The results of the 2023 CE Pro Quest for Quality Awards are in, and while supply shortages have waned in 2023 compared to the past two years, the ability of certain manufacturers and distributors to get integrators the products they need in a timely manner elevated them heads above their competitors and built new relationships in some cases.
It’s an award that every victor shouts from the mountaintops because it is an affirmation of the hard work being done by every member of a company’s tech support, sales support, website creator, customer service rep, warehouse worker, etc.
CE Pro readers cast a record 18,832 votes in a series of open-ended questionnaires covering 16 manufacturer categories and six distributor categories to give thanks to the suppliers that helped them thrive over the past year. Spread among Platinum, Gold and Silver and also multiple “Category Kudos” winners in every category that designate companies with niche products that scored very well in the survey, these honorifics highlight unparalleled service to the custom integration industry.
Click here to view the top Manufacturers.
2023 Quest for Quality Winners: Distributors
Category: Best Supply Chain Response
Platinum: ADI
“Communication across the supply chain remains key to responding fast and efficiently to any situation, and we’re in constant communication with both our customers and supplier partners. With a strong a strong supply chain and logistics operation, we’re focused on providing our customers with access to the products they need, when they need them. Our demand planning team collaborates regularly with suppliers and customers to monitor inventory levels and quickly identify any potential shortages. We conduct a rigorous, integrated business planning process with suppliers that gives us direct line of sight into their current inventory, secondary and tertiary component sourcing, and levels of production, so that we can respond with additional safety stock or order expedites when necessary.” —Cynthia Menna, Vice President & General Manager of AV, ADI Global Distribution
Gold: WAVE Electronics
“WAVE has focused on building a more resilient supply chain to support our dealer partners. This means, more solutions from more brands sourced from all over the globe. We continue to strive to ensure dealers have solutions necessary to complete their projects.” —Mike Lowther, VP of Purchasing
Silver: Exertis Almo
“We are coming up on a full year since being acquired by parent company Exertis and combining and rebranding the Pro AV division as Exertis Almo. While we gained the benefit of providing the specialization and resources that our partners need, we’ve also maintained the personal distribution approach they expect. Part of this is anticipating not if there will be supply chain issues but when. We offer multiple brands in all categories to ensure
that if one brand is unavailable, another one will be. Additionally, when products are available, we use our multiple warehouses across the country to stock products. These efforts have helped to keep projects in motion.”
Category: Best Customer Service
Platinum: DOW Technologies
“Maintaining the highest level of customer service is our number one priority. Our company understands that our role, as a full-service distributor, is to be more than just a source for product. We do our best to provide our customers with a relationship that extends beyond a transaction. Our best-in-class customer service begins and ends with our well-trained and emphatic staff, who listen to our customers’ concerns, needs and priorities and provide personalized solutions. We measure service by the relationships we form that go beyond the hardware we sell.” —John Yodzis, President & CEO
Gold: Snap One
“At Snap One, we refer to our customers as ‘Partners,’ understanding this is a partnership and sourcing product should be the easiest step in the Partners journey. Our knowledgeable sales team is well-trained and experienced to service Partners every step of the way. We pride ourselves on providing the best experience possible while having fun at the same time.” —Trevor Hansen VP, Category Management Snap One Partner Stores
Silver: Future Ready Solutions
“At Future Ready Solutions, our focus is on providing customers with the highest level of communication, accessibility, and training. We focus every day on our website to make it easy to research, build systems, and order products. We are a one-point-of-focus for technicians rather than having to call several tech support numbers to zero in on a solution to a problem. If we’re out of stock on an item, we’ll upgrade to the next better product; we offer free shipping on orders over $100, and ship advanced replacements for defective products.” — Eric Bodley, President & CEO, Future Ready Solutions
Category: Best Technical Support
Platinum: Snap One
“The staff at all the Snap One Partner Stores prides themselves on being the first point of contact when Partners need support. Our team continually goes through rigorous product and integration training, through manufacturers or our own internal Learning Management System. This continual training and education exemplify the yearning of our team to want to learn every day and use this knowledge to help support our Partners at every chance. Only here can Partners get this level of support, across this many categories, with only one call.” —Mike Munger, VP, Operation Snap One Partner Stores
Gold: Future Ready Solutions
