Billows Electric Gives Back! Billows Electric Supply, Philadelphia, Pa., presented $5,000 to the Ronald McDonald House during its tradeshow at the South Jersey Expo Center in April. In honor of the charity's accomplishments, Billows presented it a check for $2,000 to kick off the show and, after the sales were tabulated, added another $3,000. Created to serve as a "home away from home" for families of seriously ill children being treated at local medical facilities, the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House is the world's first and served as the model for 200 more in 19 countries. "It was our goal to give back to the community," said David Lowenstein, director of marketing for Billows, "and we could think of no more deserving recipient than the Ronald McDonald House."

IMARK Presents Gold Manufacturer Award More than 1,200 members, manufacturers, manufacturer reps and member service providers turned out for the IMARK Group, Oxon Hill, Md., Showcase in Chicago to attend seminars, keynote addresses and lectures on "Communication: The Challenge of Tomorrow." During the awards ceremony, Osram Sylvania, Danvers, Mass., was presented with the Gold Manufacturer Award for its service during 1999. Osram Sylvania has taken the award home every year since it was created in 1996. Also honored were Roden Electric, Knoxville, Tenn., as Marketer of the Year and Active Electric, Orlando, Fla., as Rookie of the Year. Over the past year, group members increased their overall sales to more than $6.1 billion, IMARK grew its membership by more than 8%, eight new suppliers were added, the volume of purchases through the group increased by almost 20%, dividends increased by almost 15% and operating expenses decreased by 3.5%, IMARK reported.

Colonial Champions Colonial Electric Supply, King of Prussia, Pa., has announced the winners of its Powered by Excellence Awards. "Three times is a charm," said Peter Bellwoar, Colonial's vice president of sales and marketing, referring to Leviton Manufacturing's Fran McGovern who took home Manufacturer Sales Rep of the year for the third year in a row. Rick Orio accepted the Manufacturer Representative Agency of the Year on behalf of Omni Cable, West Chester, Pa. The winners were awarded with a golf shirt, a gift certificate and their names were engraved on a plaque that hangs at Colonial's headquarters.

Colonial celebrated the March Madness of the NCAA basketball tournament with its own Pop Shot Playoffs. Philadelphia Mayor John Street and former Philadelphia 76er and NBA All-Star World B. Free were on hand at the charity event. Colonial donated $5 to the Philadelphia High School Academies Academy of Applied Electrical Sciences for every basket that was made. Participants sank 500 baskets bringing the Colonial donation to $2,500. As a prelude to the event, Colonial set up Pop Shot basketball machines at each of its locations and allowed customers to shoot for discounts and free merchandise if they could beat their salesperson's score.

Electric West Power Play When he walked into Electric West 2000, David Vanderwall was handed a Power Player card as part of an attendee package by Automatic Switch Co. (ASCO), Florham Park, N.J. Attendees could pick up additional cards at show functions such as the keynote address and the general session. Once every half hour during the show, the ASCO Power Play reader randomly picked a finalist for a grand prize. When he stopped by the ASCO booth to meet with ASCO's representatives, Vanderwall inserted his card into the reader and was chosen as a finalist. Then, on the final day of the show, the reader chose Vanderwall as the $5,000 grand prize winner.

On the Road Again When he walked into Electric West 2000, David Vanderwall was handed a Power Player card as part of an attendee package by Automatic Switch Co. (ASCO), Florham Park, N.J. Attendees could pick up additional cards at show functions such as the keynote address and the general session. Once every half hour during the show, the ASCO Power Play reader randomly picked a finalist for a grand prize. When he stopped by the ASCO booth to meet with ASCO's representatives, Vanderwall inserted his card into the reader and was chosen as a finalist. Then, on the final day of the show, the reader chose Vanderwall as the $5,000 grand prize winner.

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