North American Office Products Awards 2011

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES FRIDAY 25TH FEBRUARY 2011

Following the success of the first North American Office Products Awards (NAOPA) in 2010, the organizer OPI is delighted to announce the second annual awards program for North American manufacturers, encouraging innovation and recognizing vendors that are working to deliver real value to the dealer community.

These awards, which have already been widely acclaimed as the Gold Standard within the industry, will be presented at S.P. Richards’ 2011 Advantage Business Conference (ABC) in Las Vegas.

The awards presentation will be the highlight of a special gala dinner – the largest such gathering in the North American office products industry – the evening before the ABC trade show and will be attended by vendors, dealers, dealer group personnel, the trade press and S.P. Richards attendees.

• NAOPA Awards Presentation and Dinner – Monday 27 June, 2011
• Trade Show (Expo) – Tuesday 28 June, 2011

How to enter
The entry process is very straightforward and you will not be required to complete onerous applications forms or demonstrate entire new product launch campaigns.

This year we have made the process even simpler! The online process will enable you to easily submit basic details for each award category you wish to enter.

Why enter?
S.P. Richards’ ABC is the largest annual event for North American dealers and attracts over 3,000 attendees every year. The winners and shortlisted companies of the NAOPA will enjoy a heightened profile including:

• The winners will be announced at a special gala dinner on 27 June, the evening preceding the Expo.

• Winners and shortlisted products will enjoy greater visibility at the Expo in a special Showcase area on the trade show floor, as well as through additional signage to be displayed within vendor booths.

• Winners will also be announced at Wednesday's general session.

• In addition, the shortlist will be announced in OPI magazine, OnPoint magazine and on opi.net. The winners will also be included in a special feature article in OPI magazine as well as online.

Award winners will therefore receive the highest recognition amongst their dealer customers.

Award Categories
There will be seven awards presented at the second NAOPA in June 2011.
• Best Product - Core office products
• Best Product - Furniture
• Best Product - Technology products
• Best Product - Cleaning & Breakroom
• Product Innovation of the Year
• Environmentally-friendly Product of the Year
• Overall Product of the Year

Presentation Dinner
The presentation to award winners will take place during a spectacular dinner on Monday 27 June, 2011 for over 2,000 dealers, vendors and other industry executives. In addition to being a glittering evening with fantastic entertainment, this will be an unrivalled networking opportunity in advance of the next day’s very popular trade show.

More about OPI
As the leading magazine for the international industry, OPI brings a wealth of experience, industry knowledge and strong relationships with the North American dealer community and the vendors represented at the show. OPI has a strong tradition of launching office supplies awards evenings. OPI has hosted the European Office Products awards ceremony in Frankfurt for 10 years, and the Chinese OP awards in Shanghai, which launched in 2004.

More about S.P. Richards
S.P. Richards Company, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia is one of the oldest organizations to grace the North American office supplies industry. Founded in 1848, and now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Genuine Parts Company (GPC:NYSE), it is one of North America's leading business products wholesalers, distributing over 50,000 business products to thousands of resellers through a network of 44 distribution centers.

Best Product - Core Office Products

 

• Drimark Products - UV Dual Test Counterfeit Detector

• Fellowes - Climate Control Footrest

• Fiskars Brands - Cuts+More Scissors

• Newell Rubbermaid Office Products - Sharpie Gel Highlighter

• Samsill Corporation - Speedy Spine Binder

Winner:  Fiskars Brands - Cuts+More Scissors

When designing the product Fiskars wanted to meet everyday needs. Consumer research found that general-purpose scissors are the most used tool by end-users, followed closely by the general-purpose knife. The company decided to combine these elements and developed a multipurpose tool that’s functional. In terms of branding, the one orange-handled, stainless steel blade is a reference to Fiskars’ heritage, and the all-black handle and blade communicates the product’s function.

 

In short, the judges believed that Fiskars is an excellent example of a company taking a core office product and improving upon it through innovation. They were extremely impressed by the product’s simplicity, coupled with its versatility, which were demonstrated in the excellent product video.

 

Best Product - Cleaning and Breakroom

 

• 3M - Filtrete Water Station

• BRIGHT Air - Daisy Air Freshener

• Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products - SofPull Automated Towel Dispenser

• Kimberly-Clark Professional - Kleenex Slimfold Towel System

• Oreck Commercial - PR8000 Rechargeable Sweeper

Winner: Kimberly-Clark Professional - Kleenex Slimfold Towel System

This product is designed to fit into tight places inside or outside the washroom without sacrificing hand-drying performance. The one-at-a-time dispensing reduces waste and at a compact 14 inches high and 2.75 inches deep, it dispenses a regular-sized towel that folds five times instead of two for the same drying ability in a compact size.

 

In the judges’ opinion, the Kleenex Slimfold Towel System is a very saleable product, as many smaller offices face the challenge of how to fit a towel dispenser in a small space. It also provides the lucrative opportunity for a dealer to continue to sell consumables, which is where the real money is made. What a ‘handy’ product!

