By: Dave Menton, RSPA Vice President of Sales
Annually, the members of the RSPA gather for RetailNOW – “Where the Industry Meets.” One of the highlights of the event is the announcement of the winners of the Vendor Awards of Excellence (VAE) as well as the recognition of the leadership awards, Women 2 Women Leader of the Year, and the Hall of Fame enshrinement. The VAE Awards are one of the most coveted acknowledgements in the industry and are the only awards voted on exclusively by VARs in the association. Winners are the best of the best, providing the highest level of service, products, and support to their community, and their status must be earned day-in and day-out.
For 2019, the VAE Award Categories included Electronic Payments/Financing, Technology Distributor, Reseller Support Services, Hardware & Software, Hardware Manufacturer, and ISV/Software. This year and moving forward, three companies were recognized in each category earning Bronze, Silver, or Gold distinction. During the four-week voting period, approximately 700 votes were cast for the various representatives in each category. The VAE award winners were acknowledged during RetailNOW’s Day 2 General Session and presented with their trophies to be proudly displayed on the Expo Hall show floor allowing for group photos Tuesday afternoon. And now for the results:
Vendor Awards of Excellence
In the Electronics Payments/Financing Category, our Bronze 2019 VAE winner was Worldpay. Receiving the Silver 2019 VAE award was Datacap Systems. And repeating this year, our 2019 Gold VAE award winner for Electronic Payments/Financing was Shift4 Payments.
For the Technology Distributor Category, our Bronze 2019 VAE recipient was Metropolitan Sales. Receiving the Silver 2019 VAE was Bluestar. And finally, in a very tight finish, the Gold 2019 VAE went to M-S Cash Drawer.
Our Reseller Support Services results saw a few new names earning recognition. The Bronze 2019 VAE award winner was Tigerpaw Software. The Silver 2019 VAE award went to Vanguard ID Systems. And earning top distinction with the Gold 2019 VAE achievement was Card Marketing Systems.
The Hardware & Software category saw a dead heat for Silver and a runaway winner for the top spot. Earning the Bronze 2019 VAE award was Oracle Food & Beverage. Finishing in a tie for the Silver 2019 VAE award were POSBANK and Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions. And with the highest voting percentage for 2019, your Gold 2019 VAE award went to the team at Cash Register Sales.
The Hardware Manufacturer category featured some strong names in the retail POS channel. Earning the Bronze 2019 VAE award was CAS Corp. Our Silver 2019 VAE recipient was Epson. And earning the top spot with the Gold 2019 VAE award was Touch Dynamic.
Closing out with the ISV/Software category, we saw the closest voting result for the top spot. Earning the Bronze 2019 VAE award was Avero Inc. Our Silver 2019 VAE winner went to NCC. And by a mere 1% percent margin of victory, our Gold 2019 VAE award winner for ISV/Software went to repeat champion Future POS, Inc.
Congratulations again to all our 2019 VAE Award Winners for a great year and well-earned distinction.
| Electronics Payments/Financing Gold – Shift4 Payments Silver – Datacap Systems Bronze – Worldpay |
Technology Distributor Gold – M-S Cash Drawer Silver – Bluestar Bronze – Metropolitan Sales |
| Reseller Support Services Gold – Card Marketing Services Silver – Vanguard ID Systems Bronze – Tigerpaw |
Hardware & Software Gold – Cash Register Sales Silver (tie) – POSBANK Silver (tie) – Toshiba Bronze – Oracle Food & Beverage |
| Hardware Manufacturer Gold – Touch Dynamic Silver – Epson Bronze – CAS Corp |
ISV/Software Gold – Future POS, Inc. Silver – NCC Bronze – Avero Inc. |
Woman to Woman Leader of the Year
For our individual achievement awards, continuing with a new tradition, the W2W Committee honored a woman in the retail technology channel who is reshaping the industry and creating a smarter, more inclusive future. This award recognized a tremendous leader with exceptional achievement and character, Linda Sudderth of Epson. Presenting Sudderth with her well-earned recognition was Worldpay’s Cindy Marcoux and RSPA’s Ashley Naggy, the Chairperson and RSPA Champion of the W2W committee, respectively.
Sudderth has over 25 years of experience in our industry. Her professionalism is noticed by all who interact with her, especially in high stress or unpredictable environments. She is excellent at communicating the goals and objectives of a conversation all while remaining professional. She was the recipient of one of the most prestigious and honorable awards at Epson called the “Epson Values Award,” which is based on an employee’s moral character and contribution to Epson’s success. Sudderth is a leader and mentor to more than just her team. She is known to dive in on an assignment when others shy away from difficult tasks or extra work.
Hall of Fame Enshrinement
Finally, each year the RSPA community nominates and enshrines an individual whose lifetime accomplishments have made exemplary contributions to the point of sale and retail technology industry. They demonstrate the highest level of professionalism and have had a lifelong impact on our community. This year’s inductee was Howard Hornstra, the second-generation owner and operator of one of the largest Independent Dealers in the nation, Merchants Cash Register in Chicago. Howard was instrumental in the ICRDA for over 30 years and was one of the original members along with his father, Cyril Hornstra. Howard served on several committees and the Board of Directors, eventually serving as the President and Chairman of the Board of the ICRDA. He was great friends and loyal allies with Curt Kennington, Harry Tallmadge, Stanley Hayman, Ed Mancini, Bernard Hellring, Paul Roth and all the other Life Members of the ICRDA.
Unfortunately, Howard was unable to attend RetailNOW to accept his award in person, but he told RSPA CEO John Kirk he was honored to receive this distinction. Receiving this honor from an organization he cherished for so long is great recognition of a successful career and contribution to the industry.
We look forward to hosting next year’s award ceremony at RetailNOW 2020 in the Venetian in Las Vegas. Congratulations to this year’s winners and individual achievement recipients!
About RetailNOW
RetailNOW 2019 was held July 28-31 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, TX. Known as “Where the Industry Meets,” RetailNOW annually brings together retail IT professionals, channel leaders, and innovators from around the globe. RetailNOW 2020 will be held at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas August 2-5. For more information, contact Events@GoRSPA.org.
