14 t the annual celebration of inspiration and action christened INTERSECT, we are privileged to honor the over-achievers, the can-doers, the star-reachers, the hometown heroes and plain ole’ honestly good people of our community and industry. The honors began with the award named for the 15th Secretary of Transportation and inaugural GRIDSMART Board Member, the Honorable Mary E. Peters. Mary served under President George W. Bush and is an inspiration to us all with her faith, persistence and commitment to excellence. No obstacle was too big for Mary to overcome as she rose through the ranks of Secretary at the Arizona Department of Transportation to the United States Secretary of Transportation. The 2017 “Mary Peters Award” was presented to Claudio Vecchiario and New England Traffic Solutions (NETS). Claudio has built NETS from the ground up and joined GRIDSMART at a particularly challenging time in his region as he replaced a distressed incumbent. NETS not only steadied the region, but delivered outsized performance for their territory and has one of the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the GRIDSMART family. Like Secretary Peters, Claudio doesn’t back down from a challenge, and we are proud to honor him and NETS. In 2017, we added the “Stallion Award” and recognized our friends at Texas Highway Products (THP) and Western Pacific Signal (WPS). This award pays homage to those who charge into a challenge and square off against challenges others would avoid. THP and WPS identified issues from a component in our product, took ownership of the problem and began issuing advanced replacement units to our customer immediately. They worked with GRIDSMART to resolve the problem with the end customer hardly taking notice. It was commitment above what many would consider the expected call of duty. It is commitment at a level customers have come to expect from the band of brothers and sisters that partner with GRIDSMART. THP and WPS charged into action in 2017, did the right thing and jointly earned the inaugural “Stallion Award.” We are proud to call them our partners. The “Distributor of the Year Award” is earned by the collaborator who stands tallest among the tall in the current year. The criteria includes customer satisfaction, total sales, sales growth and a GRIDSMART commitment to quality and integrity in all they do. The 2017 “Distributor of the Year” is the J.O. Herbert Company. Herbert was the GRIDSMART 2017 Sales Leader with a record setting year. This amazing team not only blanketed the great and progressive State of Virginia, but also expanded into Maryland and South Carolina. If you are a Herbert customer, you are also a friend, and Jack Herbert and Company always take care of their friends. It is a strong Christian company with ethics and integrity. The GRIDSMART team is blessed to call them family and proud to show our adamant respect for them with the “Distributor of the Year” Award. Each year we bring a select few into the fellowship of The GRIDSMART Man. When you read the criteria to the right, you will note that The GRIDSMART Man is not gender specific, but rather a compatriot of significant heart, veracity and toughness. In 2017, The GRIDSMART Man, recognized for wearing the black GRIDSMART Carhartt, initiated Darold Cherry of THP, Aron McEvoy of WPS, Claudio Vecchiario of NETS and community leader Kori Lautner of the Great Schools Partnership. We are proud to work with each of these four individuals and proud of the impact they have on their communities. Finally, 2017 launched The GRIDSMART Hall of Fame to commemorate the protagonists who exemplify The GRIDSMART way in the spirit of their work, the honesty of their actions and in their love of community. Represented by a bronze plaque that forever lives in the GRIDSMART halls, the GRIDSMART Hall of Fame is an eternal symbol that depicts our A THE GRIDSMART AWARDS 2017 BY BILL MALKES