The Vernon Company (asi/351700) says that its national sales conference was a success.

The Counselor Top 40 distributor hosted the annual event at the Wyndham Grand Hotel in Clearwater, FL, over the course of nearly a week, concluding April 10.

Collaboration and camaraderie were all part of the national sales conference.

Fostering collaboration between account executives and supplier partners, the conference included educational sessions, a trade show, networking opportunities and an awards banquet.

Also key were technology initiatives and business strategies for the Vernon team to focus on in the current sales year. Additionally, the event included guided tours of two of Vernon’s top suppliers, Counselor Top 40 firms Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125) and Koozie Group (asi/40480).

Lisa Hubbard, Vernon’s vice president of sales and marketing, described the event as “truly unforgettable.”

“There’s something incredibly powerful about seeing a team come together with such respect, camaraderie and a shared commitment to lifting one another up,” said Hubbard, a member of Counselor’s Power 50 list of promo’s most influential people.

The Vernon Company also honored top-performing sales pros and partners. This included recognizing the distributorship’s top 25 salespeople and team members who reached new milestones during the 2024 sales year. Those honored included:

Account Executive of the Year: Bricklie Bertagnolli, who has been with The Vernon Company for 17 years. “This recognition means so much after a year full of challenges, growth and hard work,” Bertagnolli said. “I couldn’t have achieved any of it without the incredible support from our Vernon team, my family, our amazing supplier partners and, of course, my clients.”

Rising Star: Jodi Foster. She had her most successful sales year in 2024, the company said.

Chris Vernon, president and CEO of The Vernon Company (asi/351700), with the firm’s Account Executive of the Year Bricklie Bertagnolli.

Team Player Award: Jim Nixson. “This award is voted on by Vernon’s corporate home office staff and given to the AE who exemplifies a collaborative, supportive attitude with his fellow AEs and Vernon team members,” the distributorship explained.

Reaching New Heights Award: Winners were Tareq Hanania, Stella Brock, Calleen Hodges and Andi Brugman.

Strategic Partner of the Year: Advertising Specialty Institute. “We honored our first-ever Strategic Partner of the Year, proudly awarded to ASI,” said Hubbard. “We are stronger because of great supplier and service partner alignments.”

Supplier Partner of the Year: Hit Promotional Products.

Supplier Account Manager of the Year: Venus Thom, Koozie Group.

Supplier Customer Service Rep of the Year: Krystal Holstrom of Counselor Top 40 supplier Starline (asi/89320).

Supplier Marketing Synergy Award: Counselor Top 40 supplier HPG (asi/61966). Regional Sales Manager Effie McKinney accepted the award.

Supplier Engagement Excellence Award: Koozie Group. Thom accepted the award.

“Our supplier partners are the heart of our success – their drive, resilience and shared passion for growth continue to inspire us,” Hubbard said.

Based on reported 2023 North American promotional product revenue of $81.3 million, The Vernon Company ranked 28th on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest distributors in the industry.