, highlighted reasons why women's progress in workplace leadership has stalled and how women can be better supported as they create and seek to achieve their goals and ambitions. 
 
Cooper outlined the ways in which managers can create a better environment for all employees, especially females to aspire to be leaders: 
  • Encourage employees to have a growth mindset, even during setbacks. Praise effort as well as results. 
  • Be aware of behavioral patterns common among your organization and ask yourself if they are inadvertently discouraging women to speak up. Find a way to make sure both genders are heard and valued.
  • Have current leadership sponsor rising employees and make it a badge of honor for men to sponsor women. 
  • Make sure to invest the time to find out what every member of a team contributed to a group project and publicly acknowledge each members input. 
  
Al  Bates engages distributors in this interactive session.
 
Cost Saving Ideas for Small Distributors
More than 20 distributors from smaller companies shared a wide range of ideas and solutions in a session led by Al Bates Thursday morning.
 
Bates set the tone for the discussion with this comment: "You knock 'em dead on gross profits, but your expenses stink." So, a lively discussion focused on steps companies can take to cut costs across their companies, including:
  • Reducing labor costs both in the warehouse and behind the wheel by adjusting pay policies and providing a bonus to employees each pay period who do not miss work.
  • Improving transportation and warehouse efficiency through technology such as GPS tracking and on-board cameras.
  • Saving on warehouse lighting expenses by installing LED lighting.
  • Setting higher standards for workers, paying them a higher wage, but holding them to a higher standard.
  • Incenting warehouse managers to keep hours down.
  • Closely managing accounts and adjusting service levels as needed for less profitable accounts.
 
Industry leader MacKay led the morning session on designing sales calls.
Designing Today's Sales Calls
 In this highly interactive fast-paced session, distributors discussed today's sales calls and how they are finding both success and difficulties in communicating with current and potential customers.
 
The session was facilitated by Doug MacKay, president of The Glen Douglas Group. He opened by asking attendees to what extent, on a percentage scale, have they embraced harmonizing assortment. If they scored themselves low on the scale, he reminded them of some "rather ugly statistics" concerning distributor profitability. Then he asked if those in the room were willing to let the effort put into account planning, data analysis, targeting the core, and more be minimized by using an antiquated selling system? And perhaps an even bigger issue, using a reward system that reinforces it? "I think we need a mind shift," said MacKay and then gave attendees techniques for a solution and an action plan to take back to their companies.
 
The AWMA Solutions Café and Theatre was a new edition to this year's Expo floor.
Small Firms, Big Profits
In the Marketplace Solutions Café & Theatre Thursday, Bates led a half-hour discussion on profit challenges and opportunities for small distributors, suggested some courses of action, and outlined profit-planning approaches.
 
Bates' objectives for the session were to review the profit structure of the industry for smaller firms ("How we are doing."); identify the key pressure points in improving profitability ("What are we worrying about?"); and develop an action plan to improve financial performance ("Whine about how bad things are, then talk about what to do about it."). He gave attendees a game plan of what they should do, a "rack suit" plan, to use as a jumping off point for change that they can tailor to their needs to improve profitability. It isn't easy, he said, but higher profitability is possible for smaller firms.
 
 
C-Metrics View on Foodservice
A Marketplace Theatre session, moderated by Convenience Distribution™ contributing editor Bob Gatty, highlighted product categories that are showing significant growth based on InfoMetrics distributor sales information.
 
Tony Scrimizzi, vice president-sales, InRhythm, Inc., the developer of InfoMetrics, noted sharp growth in foodservice overall (up about 8% in 2013 over 2012). Subcategories showing significant upward momentum included chicken, up 21%; seafood, up 19.8% and hotdog/roller grill up 11.9%.
 
The data also shows burgers up 8.7%, sandwiches/wraps up 5.3%, and Mexican up 5%. Frozen treats showed a 7.9% increase, with hot beverages up 5.8%.
 
AWMA Knowledge Bar
Appearing at the AWMA Knowledge Bar in addition to Bates were Marianne Cooper, who presented the Women's Initiative address, and Anne Barker-Smith, president, A. Barker-Smith Consulting, an expert on food safety practices and planning, as well as ongoing implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act by the Food and Drug Administration.
 
Heard on the Expo Floor
  • Jessica Fratarcangelo, marketing director, Cheyenne International, LLC, Grover, NC – "The show's been great for us. We've had a good opportunity to meet with all of our customers and we have some great show specials, so we've had a lot of orders for the show. We have found increased traffic. They've done a lot of good things to increase booth traffic, the Knowledge Bar, the seminars that they're having during the show have been really great."
  • Al Jenkins, director of purchasing, Sheehan-Majestic, Missoula, MT – "We always come here for the networking, but we get a lot of opportunity to make face-to-face deals and make things happen. Now, there are more people participating in the events."
  • Doug Byrd, president & CEO, Barry's Gourmet Brownies, Clearwater, FL – "This has been an eye opener. I never would have believed that we would get so much exposure as we have received here. It's been fantastic. Our booth traffic has been incredible."
  • Eric Ostrow, vice president sales & marketing, Smarties Candy Co., Union, NJ – "We've written a lot of orders, which is good, because we have show deals. We've opened a few new accounts for item creation and also for packaging. Of course, networking is always key."
  • Corbet Cummings, operations manager, Rouseco, Inc., Kinston NC – "The AWMA Expo is geared to the wholesaler distributor, and we've been able to put names with faces who we are not able to see. Not having a big sales force, that's really important. It is a great opportunity for us to have sit-down time to talk to our customers who we don't get to see every day."
  • Jay Mitiguy, vice president sales & marketing, Dowlings, Inc., Milton, VT – "It's been good. There are a lot of new products, new vendors, and the educational forums have been filled with solid information and insight. It is nice to see the group continue to evolve and look at opportunities to improve."
 
 
"This is the greatest Expo in the history of mankind!" Dunham said upon receiving his check.
And the Winners Are...
Congratulations to Pete Lippe, vice president of purchasing & tobacco, Core-Mark International, S. San Francisco, CA, on winning the $2,500 raffle drawing Thursday and to Dick Dunham, vice president of operations, Stephenson Wholesale Co., Inc., Durant, OK, on winning the $5,000 grand prize.
AWMA Silent Auction
Once again, AWMA had a highly successful silent auction, with a wide array of gifts purchased by attendees. All proceeds will be devoted to the association's government affairs program. AWMA wishes to thank all those who supported the Auction.
 
A Big Thanks to All Our Sponsors
Platinum Sponsors
Altria Group Distribution Co.
   inc. John Middleton, Phillip Morris USA, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co., Nu Mark
The Hershey Co.
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
    inc. American Snuff Co., Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co.
 
Gold Sponsors
BIC Consumer Products, USA 
InRhythm, Inc.
Lorillard Tobacco Co.
Mars Chocolate North America
Swisher International, Inc.
 
Silver Sponsors
Atkinson Candy Co.
Barry's Gourmet Brownies
 
See You Next Year in Las Vegas
Mark your calendars now for the 2015 AWMA Marketplace & Solutions Expo Feb. 24-26 at the Paris Las Vegas!
 
AWMA Contacts
 
Exhibit Management & Sales
Joel Brown, AWMA
(703) 208-1649
 
Lead Retrieval
ExpoTracker, LLC
(703) 978-7080
 
Registration Information
Jennifer Moulton, AWMA
(703) 208-3358 ext 640
 
Education Information
Meredith Kimbrell, AWMA
(703) 208-3358 ext. 648
 
Membership Information
Kimberly Bolin, AWMA
(703) 208-3358 ext. 646
Exhibit Decorator
 
 
 
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