Collaboration, charity and professional development all featured at American Solutions for Business’ (ASB, asi/120075) Annual Summit, organizers said.

Held in Chicago the week of Aug. 14, the three-day event brought together ASB sales professionals from across the United States and key supplier partners. There were two days of supplier education sessions, as well as supplier-sponsored social events in the evenings. Plus, top-ranking ASB sales associates were honored for their achievements over the last year.

Wayne Martin, Larry Zavadil and Bori Ly (l-r) were among the ASB leaders who welcomed sales pros from across the U.S. to the Summit.

“This is always an event that everyone looks forward to,” said Larry Zavadil, ASB founder and CEO and a member of Counselor’s Power 50 list of the promo industry’s most influential people. “It’s one thing to send a congratulatory email, but it feels much more personable when you can look them in the eye and say, ‘Hey, you’ve worked hard this year. You deserve this.’”

The Annual Summit also featured a charity fundraiser, for which the company began collecting donations weeks before the event. ASB team members and supplier partners raised a total of $10,000 for Make-A-Wish Illinois, doubling their goal of $5,000.

“I think this was our best Summit yet,” said Dana Zezzo, ASB vice president of marketing, vendor relations and events. “My team went above and beyond this year not only in the branding, but creating an atmosphere for education and networking that we hope our sales associates hold onto until next year.”

With reported North American promo product revenue of $244.3 million, ASB ranked eighth on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest distributors in the industry.