Pro dealers of the year: HCN salutes you

Each year at about this time, the editors of Home Channel News crunch the sales numbers, consult the experts, and select the winners of the Pro Dealer of the Year awards, which will be presented during the ProDealer Industry Summit, Oct. 13 to 15 in Orlando, Fla.

For 2010, 22-unit Marjam Supply of Brooklyn, N.Y., is the official Pro Dealer of the Year. The company’s ability to increase sales more than 7% last year — no larger pro dealer fared better — reflects a high performance in an extremely difficult operating environment.

“We are honored to receive this award on the behalf of every Marjam employee,” said owner Mark Buller. Buller is no stranger to awards — in 1995 he was recognized as a Metropolitan New York winner of an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.

And Marjam’s COO Carmen Arguelles is the current Northeastern Retail Lumber Association’s Lumber Person of the Year.

Independent Pro Dealer of the Year honoree Forge Lumber of Cincinnati saw sales increase 25% in 2009. Gaining market share as competitors withdrew, the company was one of very few double-digit percentage gainers on the HCN Top 350 Pro Dealer Scoreboard.

The 2010 ProDealer of the Year Awards Dinner, sponsored by iLevel by Weyerhaeuser, is held in conjunction with the 2010 ProDealer Industry Summit. Now in their 14th year, the awards have been presented annually by Home Channel News to commend excellence in the LBM industry.