“Future Ready Solutions expertise is focused on three major areas: Fiber-optic system design for the ultimate in video and network connectivity; advanced HDMI signal distribution including AV Over IP; and online backup UPS systems small form-factor lithium-ion UPS’s – to demands for 50-amp to over 400-amp electrical panels. It’s the combination of having the best brands and products in stock; providing straight-forward in-person trainings as well as live-via-zoom trainings; having a nationwide network of well-trained local representatives; and a no-nonsense, straight-to-the-point website that our customers love that really distinguishes us..” — Eric Bodley, President & CEO, Future Ready Solutions
Silver: DOW Technologies
“At DOW, trainings are a big part of our Vendor & Customer commitments. Internal training helps our team support dealer installations and integrations during the design stage and troubleshooting. Our customer trainings help dealers to overcome most of the challenges that typically arise during installation. I think dealers feel comfortable installing products purchased from DOW due to the combination of informative, consultative support before the sale, plus knowing that engaged, knowledgeable and confident after sale support is just a call or text away. Another contributing factor is that most of our team is very hands-on and we provide numerous ‘live and learn’ opportunities for our staff to have these products in their own homes. By using and overcoming any challenges in their home environment, our team is confident providing support to our dealers.” —John Yodzis, President & CEO
Category: Best Shipping Policies
Platinum: Snap One
“Snap One understands just how busy our Partners are and truck rolls really take time out of the field. By offering a variety of shipping options, our goal is to eliminate the stress of sourcing products while keeping the Partner at the jobsite. Options like same-day courier service, next-day FedEx, and even a personal delivery service with our own fleet of trucks in select markets — it’s all about making business easy. We also provide 24-hour rooms in most locations so Partners can access products at their convenience, day or night. Our highly competitive Free Freight policy makes it easy to receive your product with no cost to you.” —Trevor Hansen, VP, Category Management, Snap One Partner Stores
Gold: ADI
“Working with hundreds of leading suppliers, we research, select and source the latest products. We offer thousands of items in-stock every day at all our branch locations and available online through our Digital Branch. And with our multiple shipping options and convenient branch pickup, including secure lockers accessible 24/7, our immediate product availability allows customers to save time, complete projects faster and reduce the need to stock inventory.” —Cynthia Menna, Vice President & General Manager of AV, ADI Global Distribution
Silver: DOW Technologies
“We continue to believe our Smart Services freight policy is the best value in the industry. A fixed, low monthly price gets a dealer free delivery on every order and includes courier service for dealers close to one of our locations. No surprise costs, no guess work when quoting a job — it couldn’t be simpler. And now we’ve added an extra value with credits on account to offset the freight for defective product returns.” —John Yodzis, President & CEO
Category: Best Website
Platinum: Snap One
“We understand the importance of convenience with self-shopping and online ordering. That’s why we are constantly updating our websites and providing our Partners with new online tools to make selecting the right products easier and more convenient for them. Whether it be our enhanced product availability or product description and technical information — our goal is providing Partners the absolute best experience to complete their projects.” —Josh Mackey, Senior Manager Marketing, Snap One Partner Stores
Gold: Portal.io
“We’re honored to have been chosen once again for ‘Best Website.’ This award is particularly meaningful to us because, as business software for dealers, our website is our primary focus. Every member of our team is dedicated to ensuring that the dealer experience on our website is exceptional in every way. Because we don’t sell hardware, we can devote all of our time, energy, and resources to perfecting our website. This has allowed us to create a truly unique and effective platform that meets the needs of dealers in ways that others simply cannot match.” —Josh Willits, COO
Silver: ADI
“Over the past few years, ADI has made significant investments to our digital footprint and online shopping experience. Last year, we implemented a new Product Information Management (PIM) system that transforms how we merchandise our product offering online by delivering more engaging content. These enhancements are delivering significant impact and improving the online buying journey for customers.” —Cynthia Menna, Vice President & General Manager of AV, ADI Global Distribution
Category: Best Training Programs
Platinum: ADI
“ADI offers numerous learning opportunities to our customers throughout the year to keep them updated on the latest products and technologies. Whether its training in our branches, at our ADI Expo Series events, online webinars or through our training on demand platform — ADI customers can choose the way they want to learn.” —Cynthia Menna, Vice President & General Manager of AV, ADI Global Distribution
Gold: Exertis Almo
“Our traveling product, training and networking event, the E4 Experience, is now in its 14th year and stronger than ever. In 2023, we are taking the tour to Dallas, Santa Clara, New Jersey and Phoenix. Attendees create their own unique experience at this one-day event, where they can earn AVIXA CTS Renewal Units, talk with representatives from all the major brands and connect with potentially new business partners.”
