William A. Cordes Innovation Award
The ABMA is inviting member companies to enter new products for the ABMA William A. Cordes Innovation Excellence Award for 2024. “The Willie” is given to recognize outstanding innovation in any manufactured product, component or service in the brush industry in any given year. Submitted entries will be showcased during the 2024 ABMA Annual Convention next March set for Amelia Island, Florida.
The Innovation Award recognizes outstanding innovation of manufactured products, components or services in the Brush, Broom, Mop and Roller Industry and is named after William A. Cordes, who served as the ABMA’s first President from 1917-1928.
Innovation Award Nominee Impact
Winner of ABMA’s William A. Cordes Innovation Excellence Award in 2011, Sanderson MacLeod first introduced their revolutionary patented medical brush tip, the Z-Tip, at the 2011 ABMA conference held in Austin, Texas. Recently, the company offered a retrospective look at what winning the award has meant to the company.
“Winning Innovation Excellence Award has had a very positive impact on our organization,” said Mark Borsari, President of twisted-in-wire contract manufacturer Sanderson MacLeod.
“Since winning the award, our Z-Tip technology has become actively utilized in key markets such as medical, aerospace and cosmetics. The market reception has been beyond our expectations. Many of our customers are considered innovators in their markets, and knowing we received the Innovation Excellence Award from the ABMA has enhanced our credibility as a top tier design and supply partner, ” Borsari said.
When asked to list the top three benefits winning the award provided, Borsari offered the following.
“First, winning ABMA’s innovation award gave us the ability to share our innovation and receive vitally important feedback from our trusted fellow brush association members. Second, the award has become a source of tremendous pride to our development team…a real acknowledgement of the long hours and dedication it took to make our concept a reality,” reflected Borsari. “Finally, it reinforced the importance of bringing new technologies to the brush making industry. Today, when considering future projects, we ask ourselves if our concepts would be worthy of another Innovation Excellence recognition.”
“For us, the ABMA and the William A. Cordes Award has made innovating new ideas challenging and purposeful. I’d recommend to any company that they submit any qualifying product for consideration…You never know where it may take you.”
Eligibility
- Manufactured products are defined as products manufactured by a member company in their respective member country of origin, or in the member company’s owned facility outside of their country of origin. Assembled products are to be considered manufactured if such member company’s assembled products may legally display their specific country of origin label. Manufactured products may be contracted or co-manufactured for others and shall be considered eligible provided permission has been granted and provided from the contracting party.
- Marketed products are defined as products that may be produced by others, but for which the member company is the “creative source” of the product. Creative source is defined as the holder of the Patent, Trademark or Copyright; or can show the origination of the idea or concept came from the member company.
- Components and Services may be nominated provided they can be shown to fulfill the intent of any of the eligibility requirements above.
- 2024 Submission Deadline: November 30, 2023
General Eligibility
Manufactured products, Marketed Products, Components and Services must be readily available in the year they are being submitted for consideration. To be eligible, any nominated product, component or service must have been introduced into the marketplace up to 18 months prior to the convention in which it will be voted on. Any and all manufactured and marketed products, components and services that pertain to the Broom, Brush, Mop and Roller Industry are eligible for consideration. Only original submissions will be considered.
What to Submit
Submissions must include signed nomination form, actual production pieces, copies of patents or patent applications, copyrights, trademarks, permissions, design drawings and description of service, where applicable, along with proof service is actually in use in the industry, such as certification letters or warranties. Proof of introduction into the marketplace within the previous 18 calendar months is also required. A one page description summary may also be included. Nomination forms may be found by clicking here.
For more information on the ABMA Innovation Award, visit www.abma.org/about/innovation-excellence-award/.
