Toronto-headquartered commonsku, a cloud-based CRM, order management and social collaboration platform for the promo industry, presented the skummunity awards at its skucon conference, held virtually for the third consecutive year, on Jan. 18.

The four annual awards recognize the industry’s “explorers, rule-breakers, dreamers and innovators,” as well as their “radical leadership and generosity,” according to the company. The awards were designed, produced and fulfilled by Clearmount (asi/45440) in Scarborough, ON.

Congratulations to Brenda Speirs, @Buzztag, Jon Norris, @StarlineTalks, Elise Lindborg and Kelli Henderson, @TeamBrandPride, and Alex Symms, @Chameleon_Like on receiving this year's skummunity Awards!

Hit the link to learn more about our recipients 🎉https://t.co/pQ2SWzt10C pic.twitter.com/GfNbk8GnJZ

— commonsku (@commonsku) January 20, 2022

Alex Symms, national account manager at Chameleon Like (asi/44558) in Gilroy, CA, received the Supplier Community Champion Award for his positive thinking, enthusiasm, ability to face challenges and peer support. Jon Norris, chief operating officer at Starline Industries (asi/89320; Canada, asi/89213) in Grand Island, NY, and Concord, ON, received the Supplier Connected Workflow Award for developing innovative business processes and workflow that have enhanced the customer experience.

Among distributors, Kelly Henderson and Elise Lindborg, founders of Brand|Pride (asi/366071) in Seattle, were awarded the Distributor Entrepreneur of the Year Award for their “grit, hustle, perseverance, resilience and creativity,” according to commonsku. “This pair has been through an unbelievable journey over the past couple of years, [with] ups and downs in both their business and personal lives, including cancer, a move across three states and a complete rebrand of their business,” said Catherine Graham, CEO of commonsku, when presenting the award. The pair went on to have their best sales numbers ever in 2021, Graham added.

The skummunity awards were created and produced by Clearmount (asi/45440).

Finally, Brenda Speirs, CEO of Buzztag (asi/186668) in Bend, OR, received the Distributor Community Champion Award for her ongoing support of her peers’ “wellness and growth” after founding a mindshare group she called “The Ripple Collective” within the commonsku community that now numbers 13 groups with more than 100 promo leaders.

Speirs “constantly welcomes newcomers to the industry, encourages seasoned pros and builds a bridge to mentorship, leading by example,” said Mark Graham, commonsku’s president and chief brand officer, when presenting the award. “[She] gives selflessly, shares [her] ideas freely, and offers a ready smile and a solution, giving other people a voice.”