PTDA Announces Lifetime Achievement Award
Chicago, Ill. -- Oct. 31, 2006 --The Power Transmission Distributors
Association (PTDA) has named Roger A. Pennycook, a former president of
Boston Gear and former vice president of Textron Fluid & Power, the
17th recipient of its Warren Pike Award for lifetime achievement in the
power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) industry.
Pennycook, now retired after a 20-plus-year career, received the
award, named for PTDA’s co-founder and first president, at the
association’s annual Industry Summit in Boston, Mass. today.
The award was established in 1984 to honor individuals who have
demonstrated outstanding, continuous, long-term support of PTDA and the
PT/MC industry.
The Warren Pike Award is not automatically given every year and is
presented only if a qualified individual is identified. Nominees
are reviewed by the officers of PTDA’s Board of Directors and the
association’s Manufacturer Council chair. Once a candidate
passes this review, they must be approved by the full PTDA Board of
Directors.
Pennycook spent most of his distinguished career with Boston Gear,
eventually becoming its president. He then completed his career at
Textron Fluid & Power, before retiring in 2004. He
served on the PTDA Manufacturer Council from 1984 to 1988 and as its
chair in 1987. He was a board director for two years and served on
the association’s steering committee for four.
Pennycook played a key role in the development and growth of the PTDA
Foundation, serving as a trustee from 1992 to 1994 and as its president
in 1993 and 1994. He also served on several committees and
regularly attended the association’s annual conference until his
retirement.
Pennycook’s commitment to the industry was inspiring to his
colleagues and business partners. According to Gerry Ferris,
Boston Gear’s vice president of global sales, “Roger is a
very customer-focused individual who knows how to grow and improve
relationships. His passion for our partnership with distribution
spread throughout our organization.”
Chris Brill, Textron’s vice president of sales added,
“Roger is the best I’ve ever seen in this industry at
developing relationships between manufacturers and
distributors.”
Shingle & Gibb, based in Moorestown, New Jersey, has long been a
Boston Gear distributor. Its chairman, Bob Oberholzer, who won the
Warren Pike Award in 1997, lauded Pennycook not only as a “very
hard worker for PTDA over the years, but an excellent channel
partner.” Oberholzer described Roger as “someone who
could bring two parties to a common middle ground” in association
and business affairs.
Pennycook always considered the big picture and common industry good
in his association duties. Said Tom Volk, president of Ohio
Belting & Transmission: “Roger is not only a smart,
well-rounded, classy guy…he had a long-term view of things and
worked to keep the association on track.”
Pennycook’s professionalism and graciousness commanded respect
from distributors and manufacturers, alike. According to Jeff
Pickelman, president of Northern Industrial Supply of Saginaw, Michigan,
“I always felt I could turn to him for advice. I’ve
felt comfortable within PTDA because there are people like Roger who can
show me the ropes.”
Pennycook’s passion for PTDA and the industrial distribution
industry extended beyond the people to whom he sold products. Said
George Flolo, general manager of The Flolo Corporation, who won the
Warren Pike Award in 1994, “We were never a distributor of his
lines, but that didn’t matter to Roger. He gave his time
unselfishly, even if he had nothing to gain business-wise by talking to
you.”
Added association past president Kevin McCloskey of Kaman Industrial
Technologies: “It didn’t matter if I was a customer of
his. Roger was committed to helping me maximize my participation
in PTDA. That truly underscored his commitment to the spirit of
the association.”
Even competitors echo that sentiment, including Gene Addington,
former president of Diamond Chain. “Roger was a competitor
as well as an associate within PTDA and in either case, he was equally
charming,” said Addington, who won the Warren Pike Award in
1998. “He was one of the nicest gentlemen you could meet and
completely dedicated to the association’s goals.”
Drew Tucci, director of sales for Eastern Bearings, Inc., sums it up
best: “Roger is one of those special people you enjoy being
around.” He is “intelligent, trustworthy and
compassionate”, and an “ambassador of professionalism”
for our industry.
Founded in 1960, the Power Transmission Distributors Association
(PTDA) is the leading association for the industrial power
transmission/motion control (PT/MC) distribution channel. A
U.S.-based trade association, PTDA represents 216 power
transmission/motion control distributor firms with almost 3,500
locations throughout North America and 12 other countries, as well as
198 manufacturers that supply the PT/MC industry.
PTDA is dedicated to providing exceptional networking, targeted
education, relevant information and leading-edge business tools to help
distributors and manufacturers meet marketplace demands competitively
and profitably. For more information, visit www.ptda.org.
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