Vector Marketing Division Manager Receives Agricultural Economics APEX Award

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN--(May 16, 2012) - On April 18, Purdue University's Department of Agricultural Economics awarded Nadine McGowan, Hoosier Division Manager for Vector Marketing Corporation, the department's 2012 APEX Award. The APEX Award is presented in recognition of those individuals with a strong connection to the Department of Agricultural Economics who have made outstanding contributions in their fields. The department began presenting the award in 2004 and has to date inducted 36 members.

Vector Marketing Corporation is the single-level direct selling arm of Cutco Cutlery Corporation, the largest manufacturer of high-end kitchen cutlery in North America. Students in a senior level sales and marketing course in the Department of Agricultural Economics gain real-world experience by selling Cutco as part of the class. McGowan gives her time to train and guide the professional development of those students.

Students who participate in college sales courses offering real-world experience can expect to learn important skills that can be transferred to any job environment, including:

• Generating leads and referrals
• Building customer rapport
• Setting/achieving goals
• Understanding consumer behavior
• Demonstrating product advantages
• Overcoming objections
• Communications skills

"Nadine's background as an educator really comes through in the patience and enthusiasm she expresses when working with our students," said Dr. Scott Downey, Assistant Professor in Purdue's Department of Agricultural Economics. "Each fall for several years she has helped our senior sales and marketing students apply the skills they have learned in classes to real world settings. Nadine shares her energy and wisdom to help guide these experiences. We frequently receive comments from employers who hire these students that Purdue graduates are the best prepared of any college students they hire. That's in large part due to Nadine's work."

"I am so grateful to work for Vector and be able to provide students with valuable life skills while representing Cutco -- a product I can put my name behind," said McGowan. "As a manager, I am given an opportunity to work very closely with Purdue University and help teach the Cutco class. I love working with Scott Downey, his staff and the Purdue class. It is so rewarding to watch the students develop hands-on life skills."

McGowan began working with Vector Marketing and Cutco Cutlery in October 1998. She was promoted to Branch Manager in the summer of 2001, where she finished number one in sales across the company. In 2002, she was promoted to District Manager, where she was named Rookie of the Year while also student teaching. In 2007, McGowan was promoted to Division Coordinator for the Hoosier Division and officially became the Hoosier Division Manager in 2008. Her offices have finished among the top 10 offices in the Midwest Region every year she has been in charge.

McGowan has trained, developed and promoted over 50 managers within the company. She was inducted into the company Hall of Fame in 2011 and now is responsible for over $24 million in career sales. McGowan married her husband, Jim, in August 2008 and they currently reside in Fishers, Indiana. They opened Cutco's third retail store in the Castleton area in March 2011.

Other recipients of the 2012 APEX Awards were Jim Hicks, Felix Spinelli and Kip Tom.