News May 16, 2023
ASB Brings Together Sales Pros, Suppliers With Accelerate
The Top 40 distributor held the annual collaboration event at Breezy Point Resort in rural Minnesota.
Tightening relationships between suppliers and distributor sales pros, as well as further honing product and strategy expertise were the focus points of Accelerate, an annual event hosted by Top 40 distributor American Solutions for Business (ASB, asi/120075).
Held at Breezy Point Resort in rural Minnesota, Accelerate featured 28 promotional products suppliers who led ASB team members in suite-style 20-minute sessions over the course of two days.
“These meetings create an environment of connection where sales associates can learn about products and strategies from vendors they’re already working with while also discovering new partnerships,” ASB said in a statement. “The conversations continued outside of the suites at dine-arounds sponsored by ASB, giving visitors a small taste of the Minnesota scenery in three Breezy Point restaurants.”
Some 150 attendees, including ASB home office employees and sales associates, participated in Accelerate. Organizers said a well-received “Minnesota-inspired” dinner closed out the event. “We had great feedback about the intimate setting,” said Dana Zezzo, ASB’s vice president of vendor relations, marketing and events.
Accelerate, which occurred May 9 through 12, had a charitable component that benefitted the Lakes Area Food Shelf which serves towns near Breezy Point. In the weeks leading up to the event, contributors purchased paper soup cans that were placed around the event space and that ultimately raised $5,000.
The purchase of soup cans also qualified donators to receive raffle tickets for various prizes. ASB Patriot-level suppliers such as OtterBox (asi/75326), Compass (asi/46170), and Koozie Group (asi/40480) sponsored items that attendees could use their raffle tickets to win. Winners walked away with coolers, gift cards and office chairs.
Founded in 1981, ASB is headquartered in Glenwood, MN. The firm ranks eighth on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest distributors in the industry based on reported 2021 North American promotional product revenue of $244.3 million.