MWI recognizes top performers

A visit from the AAHA president, a Lake Michigan cruise at sunset, breakfast in bed served by management, and a lasting tribute to the late Joe King were some of the highlights of MWI Veterinary Supply’s recent annual sales meeting in Chicago.

Approximately 230 MWI reps and 225 vendor representatives in 94 booths attended the event, according to John Ryan, vice president of marketing. “We strive to create the best sales meeting experience for our reps by keeping training relevant and by creating an atmosphere geared toward building strong, cohesive working relationships,” he said.

Among the highlights of the meeting were:

• A visit from John Albers, DVM, executive director of the American Animal Hospital Association, who just announced his intention to step down from the post he has held for 23 years.
• Breakfast in bed for MWI’s sales reps. Servers were MWI management and Covidien Animal Health. “The reps had a ball and appreciated the team spirit,” says Ryan. “MWI’s management team enjoyed every moment too; they even dressed the part with bathrobes, and our president wore full banquet gear with chef coat and hat.”
• The Second Annual “Running of the Reps.” More than 50 reps participated in the event, designed to promote health and wellness.
• A cruise on Lake Michigan on the Mystic Blue boat. “We enjoyed spectacular cityscapes, sunset and fireworks display with our Platinum Vendors,” says Ryan. “Our second year on the boat proved as good as the first.”

MWI celebrated its success in its “MWI Green Initiatives” campaign, which was launched this year. “Going green is pro-business, pro-employee and good for the environment too,” says Ryan. “While we still have many opportunities, we were amazed at what we’ve already accomplished – over 250,000 fewer pages used in printing; our annual report printed on recycled paper; a new, ‘green’ tradeshow booth; new energy-efficient lighting in our offices; more than 1 million pounds of cardboard recycled in our distribution centers, and more.”

Awards
Outstanding performance in a number of areas was recognized, e.g., for top companion animal/equine/livestock sales, equipment sales, regional sales, e-commerce sales, pharmacy program sales, inventory management sales, AAHA MARKETLink sales and Securos sales. (MWI acquired the assets of AAHA Services Corp. including AAHA MARKETLink, in July 2008. The company acquired Securos Inc., a provider of veterinary orthopedic products, in June 2007.)

The late Joe King, MWI’s former southwest regional manager, was remembered in a special way, through the newly launched Joe King Award, presented to reps nominated by their regions. “Joe lived the MWI core values in the spirit of success,” says Ryan. The winners of the award were:

• Heather McCabe, Northwest.
• Lee Della-Corte, Rocky Mountain.
• Jes Strickland, Southeast.
• Steve McKinney, Southwest.
• Evelyn Coker, California.
• Regan Sweeney, Central States.
• Myra Lipps, Great Lakes.
• Gary Britt, Gulf States.
• Darcel Zavistaski, Northeast.

Next year’s sales meeting will be held Aug. 1-6 in San Diego, Calif.