UNEDA Announces Third Annual Rothschild Award -- Joe Turco

CEDAR PARK, TX, May 23, 2012 (Press-News.org) The third annual Rothschild Award was presented to Joe Turco, President of Optimum Data (Omaha, NE) during UNEDA's annual conference on May 4, 2012. Turco was a founding Director of UNEDA and was instrumental on the formation and co-authored UNEDA's Constitution. During the presentation, Turco stated, "I am honored to receive the Rothschild Award from UNEDA. Bob Rothschild was an exemplary businessman. He made the secondary market a better place. We would all do better in life if we consistently followed Bob's personal example of honesty, hard work and good humor. " After the presentation, UNEDA President Conrad Vickroy added, "The spirit of Bob Rothschild, his emphasis on ethical values and 'doing things right' couldn't be better exemplified than in this year's award winner. Joe Turco and Bob were friends for more than 10 years, and shared the passion which got UNEDA started. "

The award was created in honor of Robert Rothschild of Elarasys who passed away suddenly while attending the UNEDA European conference in Dublin, Ireland on September 14, 2009. Rothschild was a 21-year industry veteran and was instrumental in forming the organization and implementing the original draft of Code of Ethics. At the time of his untimely passing, Rothschild was serving as the Vice President of UNEDA as well as the Chairman of the Dispute Resolution Committee. The winner was elected after a nomination process by the general membership. Of that group, three people were selected by the UNEDA Board of Directors for final voting by the general membership. The award will be presented during each annual general UNEDA conference that will take place in the United States.

Vickroy continued, "It is very rewarding to see our highest award presented to one of the founders of our organization, without whom we would have never gotten this organization off the ground. We join with our membership in congratulating Joe for achieving the utmost honor in our association. " The winner of the Award also picks the annual charity for UNEDA. Last year's winner, Gillian Canty-Ross of Subspace Communications added, ""As the second winner of the Rothschild Award, It was an honor presenting the award to Joe Turco for all he's done for the organization. I chose the Alzheimer's Association of Westchester County, NY. I chose this because millions of people are afflicted by this horrible disease. And millions more are affected by watching the people they love and respect degenerate before their very eyes."

After watching a satellite feed from Bob's wife Linda and son Jeremy live from New Jersey, Turco quipped, "Bob's only vice was a love of Opera, but then nobody is perfect."

About UNEDA
The United Network Equipment Dealer Association (UNEDA) is a worldwide alliance of more than 300 of the leading marketers of pre-owned networking equipment. Members represent the entire spectrum of the secondary market, from companies with hundreds of employees and millions of dollars in inventory to small, entrepreneurial organizations. Together UNEDA members sell more than $2 billion in pre-owned gear annually to over 10,000 customers. UNEDA members must adhere to a strict code of ethics that includes a firm policy against selling any equipment that is not legitimate. For more information, visit http://www.uneda.com.