PPB July 2020

Vernon Holds Its First Virtual National Sales Meeting The Vernon Company held its annual national sales meeting April 27 through May 1, while respecting widespread stay-at-home orders. The sales meeting, which for decades has taken place in a different region of the United States in the early spring, had originally been scheduled as an in-person event in Charleston, South Carolina, and was moved to an online platform this year. “We knew that the sales meeting was just too valuable to skip for a year,” says Dave Regan, MAS, Vernon’s vice president of sales and marketing. “When we realized that our event was scheduled to take place while the entire country was under quarantine orders, we quickly scrambled and created something phenomenal that all our account executives could participate in. Thank goodness for technology.” Live education sessions were delivered online throughout the event, with salespeople taking part in supplier up-close-and-personal sessions, small group roundtable discussions, morning coffee sessions grouped by region and a virtual trade show, featuring videos hosted by Vernon’s top supplier partners. Each day of the week, an award ceremony took place to recognize suppliers in a range of categories, including Supplier of the Year, Supplier Representative of the Year and Supplier Account Executive of the Year. A number of account executives were also recognized throughout the week for their individual achievements during the 2019 sales year, with Vernon naming its Top 10 salespeople based on commissions, Rising Stars and President’s Award recipients, among several other awards. Pro Towels Donates Face Masks To Local Essential Workers Pro Towels donated 500 face masks to local essential workers in Abbeville, South Carolina, to help combat the spread of coronavirus. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania- headquartered Pro Towels’ main decorating facility is in Abbeville County, where it has been an integral member of the community for more than 30 years. Kevin Nord, president of Pro Towels, says, “We appreciate all the first-responders and their hard work and efforts during these challenging times. We are more than happy to provide these masks for our hometown heroes.” Face masks were given to workers serving on the front lines of the pandemic in the city of Abbeville and throughout Abbeville County, including police officers, EMS, fire fighters and city council members. The company decorates promotional beach and sports towels, apparel, accessories and blankets, but with social distancing replacing sports and events of all kinds, the supplier says it began looking for other ways to support its community and customers, such as providing face protection. 82 | JULY 2020 | CONNECT