Distributor HALO Branded Solutions presented its 2018 Supplier of the Year and 2018 Supplier Representative of the Year Awards during its annual Awards Gala held this week at the Las Vegas Four Seasons Hotel in conjunction with The PPAI Expo.

SanMar won the prestigious 2018 Supplier of the Year award based on a vote by the company’s account executives and support staff late last year. Over 70 preferred suppliers qualified for the vote based on exceptional service, aggressive pricing and creative sales promotion efforts.

Terry McGuire, HALO senior vice-president of marketing, says “Our continued growth, as well as the growth of our preferred supplier program, is a result of the incredible support from key suppliers like SanMar.”

Jeremy Lott, SanMar president, and Tanya McKinney, manager of strategic accounts, accepted the award.

Leigh Joseph, director of strategic accounts for supplier alphabroder, was recognized as the 2018 Supplier Representative of the Year. McGuire adds, “Leigh’s work ethic and passion for problem-solving has helped increase our alphabroder purchases substantially over the past several years and, more importantly, the overall satisfaction of our sales force with this key supplier partner. She is very deserving of this award.”

Marc Simon, HALO CEO says, “Our preferred supplier program is an industry success story. The profit enhancements and exclusive promotions our preferred suppliers provide are passed on to our sales people—this year we announced a new record for preferred supplier bonus payments to our sales team. In turn, these key suppliers are honored with nearly 70 percent of our purchases. We are pleased to recognize these key suppliers for their efforts on our behalf throughout the year.”