Top 40 distributor Jack Nadel International (asi/279600) held its annual “Nadel U” conference in Nashville, TN, from April 30 to May 3. Employees, branding consultants and supplier partners visited several city landmarks for team building exercises, panels and presentations, and awards ceremonies. As part of the team building, attendees partnered with Solé Bikes to build, decorate and donate 17 bikes to local charity Oasis Bike Workshop, which provides an after-school, bike-building program.

Top 40 supplier Polyconcept North America was named Supplier of the Year

Several of JNI’s partners were honored during the conference. Top 40 supplier Polyconcept North America was named Supplier of the Year and Sasha Pirrie, field sales manager at PCNA, received the Heck Yeah Award for going above and beyond in providing outstanding, innovative customer service. “PCNA has proved to be an innovative and reliable force year after year. Whether it’s quick turnarounds or hard-to-find products, PCNA’s great service and product selection takes supplier expectations to new heights,” JNI said.

Mary Jane Clarke of Top 40 supplier Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125) was named Inside Sales Rep of the Year and Jenna Quaranta of Top 40 supplier alphabroder (asi/34063) was named Outside Rep of the Year.

Pop! Promos (asi45657) was named Creative Supplier of the Year, an award based on a supplier’s unique product line and ability to consistently introduce new products. “Pop! Promos continues to impress the JNI team with their ability to evolve and grow their product line and service. From custom projects to short-run jobs to quick turnarounds, they can do it all,” JNI said.

Josh Ebrahemi received the Marty Nadel Award

Josh Ebrahemi received the Marty Nadel Award for being the top salesperson in the company. “With 17 years of hard work and dedication to JNI, Josh has proved to be a ground-breaking and unstoppable force within the industry. With over $10 million in sales this year, Josh continues to treat everyone with a good-natured and respectful attitude – whether he is talking to clients, his team or partners,” JNI said. Ebrahemi was recently named the 2019 Advantages Distributor Sales Rep of the Year.

The company’s most prestigious award of the year is The Bucky, named after founding partner and creative evangelist Robert Buckingham. Branding consultants submit their most creative projects of the year for a chance to present at Nadel U. After presenting their projects, The Bucky award is voted on and awarded by JNI colleagues.

Fahim Aqmal received the award for luxury makeup packaging created for beauty guru and influencer Jaclyn Hill to promote her makeup launch with Morphe Cosmetics. “Fahim Aqmal’s wonderful packaging landed him The Bucky award this year. Hand covered with Swarovski crystals, this bedazzled makeup vault went viral over social media. With 6.2 million followers and several posts, this piece did not go unnoticed,” JNI said.

Adriana Diaz and Daniel Garcia were named JNI’s Employees of the Year. Ben Block and Christian Van Blommestein received the Sherm Teller Award for doing well in sales, in addition to taking on other job responsibilities. Other award recipients included Lauren Jones for Rookie of the Year, Ali Stone for Comeback Kid and Tina Greene and Jessica Harrison for Branding Account Coordinators of the Year.

With estimated 2017 North American promotional product revenue of $119 million, Jack Nadel International ranked 16th on Counselor’s latest list of the largest distributors in the industry.

Pop! Promos was named Creative Supplier of the Year

Fahim Aqmal received the award for luxury makeup packaging