The National Marine Distributors Association announced the 2021 recipients of the Supplier of the Year Awards during its annual S.T.E.P. conference this week in Rosemont, Ill.
The awards are determined by sales volume and presented in three levels: Gold, Platinum and Diamond.
The following companies won a Supplier of the Year Award:
• Diamond: Sea Dog Line
• Platinum: Star brite
• Gold: Gold Eagle
Focus awards were also presented:
Best All Around Packaging
• Diamond: Sea Dog Line
• Platinum: Star brite
• Gold: Gold Eagle
Marketing Philosophy
• Diamond: Sea Dog Line
• Platinum: Star brite
• Gold: Gold Eagle
Supply Chain Standards Efficiency
• Diamond: Polyform US
• Platinum: Star brite
• Gold: Gold Eagle
S.T.E.P returned to an in-person format after last year’s virtual event. NMDA executive director Nancy Cueroni said that Canadian buyers, manufacturers and distributors were absent due to Covid travel restrictions but told Trade Only Today that she was “very pleased with the turnout and the participation of our members.”
“We had 72 percent of the number of companies — distributors, manufacturers and manufacturer reps — attend this year compared to previous years,” she said. “We were at about 225 people compared to about 380, [with] 14 distributor firms, 51 manufacturing firms and 23 rep firms come to Rosemont for the event.”
