Photo (l to r):
Daniel Rossetti, Sales Rep., UPF; Paul Pieragostini, Director of Procurement and Supply Chain, Smeal; Patrick Cahill, Director of Sales, UPF; Kathleen Finneral, Customer Service Supervisor, UPF; Joseph Lingel, President & CEO, UPF; Mark Huber, President, Smeal; Andrew Lingel, VP of Operations, UPF; Michael Ashley, Vice President of Engineering, UPF; Marty Etteldorf, Plant Manager, UPF
SNYDER, NE—Smeal Fire Apparatus Co. announced that the company has awarded United Plastic Fabricating, Inc. (UPF) its first annual Supplier of the Year award. UPF is based in North Andover, Massachusetts, and supplies high-impact polypropylene water and foam tanks. The awards ceremony was held at the Strategic Air and Space Museum in Ashland, Nebraska. Joseph Lingel, president and chief executive officer of UPF accepted the award on behalf of UPF. Chief executive officers and business leaders for the nominated suppliers were in attendance along with executives and shareholders of Smeal Fire Apparatus Co. Smeal President Mark Huber and Paul Pieragostini, Smeal’s director of procurement and supply chain, gave the keynote address.
“Our suppliers serve this fast-paced industry and completely understand how demanding the work load can be. We at Smeal find it appropriate to take the time to gather together to thank them for their tireless efforts and the professional support they provide to us every day. Our suppliers are exceptional, and we value them as a critical part of our efforts to serve our customers,” said Huber. “We congratulate United Plastic Fabricating as our first recipient of this award.”
Throughout the year in its newsletter, Smeal recognizes a supplier of the month who continuously performs above expectations and makes exceptional contributions to the organization. Pieragostini said, “This being the first year for this event, we wanted to make it distinctive, to let people know that we are beholden to our suppliers for their efforts and performance this past year. We work with over 700 suppliers, and each month only one is recognized, so that’s a major accomplishment.”
Smeal 2015 supplier of the year award nominees included United Plastic Fabricating, Fastenal, Akron Brass, ROM Doors, Metals USA, Waterous, Harrison Hydro-Gen, Task Force Tips, Precision Installations, Matheson Gas, Innovative Controls, Pace Mfg., Kriha, and Fire Research Corporation. South Park,
Milwaukee Tool, and Carlton-Bates were recognized as suppliers of the month for the first quarter of 2016.
For more information, visit www.smeal.com.
