The Virginia Promotional Products Association (VAPPA) held its annual Pinnacle Award Ceremony and Member Appreciation Event during Spring EXPO on March 8 in Richmond, Virginia. The annual event, which drew about 60 attendees this year, is an opportunity to acknowledge regional industry leaders, and highlight nominees and award recipients selected by member ballot.

This year's winners include:

Distributor of the Year – NewClients, Inc.

Distributor Rep of the Year – Joseph Ausband, Identify Yourself

Supplier of the Year – BAG MAKERS

Supplier Rep of the Year – Amanda Delaney, SanMar

Multi-line Rep of the Year – Sequel, Inc.

Humanitarian of the Year – John Bennis, Sequel, Inc.

The annual awards ceremony, sponsored by J.Charles Crystalworks, kicked off a two-day end-buyer event with trade shows in Richmond and in Roanoke. Pre-show education included end buyers and highlighted industry statistics and case studies in the top five categories of products. The shows welcomed approximately 275 distributors and 400 end-buyers.

“The VAPPA Spring EXPO has continued to grow over the years,” says Harold Wood, VAPPA board president. “We are committed to helping our distributors educate their clients and in turn have seen an evolution of extremely qualified buyers attending these shows. It is also the perfect place to take pause and honor our Pinnacle Award winners for all they do in the region.”