MRC Inducts Jim Considine Jr. to the Hall of Fame and Presents STAR Award

	Jim Considine Jr. was inducted into the MRC Hall of Fame. Accepting the award on his late father’s behalf was Jim Considine III (center) from MRC Chairman Wade Cobb (left) and Chair-Elect Chris Fairless.

The annual Manufacturers’ Rep Council (MRC) awards ceremony was held at the Las Vegas Hilton prior to the opening of the 2010 SEMA Show. The event attracted a packed room of manufacturers’ representatives gathered to witness the induction of Jim Considine Jr. into the SEMA MRC Hall of Fame and the presentation of the Sales Team Annual Recognition (STAR) award to TruXedo.

Induction into the MRC Hall of Fame is the most prestigious recognition awarded by the council and is reserved for individuals who have made significant contributions toward enhancing the professionalism, integrity and growth of the manufacturer’s rep industry. The individual must have been involved in the profession for a minimum of 10 years. MRC Hall of Fame induction is conferred upon a viable candidate only when the Select Committee deems that an individual has met the requirements of the award. It was an honor to announce that Jim Considine Jr. is the MRC’s 2010 inductee.

Considine Sales & Marketing Inc. (CSM) is an independent manufacturers’ representative agency with more than 200 years of combined experience in the specialty-equipment industry. Considine Jr. founded CSM in 1971 after nine years with Holley Carburetor Co. Holding to the principle of establishing long-term relationships with manufacturers and acting as their field sales arm as well as their eyes and ears, Considine Jr. represented McGard for 35 years, Moroso Performance for 28 years, Fluidampr, Hypertech, Competition Engineering and Dee Zee for more than 20 years and Phoenix USA for 18 years. He also actively consulted on key company issues.

CSM’s main offices are in the Detroit area, with 10 sales and service marketing professionals servicing 15 states (Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Western Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Missouri, Minnesota, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska). CSM provides sales and service for its manufacturers at specialty WDs, traditional WDs, direct marketers, mass merchandisers, wheel and tire distributors, undercar WDs and at engine and chassis builders.

	TruXedo won the prestigious STAR award for 2010. On hand for the presentation were (from left) Kelly Kneifl and Joel Mohlenhoff of TruXedo, Chairman Cobb and Al Kucera and Craig Padgett of TruXedo.

During the 2009 SEMA Show Industry Awards Banquet, CSM was also honored with the 2009 SEMA Manufacturers’ Rep Agency of the Year award. Jim Considine Jr. passed away after a long fight against multiple myeloma in July 2010. Jim Considine III accepted the awards on behalf of his father.

The STAR award is presented to an outstanding manufacturer’s sales team that promotes professional partnership within the rep community. The recipient team is deemed to have best dealt with manufacturers’ representatives by providing timely and accurate updates on products and company policies and introducing new products as demand warrants. Other criteria include considering manufacturer representatives’ and customers’ comments when developing products and forecasting; providing representatives with necessary sales strategies, including samples, sales literature and competitive comparisons; and participating with representatives in fieldwork. Recipients of the STAR award are nominated and voted on by the members of the MRC only. The sales team at TruXedo won the prestigious STAR award for 2010, and Kelly Kneifl and Joel Mohlenhoff were on hand to accept the council’s honor. This world-class manufacturer continues to support the rep community, partnering with MRC-member agencies to offer customers a quality experience.

The SEMA MRC Hall of Fame and the STAR award recipients were initially announced at the general membership meeting and then recognized again during the SEMA Awards Banquet at the 2010 SEMA Show.