Philanthropy Award Established to Honor Founder Frank G. Cannata
Above: Celebrating The Cannata Report’s 36th Anniversary Awards & Charities Gala are from left to right: CJ Cannata, president and CEO, and Frank G. Cannata, founder; Mike Marusic, president and CEO, Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America; Cannata; Jim Coriddi, vice president, dealer division, Ricoh USA; and Jim Roberts, president, DocuWare.
The Cannata Report, the leading publication covering the independent dealer channel in the office technology industry, announced the winners of the Frank Awards last night at its 36th Anniversary Awards and Charities Gala sponsored by Hytec Dealer Services and ConnectWise. The Cannata Report also bestowed the inaugural Frank G. Cannata Philanthropy Award to its namesake to honor his legacy and prolific fundraising initiatives. The event’s theme, Start Me Up, celebrated excellence, innovation, and new directions in the industry and raised and pledged to date $150,000 to support research conducted at Hackensack Meridian John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center.
Ricoh and Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America won three Frank Awards each at the event held at the Madison Hotel in Morristown, N.J. What follows is a complete list of the winners:
- Best Production Print Manufacturer: Ricoh USA
- Best A4 Manufacturer: Kyocera Document Solutions America
- Best-in-Class: Toshiba America Business Solutions
- Best Marketing Strategy: Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America
- Best Technical Service Provider: Ricoh USA
- Best Leasing Company: GreatAmerica Financial Services
- Best Print Management Software Provider: PaperCut
- Best ECM/Document Management Provider: DocuWare (a Ricoh subsidiary)
- Best IT Services Provider: ConnectWise
- Best Female Executive: Nancy Langdale, Canon U.S.A.
- Best Male Executive: Mike Marusic, Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America
- Best Manufacturer: Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America
The Frank Award winners were revealed at the Gala by dealer principals and executives from some of the country’s top office technology dealerships. Frank Award winners are determined by the independent dealer community participating in The Cannata Report‘s Annual Dealer Survey conducted earlier in the year.
A highlight of the evening was the inaugural presentation of the Frank G. Cannata Philanthropy Award established to honor the founder of The Cannata Report, who currently serves as editor-at-large. Through the annual charity event that he oversees, Frank G. Cannata has collectively raised nearly $3 million for charities nationwide, including close to $1.3 million for Hackensack University Medical Center Foundation. In addition, he has worked tirelessly, and often anonymously, throughout his career to raise funds for many organizations, veterans’ initiatives, and individuals. Frank G. Cannata was given the award named after him by his son, CJ Cannata, who succeeded him as president and CEO of The Cannata Report. A video saluting Frank G. Cannata was shown featuring over 40 of the leading executives in the business technology industry. In the future, the Frank G. Cannata Philanthropy Award will be given annually by The Cannata Report to honor an individual in the business technology industry who emulates Frank G. Cannata and inspires others with their philanthropic endeavors and giving spirit.
The Cannata Report also presented a special award to honor Jeremiah Shepard, general manager of technical services, Dove Print Solutions. Shepard, a U.S. Army veteran, was instrumental in creating the Business Technology Association’s VETech (Veterans Enhancing Technology) initiative that assists veterans in transitioning their military training to gainful employment in the business technology industry.
“Our 36th Anniversary Awards and Charities Gala is a night to be remembered for many reasons,” said CJ Cannata, president and CEO. “We are grateful for the generosity of our guests and the funds raised for medical research, the heartfelt tributes to our founder Frank G. Cannata, the extraordinary achievements of our Frank Award winners who were acknowledged by their peers in our Annual Dealer Survey, and the many leading dealers who served as presenters. Add to that the number of executives who attended from all segments of the industry and the camaraderie we enjoyed after having not been able to host a live event since 2019, and our Gala was a complete success. We have set the bar for future events and look forward to 2022.”
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