Most companies award their salesman of the year with an award.  Very few “give them the ax”, but here at Nilfisk Industrial Vacuums, it’s a tradition. Last Thursday, we concluded our annual North American Sales Meeting with a formal dinner and awards ceremony at The Hotel Hershey (Hershey,PA), including the official presentation of the “Order of the Ax.”

Winning the distinguished “Ax” or 2010 Salesman of the Year award was district manager, Jim Brazil, whose territory covers Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Brazil joined the company in 2005 and has consistently displayed great pride in his job and determination to bring his territory to new heights.  In 2010, Jim did an outstanding job raising awareness amongst manufacturing facilities in his northwest territory about the importance of proper housekeeping and recommending vacuum cleaner solutions to improve worker safety, meet industry regulations and increase productivity. In a very touching acceptance speech, Jim dedicated the award to his late grandmother, a former saleswoman and personal mentor.

Nilfisk Industrial Vacuums’ legendary Salesman of the Year award is known to employees as the “Order of the Ax,” because of the company’s deep ties to Scandinavian traditions. Nilfisk-Advance, parent company of Nilfisk Industrial Vacuums, originated in Denmark in 1906, and today has facilities on 5 continents. The ax represents the simple, yet technologically-advanced tool the Vikings used to conquer unknown lands.

During the awards ceremony, other members of the company’s sales force and back-office staff were also honored with Awards of Excellence and include district manager, finance director, Gabe DiGiacomo; and application engineer, Rob Decker.