Posted by: Diane Capuano
PDRA is announcing the 2009 PDRA “Top-of-the-Line Retailer” Awards Program, which will provide recognition for outstanding achievement among independent paint and decorating retailers in key promotional, community involvement and environmental leadership categories. Owners of independently owned and operated retail paint and/or decorating stores in North America are eligible to enter. The awards program features two classifications: single-unit operator and multi-unit operator. There are a total of three categories:
• Promotional Innovation of the Year: A promotion, advertising/marketing program and/or merchandising concept that was used to further the retailer’s sales and/or business performance.
• Community Involvement Initiative of the Year: An activity or series of activities that was undertaken for the benefit of the community or a not-for-profit charitable organization.
• Green Initiation of the Year: An activity or series of activities that was undertaken to promote or further an environmental cause.
From amongst these three categories, overall winners will be chosen for both the single-unit operator and multi-unit operator classifications.
The deadline for entries is Feb. 10, 2010. Winners will be honored at a special ceremony, to be held at the PDRA Show at the National Hardware Show®, May 4-6, 2010, at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev. In order to receive an award, winners must be present at the ceremony. Each winner will receive two round-trip tickets from a metropolitan city airport and two nights hotel at a participating event hotel for the show. Nev. During the show, winners will receive VIP credentials as members of the National Hardware Show Channel Leaders Club. Winners will receive a plaque honoring their achievement.
In order to enter, you will be asked to submit a description in 500 words or less, including objectives and results as it relates to the specific awards category. To support your award entry, you will be asked to upload 1-5 images onto the PDRA Top-of-the-Line Retailer Awards’ Facebook Fan Page as well an optional video.
Click here to enter online. If you prefer to mail in an entry, click here for a PDF format of the Official Entry Form. Mail Entry Form, photos (digital or print) and optional video (DVD format) to: 2009 PDRA “Top-of-the-Line Retailers” Awards, 1401 Triad Center Drive, St. Peters, MO 63376-7353.
If you have any questions regarding uploading photos and/or video, please call Tina Sullivan at (800) 737-0107 or email her at tina@pdra.org.
| All decisions of the panel that will review the applications and make the award are final and subject to the discretion of that panel. |
Dear Diane, Tina, or Dan,
What should I do? I’ve been promoting my store THROUGH community involvement.
The radio “ads” we run are tips on painting and wallpapering. Many are listed on our website. No prices are mentioned, no clearance sales, just information. It takes a giant leap of faith to ignore a manufacturer’s co-op dollars and a good deal of effort to create informational tidbits that actually make an audience stop and listen. It makes a difference, though. My customers tell me they drive out of their way to come to my store because we know what we’re talking about.
For over twenty years, I been giving frequent lectures in the interior design classes of a nearby university and community college. In fact, I’ve been serving as a curriculum adviser for Santa Barbara City College’s Interior Design Program for some years now. This has led to other speaking engagements with Habitat for Humanity, Santa Barbara Airport, and local civic groups such as Rotary and Chamber of Commerce.
We’ve been donating paint to Retirees of Delco for over fifteen years. They build toys throughout the year then distribute them at Christmas through various charities.
It’s hard to say where community involvement ends and promotion begins, but the truth of the matter is, we do it because we want to help out and, as a side effect, we differentiate our paint store from all the others.
I’ve got frequent-flyer miles coming out of my ears that will be used to fly to the Hardware Show and for our hotel. I don’t want to enter the contest. I just wanted to convey the message that good community involvement is often times the best promotion.
See you all in Vay-gus!
Yours truly,
Steve Ozab