 

Best Product - Technology Products

 

• 3M Company - 3M PocketProjector MP180

• Hewlett Packard - HP Envy eAll-in-One Printer with HP ePrint

• Kensington Computer Products Group - Kensington Keyfolio Bluetooth Keyboard and Case for iPad

• Lathem Time - FaceIN Time Clock System

• Newline Products - IdeaMax R5-600 Interactive Whiteboard

Winner: Hewlett Packard - HP Envy eAll-in-One Printer with HP ePrint

HP believes that the challenge customers face nowadays is that they want to print anytime, anywhere from any device. In the past they needed a direct connection between a PC or network and a printer, and all of the drivers and software needed to prepare and print a document. However, with HP ePrint, the location of computers and devices that can access a web-connected HP printer is limitless. The HP ePrint has been designed to transform the mobile printing experience.

This product blew the judges away. It is deemed to be the future of technology. On a practical level, the judges believe the HP ePrint to be very saleable, as it can be used in a small office, for remote working and for hot desking. As a product that the judges believe will represent the industry in the future, it received a unanimous vote in its category and also took the title of Overall Product of the Year.

 

Best Product - Furniture

 

• Mayline Group - TransAction Conference Table

• Safco Products - AlphaBetter Desk

• Safco Products - Rêve Faux Wood

• The HON Company - Huddle Multi-Purpose Tables

• The HON Company - Nucleus Seating

Environmentally-friendly Product of the Year

• Deflecto - Environmat Chairmat 

• Fiskars Brands - Bamboo Titanium Bypass Paper Trimmer

• Pilot Pen Corporation of America - B2P Bottle-2-Pen Recycled Gel Roller

• Quality Park - Park Preserve Ecoenvelope/#9 Double Window

• Solo Cup Company - BareSugarcane Dinnerware

Winner: Deflecto - Environmat Chairmat

This product has an extremely high environmental credential: it’s made from 100% post-consumer waste water bottles. Additionally, it is 100% recyclable and made using no petroleum-based virgin resources. The judges were extremely impressed by the high environmentally friendly factors that this product displays.

The Enviromat Chairmat retains all the features that a chairmat needs, such as a textured surface that resists scuffs and a harder rolling surface to ease chair movements. These are simple characteristics, but add them to such high environmental credentials and the product became the clear winner in this category.

 

Product Innovation of the Year  

•  

• Drimark Products - UV Tri-Test Counterfeit Detector Machine

• Fiskars Brands - Cuts+More Scissors

• Ghent - Nexus Tablet

• Newline Products - IdeaMax R5-600 Interactive Whiteboard

• Smead Manufacturing Company - ColorBar Labeling System

• The HON Company - Nucleus Seating

Winner: Newline Products - IdeaMax R5-600 Interactive Whiteboard

IdeaMax combines state-of-the-art finger-touch technology with a durable porcelain steel surface for a scratch-resistant, dry-erase friendly interactive whiteboard solution. It lets users view and interact with their computer software and is compatible with existing PC multimedia setups as well as thousands of free, third-party software apps for business and education."

While the IdeaMax whiteboard is not the first of its kind on the market, when seen in action the judges believed it has more sophistication and functionality than other whiteboards may have. It is particularly suited for the lucrative back-to-school market, and employs technology through real innovation to make it a standout product.

 

Overall Product of the Year

 

No shortlist - winner to be announced on the night

Winner: Hewlett Packard - HP Envy eAll-in-One Printer with HP ePrint

JUDGES for NAOPA 2011

 

Dennis Arnold
Vice President - Furniture
S.P. Richards Company

Eddie Baird
Merchandise Manager, Furniture
S.P. Richards Company 

Jerry Bircher
Express Office Products

Debby Cantrell
Merchandise Manager
S.P. Richards Company

Robert De Montigny
President/CEO
Novexco

Kimberly Dumont
VP Sales
S.P. Richards Company

Mike Foster
Director of Merchandising
Is.Group

Brian Freund
IQ Office Products

Randy Garcia
Office Express Supply

Steve Glass
Dir of E-commerce Marketing
S.P. Richards Company

Reid Grigsby
Norman Orr Office Supply,

David Guernsey
Guernsey Office Products

Jeff Harmon
Merchandise Manager
S.P. Richards Company

Steve Hilleard
CEO
OPI

Chip Hummel
Hummels Office Plus

Henry Ireland
COS Business Products & Interiors

Brian Kerr
Kerr Office Plus

Kevin Killimett
Merchandising Manager
S.P. Richards Company

Steve Lynn
Sr. VP Merchandising
S.P. Richards Company

Sean Macey
President
Basics

Chuck Macpherson
VP Dealer Development
S.P. Richards Company

Ehren Madill
E. Madill Office Company

Nelvia McGrath
Director of Retail
S.P. Richards Company

Pedro McMillan
Pedro's Planet

Don Mikolasy
Vice President
S.P. Richards Company

Sam Moncada
President
COPA

Robert Moore
Merchandise Manager
S.P. Richards Company

Kathryn Morley
Penny Wise Office Products

Michael Morris
VP, Marketing
TriMega

Dick Nichols
Merchandise Manager
S.P. Richards Company

Jim O'Brien
Sr. Vice President
S.P. Richards Company

John Podsiadlik
Detroit Pencil Company

Robert Ray
ICC Business Products

Jack Reagan
Vice President
S.P. Richards Company

Todd Sandoval
Sandia Office Supply

Curt Small
Merchandise Manager - Global Sourcing
S.P. Richards Company

Joe Templet
SVP Field Sales
United Stationers/BSA

Rick Voigt
Today's Business Products

Chris Whiting
V.P. Cleaning & Breakroom
S.P. Richards

Wesley Wittner
A & W Office Supply, Inc.