AWMA’s inaugural Hall of Fame Awards were presented at Thursday, February 16, 2012's opening session to Steve Shing, corporate vice president, sales and marketing, at GSC Enterprises, Sulphur Springs, TX, and Jim Colucci, who recently retired after 37 years in the industry, 34 of them with Altadis and its predecessor, Consolidated Cigars.

Both Shing and Colucci were selected by AWMA’s new Past Chairman’s Advisory Council to receive the honor because of their lifetime of service to AWMA and the convenience distribution industry.

Shing, a former member of the AWMA board of directors, served as chairman in 2005. “He has always been in the forefront – pushing everyone around him – from the people who work for him at GSC, to the vendor community, to others in AWMA to reach for the stars and do the absolute best they can,” said Jon Burklund, Burklund Distributors Inc., East Peoria, IL, a former AWMA chairman.

Colucci’s award was presented by former chairman Dick Dunham, Stephenson Wholesale Co. Inc., Durant, OK. “Jim has truly been a fixture in our industry,” he said. “He has been one of those guys who you could always count on to support distributors and their trade associations. He is retired now, but I don’t think any of us would be surprised to see him back in the industry at some point in the future.”