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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2026 SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR WINNERS!
The National Marine Distributors Association (NMDA) has announced the winners of its 2026 Supplier of the Year Awards, honoring marine suppliers for excellence in supply chain efficiency, distributor channel support, and marketing. The awards, voted on annually by NMDA’s distributor members, were presented at a luncheon held during NMDA’s S.T.E.P. Conference.
Topping the field this year were Star Brite in the Diamond category, ARCO Marine in Platinum, and C.E.
Smith Company in Gold — each winning multiple awards across the fifteen honors presented.
NMDA distributor members nominate suppliers each year, then rate finalists across thirteen categories
ranging from profitability and invoicing to marketing support and online resources. Winners are grouped
into three tiers — Gold, Platinum, and Diamond — based on each supplier’s dues, which are tied to its
sales volume to distributors. Within each tier, NMDA presents five honors: Supplier of the Year (with a
runner-up), plus specialty awards for Distributor Channel Support, Supply Chain Efficiency, and
Marketing.
2026 Supplier of the Year Winners
Diamond Category
● Supplier of the Year: Star Brite (Runner-up: Sea-Dog Line)
● Distributor Channel Support: Trident Marine
● Supply Chain Efficiency: Star Brite
● Marketing: Star Brite
Platinum Category
● Supplier of the Year: ARCO Marine (Runner-up: Polyform US)
● Distributor Channel Support: SPX Flow / Johnson Pump
● Supply Chain Efficiency: ARCO Marine
● Marketing: ARCO Marine
Gold Category
● Supplier of the Year: C.E. Smith Company (Runner-up: IMMI)
● Distributor Channel Support: C.E. Smith Company
● Supply Chain Efficiency: C.E. Smith Company
● Marketing: Airhead
“Every distributor member was asked to nominate their best suppliers, not their biggest — the ones who show up and make our businesses easier to run. From there, our members rated finalists across thirteen categories. That is real time and real judgment, and it’s the reason these awards mean something,” said Melissa Ballard, chair of NMDA’s Supplier of the Year Committee.
“It’s been a privilege to see, company by company, just how much these partnerships mean to our distributor members. That’s really what today, and the S.T.E.P. event, is about — not just the trophies, but the relationships behind them,” said Ryan Van Hoozer, NMDA’s newly elected President.
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