First-time attendees and veteran attendees alike gathered at St. Mary Hildebrandt Hall to enjoy the Strack & Van Til Annual Vendor Holiday Party on December 7. The Annual Vendor Holiday Party is a tradition that has carried on through the years as a gesture of appreciation for Strack & Van Til’s strong, expansive network of vendors.
President & CEO of Strack & Van Til Jeff Strack revealed that this event affords Strack & Van Til not only the opportunity to acknowledge its vendors on a professional level, but also to build personal relationships.
“We've been having this vendor appreciation day since I was a little kid, so we continue this tradition each year,” Strack said. “It is a thank you to our vendors who come into our stores every day throughout the year and take care of making sure that we have products on the shelves so ultimately, our customers have products that they can purchase. At the end of the day, our employees do a great job for us, and they're critical to our success. Our vendor partners are equally as important to make sure that we're successful as an organization, and this is just a small way for us to say thank you, give back, and enjoy the afternoon when we're outside of the store setting. We enjoy each other's friendship and camaraderie.”
TJ Mucha Account Executive for Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits is a long-time attendee of the Annual Vendor Holiday Party, and he praised Stack’s generosity toward his vendors. For the last decade, this event has enabled Mucha to reconnect with his team and enjoy their company outside of work.
“We look forward to it every year,” Mucha said. “We try and bring our whole team so that we can be together. We're strewn out all over the place, and we don't always get to see each other. It’s a great time for us to see each other, and we use it for team building, which is great. We get to enjoy each other on a non-business basis where we get to enjoy each other as friends.”
While the Annual Vendor Holiday Party has been around for many years, it was a first for Stephen Spinks, the multi-outlet off-trade manager for Cavalier Distributing. He took over the Strack & Van Til account for Cavalier Distributing back in March and was eager to attend the Annual Vendor Holiday Party for the first time.
Spinks enjoyed the opportunity to meet fellow vendors, eat delicious food, and even win a Glaceau Smartwater cooler in one of the three raffles at the event.
“I think everything that Strack & Van Til has invested in Indiana has been put on display today,” Spinks said. “We work with an Indiana-specific retailer. I grew up in Indiana, so it means a lot to me to see a place like Strack & Van Til really own it and use their influence in this corner of the state to give back to people. A lot of them shop in their stores. It's nice to be a part of that. You can see so many people at this event, and you realize what a big operation it takes to run a retail store like Strack & Van Til.”
To learn more about Strack & Van Til, visit strackandvantil.com
