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Thursday
March 17, 2011 With a Little Help From My Friends…Filed under: Editorial, Fun, Personal Hi Everyone! Hope you’re all doing well and as am excited as I am about the the start of spring and — more importantly — season four of True Blood (go Team Eric!). ; ) I’ve been off the show tour and office-bound for the past few weeks (so nice!), though some editorial colleagues and I trekked to New York City last week for the prestigious Neal Awards luncheon. The Jesse H. Neal national business journalism awards are given out by American Business Media and are known as “the Pulitzers of Business Journalism.” To even be selected as a finalist is quite an honor, so imagine our delight when three of ASI’s publications — Counselor, Wearables and Supplier Global Resource — were singled out to compete for various awards. The luncheon itself, commemorating the 57th annual Neal Awards where this year’s winners were announced, was held at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in a stunning room with jaw-dropping views of the city. Midway through the program, the category for which I was up for an award — Best News Coverage for my article on the issues surrounding sourcing product from China (see the cover image for the winning issue, below) — was announced. Much to my shock, I won the award. I’m thrilled, yes, but it bears noting that there are three reasons the article was award-worthy. 1. Melinda Ligos. As the editor-in-chief of all ASI’s publications — in addition to the huge responsibility of running our education initiatives — Melinda has the Herculean task of being my boss. When the time came for us to enter the Neal Awards, I carried on like a lunatic that “I have no time for blah-blah awards,” “Who cares if we win awards,” yap yap yap. Thankfully, Melinda cares if we win. She told me in no uncertain terms that if I didn’t make the time to enter, she’d enter for me. Only because of her persistence, patience and support was my receiving the award even possible. 2. Tim Andrews and Rich Fairfield. Imagine trying to control the wind. Now imagine trying to control the wind and stop the waves from rolling in. Then imagine that the aforementioned wind and waves hate rules and rack up rock star-sized bar bills at trade shows. That’s a little what it’s like, I would imagine, to have me as an employee. Yet these two, ASI’s president/CEO and executive vice president/publisher, do it with grace, loyalty and only intermittent eye-rolls and sporadic sighs of exasperation. I couldn’t do what I do here at ASI — for 14 years now — without their flying buttress-esque support. 3. My supplier brain trust. Most importantly, I share this award with the nine supplier principals who graciously allowed me to interview and quote them, on a topic that wasn’t the easiest for them to discuss. The impetus of this article was my friend David Nicholson, president of Counselor Top 40 supplier Polyconcept North America, who reached out to me and explained — in painstaking detail — what was going on last year in Asia (factory closings, employment shortages, shipping delays) and the monumental impact it would have on the industry. “Would you be willing to go on the record,” I asked, “and explain how these issues are negatively affecting Leed’s and the industry?” Not something the head of any company would relish. You know what? He didn’t hesitate. Getting my other supplier friends to dissect the troubling issues was equally as easy. In addition to David, Dard’s Bonni Shevin-Sandy, SanMar’s Marty Lott, Gemline’s Jonathan Isaacson, Impex’s Randy Chen, Logomark’s Trevor Gnesin, Sweda’s Jim Hagan, Ash City’s Garry Hurvitz and Prime Line’s Jeff Lederer took the time to tell me exactly what was happening and how it would impact different aspects of the ad specialty supply chain. It wasn’t pretty, but they didn’t waver and not once did I hear, “This is off the record.” Click here to read the article. Only because of their openness, forthrightness and trust was I able to tell their story. To them I say a heartfelt thank you.
Cheers, and more soon! — M 12 Comments |
LIAR. I definitely have more than intermittent eye-rolls when it comes to you!
Congratulations, Michele, and everyone else on the entire ASI team that help make our publications, products and events THE BEST in the industry.
So happy for you Michelle! You are wonderful and we are so lucky to have you in this crazy industry (to make it a little bit crazier). Congratulations. Well deserved!!
Great job Michele!!! You get all of the important and uncomfortable issue’s out, in a very professional and charismatic way. We are all very proud of your accomplishments and insight.
Your talent in putting these piece’s together,has helped to bring our Industry forward. Thank you!
Bonni Sandy-Dard Design International, LLC.
Danny, Thanks so much for the kind words — you are as sweet as you are fun to drink with! ; )
Bonni, my article would not have been possible without your input, so to you I say, muchas gracias, chica!
Congratulations Michele! It is a well deserved award!
Congrats!
Thanks so much, Cindy & Dana, for the shout-out –I SO appreciate it!!!
Cheers!
— M
Congratulations, my friend. A celebratory beverage is long overdue.
Hell to the yeah!!! Next time I’m in the AZ area (or you’re in Philly), let’s bender like “Mad Men.” ; ) Thanks so much for the kind words, Adam — much appreciated!
Michele, you are a superstar! We are so proud of you.
Can’t believe I just found this blog! Congrats on the award! You Rock! My new goal is to make the cut in your next Party Superstars pictures. 🙂
Don?t you get regular payoffs from kos in exchange for not mentining the scandal with his kittens? The rest of us do.