Emotional Awards Banquet Caps RetailNOW Day 2

By Jim Roddy, VP of Marketing, RSPA

Repeat winners – and a few surprise victors – earned attention at Tuesday night’s RSPA (Retail Solutions Providers Association) Awards of Excellence ceremony at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. The evening concluded with an emotional passing of the gavel to the first female chairperson in the 65-year history of the RSPA.

Repeat Awards of Excellence winners included:

·         Mercury – Electronic Payments/Financing and Gold Medallion

·         EPSON – Hardware

·         CRS – Hardware/Software

·         Business Solutions Magazine – Reseller Support Services

Three of the seven categories saw changes compared with 2012’s results. In the category of Technology Distributor, BlueStar took top honors. MICROS received first place in Software while California Ribbon earned the gold level in Consumables. Below is the complete list of Awards of Excellence recipients:

Electronic Payments/Financing: Mercury – Gold, Datacap – Silver, Merchant Link – Bronze

Reseller Support Service: Business Solutions Magazine – Gold, Quality Retail Systems – Silver, VSR – Bronze

Consumables: California Ribbon – Gold, Ritemade Paper Converters – Silver, Nashua – Bronze

Technology Distributors: BlueStar – Gold, ScanSource – Silver, M-S Cash Drawer – Bronze

Hardware/Software: CRS – Gold, Datasym – Silver, NCR – Bronze

Hardware: EPSON – Gold, APG Cash Drawer – Silver, Touch Dynamic – Bronze

Software: MICROS – Gold, NCC (National Computer Corporation) – Silver, Vigilix – Bronze

The awards banquet concluded with the passing of the gavel from 2012-13 RSPA Board Chairperson Mark Olson of APG Cash Drawer to 2013-14 Chairperson Lynn Skurla of reseller Skurla’s POS Solutions of Alaska. Olson was the first vendor chair in the history of the RSPA, and Skurla is the first female chair in the six-plus decades the organization has existed.

After Skurla accepted the gavel, spoke, and walked off stage, one of her daughters asked if she could say a few words. Emcee B.J. Maynard obliged, and Skurla’s daughter praised her mother for not only being a successful businesswoman but also a devoted parent. Mom and daughter, who both appeared to be near tears, embraced on the stage while the hundreds in attendance rose to their feet.

Reseller B.J. Maynard emceed the 2013 RSPA Annual Awards Banquet.

Longtime board member Dave McCarthy, shown here with wife Nora during a tribute at the RSPA’s awards banquet, received the honor of Lifetime Member Induction.

Jeff Katz and his brother Marc of Mercury were inducted into the RSPA Industry Hall of Fame.

Lynn Skurla from Skurla’s POS Solutions is the first female chairperson of the RSPA.

One of Skurla’s daughters surprised everyone in attendance by taking the stage at the end of the awards banquet.