Amelia Island, FL – John Martin, CEO of Martin Brothers Distributing Co., Inc., Cedar Falls, IA, was honored for his exceptional leadership and contributions to foodservice when he was presented the IFDA Cornerstone Award on January 16, 2011. The award recognized Mr. Martin’s industry work through the International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA), including serving as a member of the IFDA Board of Directors for the past 11 years, as IFDA Vice Chairman from 2006-2007, and as IFDA Chairman from 2008-2009. Martin was presented the award before his peers and trading partners during the opening event of the IFDA Partners Executive Forum, a top-to-top forum attended by approximately 50 distributor and 50 manufacturer companies.
“Personally, one of the great privileges that I have had in my role at IFDA is the opportunity of working with business leaders who have so much passion for this industry — and I can tell you, John is really at the top, almost unequaled when it comes to the zeal and energy in which he approaches any job,” said IFDA President & CEO Mark Allen during the award presentation.
“John’s energy was instrumental in launching the GS1 Standards Initiative, and I can’t emphasize that enough," said Allen. "Without John’s leadership and vision from the beginning, we would not be where we are today. He established complete and accurate data as a priority in his tenure as Chairman and his tenacity and vision are primary reasons why that initiative has made so much progress.
“John also believes there are better ways for distributors and manufacturers to work together to better serve the customer. That belief led to a new study exploring the current state of the distributor – manufacturer relationship. That work is continuing this year in the development of a collaborative model that can benefit both parties,” said Allen.
Martin was also recognized for his engagement and leadership in IFDA’s efforts on Capitol Hill in advancing industry priorities to lawmakers, and for his consistent support of IFDA programs, ensuring that Martin Brothers is engaged in the work of the trade association through planning of events such as the Distribution Solutions Conference and Sales & Marketing Conference.
In accepting the award, Martin thanked IFDA, its manufacturer partners, and the many friends and acquaintances he has in IFDA.
“As a little boy, I started in this business selling lemonade in front of my Dad’s office,” said Martin. “I have had a passion for it and a love for it all my life — and it’s great to see what we’ve got going on here tonight where we have such good relationships between trading partners. I’m really looking forward to a bright future where we are working together and cooperating with each other.”
Martin also acknowledged and thanked his staff for their support. “As most of you know, you can’t take time to do industry things when you don’t have great employees. At Martin Brothers, I am blessed to have the best in the industry and I wouldn’t trade them for anything,” said Martin.
Past recipients of the IFDA Cornerstone Award include:
(2003) Boyd L. George, chairman & CEO, Alex Lee, Inc., Hickory, NC
(2004) Roger Toomey, president & CEO, UniPro Foodservice, Inc., Atlanta, GA
(2005) Tom Lankford, retired president & COO, Sysco Corporation, Houston, TX
(2006) Martin Whelan, former chairman, Ettline Foods Corporation, York, PA
(2007) Carolyn Doerle, managing director/CEO, Doerle Food Services, LLC, Broussard, LA
(2008) Dan Gordon, chairman, Gordon Food Service, Grand Rapids, MI
(2009) Mike Roach, president, Ben E. Keith Foods, Fort Worth, TX
(2010) Jim Kite, president, Ellenbee Leggett Company, Inc., Fairfield, OH
Photo Caption: John Martin (center), CEO of Martin Brothers Distributing Co., is presented the 2011 IFDA Cornerstone Award for his industry contributions through his work with IFDA. The award was presented by IFDA Chairman Mac Sullivan (left), president and CEO of Pate Dawson Company, and IFDA President & CEO Mark Allen.
Source: International Foodservice Distributors Association