As I reflect on the past year at The Cannata Report, I’m filled with gratitude and pride as 2025 was defined by growth, renewal, and momentum.
We dedicated ourselves to enhancing our mission by amplifying the insights we can deliver to the industry. We significantly increased the amount of content we feature online, meeting our audience where they are and reinforcing our commitment to in-depth reporting of the independent dealer channel. We also took a fresh look at one of our most important initiatives as we celebrated 40 years of our Annual Dealer Survey, revamping and streamlining it while ensuring it remains not only relevant but more useful than ever for dealers navigating the rapidly changing marketplace.
No look back on the year would be complete without highlighting our 40th Anniversary Awards & Charities Gala. While the evening was a celebration of our industry’s achievements, it was especially meaningful as we raised funds for diabetes research in memory of Mike McGuirk of ProCopy Office Solutions—a respected industry leader and our dear friend who inspired us all with his passion for service and our industry. We were honored to welcome his wife Kelly and daughter Mackenzie Wells to the Gala and thank them for their tremendous support of our fundraising initiative. We also are incredibly grateful to everyone in the industry whose donations allowed us to raise over $188,000 for the Inserra Family Diabetes Institute at Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center.
We aimed to infuse some new fun into the Gala, and the results exceeded our expectations. The evening opened with a comedy set by Larry Weiss of Atlantic, Tomorrow’s Office presented by HP, so we set the tone with laughter right from the start. We were honored to welcome back Hytec Dealer Services and TD SYNNEX as our lead sponsors—this year designated as Platinum sponsors—and grateful for the continued support of our Gold sponsors ConnectWise, Distribution Management, and First Citizens Bank. We were also pleased to welcome Katun Corporation as a Gold sponsor, Nexera as a Silver sponsor, and Static Control back as a Silver sponsor, and to have Xerox return as our After Party sponsor.
The Cannata Report President & CEO CJ Cannata
Inspired by guests who had turned our Frank Awards ceremony music cues into their own informal “name that tune” game in years past, we introduced the “Name That Frank Award Tune” contest and were thrilled with the level of participation congratulations to Konica Minolta seated at lucky table #13 for the win!
We turned up the volume at our After Party by inviting Cherie Labuzetta of Xerox to join the band for a few numbers. After wowing us with her impromptu performance last year, we were thrilled to have her back—and this year she was joined on one song by her Lexmark/Xerox colleague Sean Endicott. We also invited Predictive InSight’s Ed McLaughlin, known for his smooth interpretations of musical standards, to sing with the band. Thanks to Ed for adding another memorable musical moment to the evening.
Check out our GALA HIGHLIGHTS VIDEO!
The Gala celebration included the10th Anniversary of our Women Influencers Brunch, co-hosted by Carol C. Cannata and Melissa Confalone, president of Fraser Advanced Information Systems, marking the first time it was co-hosted by a Women Influencer (Melissa was one of our 2023 Women Influencers). We are grateful that our sponsor list grew this year, with Konica Minolta and Xerox joining returning sponsors Milner, Inc., Distribution Management, and GreatAmerica Financial Services. The Women Influencers franchise—and the brunch in particular—remains one of my greatest sources of pride. It has grown well beyond anything we initially imagined, and I am grateful beyond words for the way the industry has embraced it.
Thank you to our partners, sponsors, and audience for making this such a remarkable year. I look forward to what we will accomplish together in the year ahead.
Regards,
CJ
