GMDC honors Lou Martire with Lifetime Achievement Award
Energizer Household Products’ Lou Martire, VP trade development, was honored Saturday evening with the 2014 GMDC Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his contributions to the industry.
“This award was developed to really honor and acknowledge people who make a real difference in our industry,” said Bill Anderson, GMDC chairman and group VP at H-E-B. “They’re just very, very special people.”
GMDC showcased Martire’s career and family as part of a 15-minute video featuring accolades from personal industry friends, including Kevin Tripp, Bill Anderson and David McConnell, among others. “This year’s recipient of the lifetime achievement award is multifaceted, is passionate, is intelligent. He’s a great business person,” the video started. “He cares about trying to help others, whether it’s trying to help build your business or just help you be a better person.”
Lia Aldridge, Lou and Pat Martire, grandson Luca Aldridge, John Aldridge and grandson Camden Aldridge
A Rutgers graduate, Martire has been with Energizer since age 22. “Lou’s tenure with Energizer is pretty amazing. Forty-plus years is pretty incredible in today’s world where people move around. He was able to transition as the company transitioned, went from being a battery company, a household company, a beauty-care company, a personal care company; [he] never missed a beat.”
Joining him on stage in accepting the prestigious award was his daughter’s family — the Aldridges, including his two grandsons Luca and Camden. Martire instills a willingness to help others across his family, as both his daughter and his son-in-law are retail pharmacists.
GMDC also recognized the association’s two most-recent award recipients — Jerry Brown, 2012 GMDC Lifetime Achievement Award honoree, and Pharmavite’s Skip Aldridge, who was honored with the award in 2013.
See below for a replay of the video honoring Lou Martire.