For the fourth year running, a panel of industry experts convened in Washington, D.C., in late July 2005 to choose the recipients of the PROSALES Excellence Awards, our annual competition that this year selected best-in-class pro dealers in the categories of Facility Design, Showroom Design/Specialty (stand-alone), Showroom Design/General Lumberyard (attached), and Marketing/Customer Service Program (the judges did not make an award in the IT/E-commerce category).

By leveraging human and capital assets to the fullest, the five dealers profiled in this issue are both shoring up their market share and attacking new customer segments with service capabilities, marketing programs, and facilities that take strategic and financial risks but nevertheless emerge as stand-out benchmarks for the entire industry.

This year's winners are a cross section of the industry, comprising companies large and small, metro and rural, and show just how much of the entire home building effort has been assumed by pro dealers. From manufacturing millwork and framing components to selling cabinet pulls and carpets to homeowners, the 2005 PROSALES Excellence Award winners have collectively mastered the entire supply chain from start to finish, and each of the firms has achieved in its own right the distinction of being a top dealer in their field.

Excellence Awards Links

Hats off to our 2005 judging panel: Mike Butts, director of installation services, United Building Centers; Rick Davis, president, Building Leaders, Inc., a Chicago-based sales training organization; Doug Ford, general manager, Curtis Lumber, PROSALES' 2004 Dealer of the Year; and Johan van Tilburg, president, Tindell's.