October 16, 2014 – Earlier this month, EBMag was pleased to attend Affiliated Distributors’ (AD) 2014 Electrical Supply Division North American Meeting in Chicago, which was the largest to date, welcoming over 1000 attendees—including 173 first-timers—from over 390 companies in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“I am truly inspired by the performance of our distributors and suppliers,” said Jim Milne, president of AD Canada. “Our market-leading growth is fuelled by our exclusive AD Rewards program and the power of many entrepreneurs working together to provide exceptional end user value.”

And speaking of inspiration, several Canadian firms were among those honoured during the meeting’s Spirit of Independence Awards banquet. Congratulations to the following:

Franklin Empire for Best Annual Planning Process
Photo 1 (left to right): Jim Milne, president AD Canada; Cara Backman, director of marketing, Franklin Empire; Bernie Backman, vice-president, Franklin Empire. Photo © Affiliated Distributors.
CLICK HERE for Acceptance Speech VIDEO.

Robertson Electric for Canadian Affiliate of the Year for Performance
Photo 2 (left to right): Rick Campbell, president, Robertson Electric Wholesale Ltd. (2008) and Jim Milne, president, AD Canada. Photo © Affiliated Distributors.
CLICK HERE for Acceptance Speech VIDEO.

Philips Lighting Canada for Canadian Supplier of the Year for Performance
Photo 3 (left to right): Carol McGlogan, director of marketing, Philips Lighting Canada; Pierre Legare, vice-president sales, Philips Lighting Canada; Jim Milne, president, AD Canada. Photo © Affiliated Distributors.
CLICK HERE for Acceptance Speech VIDEO.

Bill Weisberg, AD’s chairman and CEO, provided a clear call to action to the membership in his keynote address: “We need a community that is united in its commitment to fight with our strategic competitors… to protect and preserve independent distributors. That community is Affiliated Distributors”.

“We need your voice through networks, committees and boards to help us navigate where we can deploy our resources to help you compete effectively in the marketplace, not today, but in the future,” Weisberg added.

The next North American Meeting of the Electrical Supply Division is being held September 28 to October 1, 2015, at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, Texas.

AD is a large North American industrial and construction products buying group. Its 540+ independently owned members span seven industries and three countries with annual sales in excess of $30 billion.