SEMA Member News—January/February 2014
MRN Honors Extang Corp. With STAR Award and Inducts Steve Bolio Into Hall of Fame
Each year, the Manufacturers Representative Network (MRN) presents its Sales Team Annual Recognition (STAR) award to the group selected by the general membership as the most outstanding manufacturer’s sales team.
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For 2013, Extang Corp. was honored for demonstrating best practices and a true partnership in working with professional reps. Steve Kelly accepted the award on behalf of Extang.
The MRN also selected the late Steve Bolio for induction into the network’s Hall of Fame. A 45-year veteran of the automotive specialty-equipment industry, Bolio worked at a variety of jobs in retail, wholesale, new-product development and manufacturing. He was a partner for two decades with John “Skip” Scafidi, son of Bolio’s mentor, in the manufacturer’s rep firm of Scafidi-Bolio & Associates.
Bolio served six years on the SEMA Board of Directors and five years on the SEMA Executive Committee. He sat on numerous SEMA committees and task forces and also served for four years on the Performance Warehouse Association’s board of directors. He was SEMA’s Rep of the Year in 1999, its Person of the Year in 2003 and was inducted in the SEMA Hall of Fame in 2006.
Rep Roundtable Sells Out
Building on the success of last year’s Rep Technology Roundtable, the 2013 event was sold out! The format facilitated intimate discussions that provided industry peers and competitors with the opportunity to discuss issues in an open forum with eight roundtables. Topics and the experts who guided each roundtable included:
- How Reps Serve as the DATA Conduit; Jon Wyly & Jim Graven, SEMA Data Co-op
- Business Apps for Reps; Tyler Tanaka, Cie Studios
- Developing and Growing OE Relations; Erin Gilhuly, Toyota Motor Sales
- How Reps Can Work With the Benefits of SEMA Garage; Mike Spagnola, SEMA
- Biggest Challenges Facing Your Team Today; Brian Shirley
- Succession Planning and Valuing/Buying/Selling/Merging Rep Firms and Attracting and Retaining New Salespeople; Charles Cohon, MANA
- Healthcare Reform Law for Reps; Michelle Katz
- Nexus Laws Affecting the Rep Industry; Marcus Mims
SEMA Data Co-op Ambassadors Continue to Grow
The SEMA Data Co-op (SDC) and the MRN have created an exclusive certification program for reps. MRN encourages all to join the more than 50 reps who have already distinguished themselves as SDC ambassadors.
Certification positions reps and the manufacturers they represent for data success. It’s simple, powerful and will lead to more sales. Congratulations to the newly certified ambassadors!
Certified Reps
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