ComicsPRO announces nominees for Industry Appreciation Award

The direct-market comic book retail organization

The nominees for the memorial award were also announced: former DC editor Julius Schwartz and direct-market creator Phil Seuling.

The winners will be named at ComicsPRO’s annual membership meeting, which takes place from Feb. 8-10 in Dallas.

Click past the cut for the full release, including biographical information on each of the nominees.

- Matt Price

ComicsPRO Names Industry Award Nominees

The direct market has been crucial in developing comics’ place in pop culture and remains the way most comic-book stories get from creator to fan. ComicsPRO wants to honor those people who stand in that gap

and help smooth that process. From publishers, distributors,

marketers and more, a lot of people are involved in bringing the stories we all love to market. ComicsPRO would like to stand up and recognize those who have been simply the best at what they do, making the comic-book direct market more successful for all of us.

Our members have created the ComicsPRO Industry Appreciation Award to honor these individuals. They created the Industry Appreciation Memorial Award to honor those who have passed away but whose work left a positive mark on the comics specialty retailing. More information available at www.comicspro.org/IAA

Members sent in nominations for the award through November 2011. The finalists were narrowed down by ComicsPRO’s board of directors and ballots were sent to ComicsPRO members in December. The winners of the 3rd annual award will be announced at the 2012 ComicsPRO Annual Membership meeting in Dallas, TX on Friday, February 10th. Information at www.comicspro.org/meet12

The nominees for the 2012 ComicsPRO Industry Appreciation Award are, in alphabetical order:

Cindy Fournier

David Gabriel

Robert Kirkman

Eric Stephenson

Bob Wayne

The nominees for the 2012 ComicsPRO Industry Appreciation Memorial Award are Julius Schwartz and Phil Seuling.

We would like to thank all of the nominees for the work they do (and have done) to improve the comics specialty market!

ComicsPRO is the retailer trade and advocacy group representing comic book retailers across the U.S. and Canada. The goals of ComicsPRO are to be the united voice of advocacy for direct market retailers, to provide educational and mentoring opportunities to current and future retailers, and to offer opportunities to reduce some of the mutual fixed costs retailers incur. Information and membership applications are available at www.ComicsPRO.org.

Brief biological notes that accompany the ballots for the award can be found below.

2012 ComicsPRO Industry Appreciation Award Nominees

Cindy Fournier

Fournier is the VP of Operations for Diamond Comic Distributors. In the comics field since 1987, Cindy did work for the mail order division of Mile High Comics. She then went on to work for Alternate Realities distribution company, which was then acquired by Bud Plant Distribution. After Bud Plant sold to Diamond, Cindy was transferred to Hayward, CA, to run Diamond’s distribution center there. Since 1989, Cindy has been working for Diamond in its home office of Timonium, MD, where she oversees the myriad of duties related to transportation, warehouse management and operations. In a very critical role for the industry, Cindy is responsible for pulling together all the various aspects of making sure retailers get their shipments in an efficient and cost-effective manner.