I remember the day, the moment the feeling. It was 1997 and I was driving home from a  major awards presentation. I was working for one of the top promotional merchandise companies in the world. I was the best again and this year I was more than great, I was stellar.

The evening went like all the other years. I had not seen many of my colleagues for over a year. We  hugged each other and we all said we had a good year. They all knew that I was the competition. I looked great and I was ready to be rewarded for my hard work.

The award presentation started and I did not once hear the audience gasp and what the award was that was being presented. The person giving out the awards was lacking emotion and feeling. I did not get the feeling that the company thought out how they were going to present the awards and what they were going to give the hard-working over-achievers. This became all real when it was my turn. My turn to be rewarded with an award that should have taken my breath away, an award that I would hold in both my hands and look at it with pride. I had worked so hard to achieve greatness and I wanted to be recognized.

When it was my turn to receive my awards I stood up and proudly walked up on to the stage. I felt the clapping and the cheers in my heart but this all ended when I was on stage. The award giver said a small speech and handed me one award. He then said I was most improved and while he was talking into the microphone (and not looking at me), he just put out his hand and handed me the exact same award that I had just received but with my name incorrectly spelled on it. Still with no emotion, he mumbled something about the great year their company was having. And just as I was stepping off the stage, the presenter said, ” Oh we forgot this is for you also. You had the highest volume in the western division.” He handed me the award as if it were some obligation and he walked away.

This award (or at least this is what they called it) was another leather piece. My other two awards were small leather binders with a calendar in them. One had no name the other one had my name misspelled. This “stellar” award was a large leather binder with the word stellar and the date. I sell leather binders and I am given leather binders from my vendors. I felt I worked at a nursery and was given a plant. I was so disappointed. On the drive home I replayed the evening in my head and knew I was rewarded or recognized for my hard work. I walked into our house and my husband knew something was wrong. I told him the story and he said, “Why don’t you become a AwardPro?”

That was the day AwardPro was born.