Silver: Snap One
“Snap One hosted over 350 in-person training events in 2022 across our national store footprint. During the COVID hiatus we spent a lot of time reviewing our training strategy and talking to Partners about what was most important. That input is helping us to create more valuable training on the brands and categories our Partners asked for. Keep your eyes open for our training announcements at a Snap One Partner Store near you! We also continue to build out a robust catalog of recorded weekly webinars. You can join us weekly at multiple times for one of our live webinar events or catch up through the recording when it’s most convenient.” —William Zidek, VP Sales, Snap One Partner Store
Category: Best Dealer Programs/Incentives
Platinum: Snap One
“Our Partner programs are better than ever. With the new Snap One Partner Rewards program you now earn points on everything you purchase through the local stores. This new benefit rewards our Partners for all of their purchases and helps them achieve larger discounts and rebates across many of their favorite categories. The Snap One Rewards Program, along with additional promotions and incentives throughout the year, provide additional profit opportunities for our Partners.” —William Zidek, VP Sales, Snap One Partner Store
Gold: PowerHouse Alliance
“The PowerHouse Alliance distributor members truly prioritize dealers’ needs, our monthly product incentives and industry-leading in-person training across all 70+ locations throughout the United States and Canada that set us apart from others in this category. Weekly specials on hot products across the AV, security, consumer electronics, light commercial and networking categories give dealers and integrators an incentive to buy from the PowerHouse Alliance. PowerHouse also incentivizes its dealers by offering an industry-leading 10% quarterly rebate on our in-house A2V line of high-quality TV mounts, certified HDMI cables, AV racks, custom speakers, and other AV products and accessories. Committed to hosting in-person CEDIA certified training courses, PowerHouse prioritizes education for dealers. The CEDIA training equips technicians with some of the most important skills including using tools, job site etiquette and safety documentation and testing. All PowerHouse locations will offer this training, which includes comprehensive hands-on lab activities that are designed to accurately simulate on-the-job tasks before a technician heads to a job site.” —Dennis Holzer, Executive Director
Silver: ADI
“We work very closely with our suppliers to ensure we’re offering the right products at the most competitive prices. And using customer buying data, we curate exclusive promotions and personalized incentives to help customers drive new sales opportunities. In addition to products, ADI provides customers with support and services to make installations easier and help them discover new revenue streams. Some of these include our Herman Integration Services, AV Elite program, Remote Monitoring, Cybersecurity Tools, Systems Design and more.” —Cynthia Menna, Vice President & General Manager of AV, ADI Global Distribution
Regional Distributor Shoutout/Category Kudos:
LK Stockroom
“LK Stockroom always keeps me updated on lead times and delays. Communication is everything with delay.” – verbatim survey response from integrator
BlackWire Designs
“Blackwire has the best technical support. They even create custom drivers to help fix and help with project implementation.” — verbatim survey response from integrator
