Bar-S Foods Co.
Joe Stewart, Director of Marketing for the Bar-S Foods Co., says this about recognizing achievement within his company: "We are a team-oriented company, and we believe that recognizing outstanding performance strengthens and nurtures the attitude of teamwork throughout our entire organization."

Each year Bar-S-a manufacturer and distributor of consumer packaged processed meat products-gathers together its top 40 managers and presents the "President's Award" for outstanding achievement and service. It is the company's highest honor, given at the sole discretion of the Bar-S President, and as Joe Stewart notes, "the recipients of this award never fail to feel a deep sense of pride."

For the past two years, Duane Cahill's team at the Bar-S Denver plant has come up with the prize.

"It means we're performing up to expectations in the eyes of our CEO .that we've done an outstanding job for our company," says Cahill, Rocky Mountain Regional Manager.

"Everybody's proud of this award. It makes us want to go out and shoot for it again."

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U-Haul Corporation
U-Haul Corporation was founded in 1945, and now has thousands of dealers spread across the country. Many of these dealers proudly boast a line-up of plaques marking a history of longevity ranging from 5 to 45 years of service with U-Haul.

"These awards are presented for every 5 years of service and they are something anyone would cherish," says Layton Baker, Vice President of Marketing for Dealers and Centers.   "They show that a dealership is a stable business and has provided customer satisfaction over a long period of time-a dealership with whom you can do business confidently."

Each U-Haul dealer is an independent businessman who often also operates other businesses closely related to the rental trucks and trailers.

"The awards accomplish many things. They keep our name in front of the local community over a long period of time, which in itself is a form of advertising and marketing," Baker says.

"In addition, we like our dealers and new dealer prospects to feel there's a lot of support at the corporate headquarters for what they do-to know how much their efforts are recognized and appreciated.

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Snap-On Tools
"Everybody needs a goal to strive for," says Larry Zelfer, Phoenix-area Sales Manager for Snap-on Tools. "We have a Dealer of the Month program as well as our annual, year-end awards presentation. We expanded our recognition program a few years ago and it has proven to be extremely successful, because it creates positive competition within our sales force."

The Snap-on dealers work long hours, driving from account to account in trucks that serve as a showroom for high-quality mechanics' tools. Zelfer believes that internal company recognition keeps morale, performance, and most importantly, sales, at a high level.

Snap-on Dealer Brent Gillespie joined the company three years ago, and since that time has earned over 110 Snap-on awards.

"It's always exciting to win these awards because they are presented in recognition of your hard work," Gillespie says. "It is an incentive to keep you motivated. The awards are usually presented during sales meetings, and when you are among your peers and are chosen as being a leader in top sales performance, it tends to get you pumped up to reach or exceed that level of excellence again."

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Grace-Lee Products
"You have to say thank you once in a while," says Sherman Gleekel, Executive Vice President of Grace-Lee Products in Minneapolis.

Grace-Lee has a long-running program both for demonstrating appreciation of its customers, as well as recognizing performance within their own company. The company manufactures a wide range of cleaning products and specialty car wash equipment.

"Each year we give the 'President's Achievement Award' to our top salespeople," Gleekel says. "We have a beautiful plaque that holds 20 years of names. There's something about seeing your name engraved and displayed in a way that says 'this person is the best!' It makes us proud to have such top rate people. We believe this program instills pride by virtue of our people knowing their efforts are recognized."

Grace-Lee acknowledges its customers by sending them specialty items such as calendars, key chains, appointment books, candy jars and pens.

"Good customers are the only reason any business is able to succeed. We believe that providing them with small promotional gifts is one way of saying 'thank you.' Each year, our customers look forward to receiving the variety of promotional items our sales force distributes."