For the fifth consecutive year, SGR magazine held its annual Supplier Rep of the Year and Customer Service Rep of the Year contests, based on distributor nominations. This year’s winners are: Jane Ryan of Jetline (asi/63344) as the Supplier Sales Rep of the Year; Mike Gruosso of Liqui-Mark (asi/67675) as the first runner-up; Dawn Browne of CPS/Keystone (asi/43051) as the Customer Service Rep of the Year and Patricia Ortiz of Debco (asi/48885) as the first runner-up.

“Jane is a treasured member of the Jetline family,” says Jetline owner Eric Levin of Jane Ryan. “She’s been a contributor in so many ways since the day she started with us and she continues to use her depth of experience to help in staff development. From my perspective, her success comes from a recipe of energy, dedication, professionalism and a lot of panache. Jane’s disarming personality and bottomless enthusiasm opens doors and closes sales. Jetline would not be the same without her.”

SGR’s Michele Bell spoke to Ryan to glean some of her best sales advice. Click here to listen to the interview.

Of Gruosso, Josh Goodelman, Liqui-Mark’s vice president, says: “Mike impresses me because he has the ability to jump between sales and customer service support. In our industry I believe you must have the qualities of a top notch customer service rep to be a successful salesperson. He has an energetic personality, is personable and able to successfully attract customers to want to do business with him and Liqui-Mark.”

CSR of the Year Browne’s flexibility in communicating with clients across the country has gotten the attention of clients and colleagues alike, most notably her supervisor, Kippie Helzel. “Dawn has the best attitude and flexibility,” says Helzel, vice president of sales for CPS/Keystone. “She does whatever it takes to take care of a customer. She’s proactive with inside sales support, idea generation and product solutions as well as everyday customer service.”

And regarding Ortiz, her boss Alex Morin, executive vice president of sales & marketing at Debco, is effusive: “Patricia is one of the best relationship managers in the business. She’s attentive to customer needs and anticipates those needs in a way that endears her and makes her indispensable. There are few who are as qualified as Patricia to be able to provide timely ideas, brilliant suggestions and meaningful insights. She’s an integral part of our organization, tremendously valued and beloved by her colleagues and clients alike.” c

For more information on SGR and its annual reps of the year contest, contact Editor Michele Bell at mbell@asicentral.com.