Steve Shing, Jim Colucci to Be First Inducted Into AWMA Hall of Fame

FAIRFAX, Va. -- The American Wholesale Marketers Association (AWMA) will hand out its first Hall of Fame awards at this year's AWMA Show, scheduled to take place Feb. 15 to 17 at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas.

Steve Shing, corporate vice president of sales and marketing at GSC Enterprises Inc., and James Colucci, who recently retired as executive vice president of sales and marketing at Altadis U.S.A., will be the inaugural recipients.

AWMA's highest honor, the Hall of Fame awards, are to be presented to individuals at both distributor and manufacturer companies who have demonstrated "a lifetime of service to AWMA and the industry at the very highest level," according to the organization. The award ceremony will take place during the AWMA Show at 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 16.

Shing began his career with Grocery Supply Co. in 1975 and has held several sales and management positions in the 37 years since. He now serves GSC, a full-service distributor of grocery and convenience products in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. Shing is also a former AWMA chairman of the board.

Colucci retired in July from Altadis, a large cigarette manufacturer. He spent 34 of the past 37 years working for the company and its predecessor, Consolidated Cigars. Colucci formerly served on the AWMA board of directors.

In related news, the international trade organization that works on behalf of convenience distributors in the United States also announced that its 2012 expo is sold out and it is tacking on floor space to accommodate additional manufacturers who wish to exhibit. As of now, the show will feature 300 exhibitors, according to AWMA.

Scott Ramminger, AWMA's president and CEO, said attendance is expected to break last year's record figure.

"We are intent on making sure that each year the AWMA Show introduces new features and activities," he said. "The 2012 show is packed with top-notch education sessions, presentations by industry innovators and an expo that features the broadest array of products and services that we've seen in many years."

Those educational sessions include a keynote speech to be delivered by Drayton McLane Jr., chairman of the McLane Group and CEO of the Houston Astros baseball team. A new addition to this year's show will be an operations pavilion that showcases companies offering technological and operations solutions specific to distributor needs.