21st Century Distributing has announced its first annual award winners for Branch of the Year presented to its Charlotte, NC branch, and Vanco International as Vendor of the Year.
“After nearly 40 years in business, we are excited to start a new tradition at 21st Century, honoring those who deserve to be recognized annually with two awards,” said Don Vicini, CEO and owner for 21st Century Distributing. “Both Vanco and our Charlotte, NC branch were major contributors to 21st Century Distributing’s success over the past year and they deserve special recognition for their outstanding teamwork, responsiveness, customer service, priority to drive sales, and most importantly, for catering to our dealers and their individual needs.”
21st Century is proud to highlight the success of its Charlotte branch. “This award is not meant to recognize which branch had the highest sales, but it is worth noting that our Charlotte brand was the most profitable in 2016,” said Vanessa Zitzmann, head of marketing and sales for 21st Century Distributing. “Our Charlotte team is a tight-knit group and like a well-oiled machine, works incredibly well. They offer strong leadership, take ownership, and are immensely respected by their dealers. What else could we ask for from our employees?”
Special mention is owed to Charlotte’s former branch manager John Price, current branch manager Gary Ross, inventory and inside sales manager, Jordan Shugart, and warehouse employee, Johnny Jackson. “Through consistent messaging and increased levels of customer service, we were able to generate quite a bit of customer advocacy and build upon that,” said John Price, who is now sales administrator for the company.
A primary developer and manufacturer of HDMI switches, splitters, scalers, extenders, volume controls, and cables, Vanco International offers accessory products designed with AV integrators in mind. 21st Century Distributing has been selling Vanco products for many years, but chose them as the 2017 award winner based on product quality, price, and margins, and because of its support of its dealers and the 21st Century Distributing team across all locations.
“Vanco is the ideal vendor to work with,” Zitzmann said. “They aren’t a big company, so it’s amazing what they are capable of with minimal resources. Their internal team and representatives are responsive and friendly, and are happy to work directly with dealers to offer on-call technical support. They will even put together special product bundles to suit dealers’ requirements and special projects. Vanco is a genuine partner to our company.”
“On behalf of Vanco, I am honored to accept the award from 21st Century,” said Mark Corbin, director of distribution markets. “They have become an excellent distributor for us and show incredible support for our product and our employees. Thanks to 21st Century for this award. It means a lot to our Vanco team!”
