GMDC Honors Bob Richardson With Lifetime Achievement Award

Global Market Development Center (GMDC) bestowed its annual Lifetime Achievement Award on Bob Richardson, director of sales and customer and industry development for The Clorox Co., at its annual Health Beauty Wellness Conference in Orlando, Fla., which took place Sept. 13-17.

Photograph courtesy of GMDC

The association’s annual award serves as a recognition of visionary leaders who have made significant contributions to the industry’s general merchandise or health, beauty and wellness categories.

A longtime member of GMDC, Richardson has been co-chair of the Education Leadership Council since 2012 and a board member since 2013, and he previously sat on the HBW Advisory Council.

“This award is a great achievement and a well-deserved acknowledgement of Bob’s contributions to the GMDC community,” said Patrick Spear, GMDC president and CEO, in a statement. “He is highly respected in the industry and, more importantly, invests his time to support the colleagues and customers he so loyally serves."

Richardson joined The Clorox Co. in 1999 and has more than 40 years of experience in engineering, management, sales and marketing. A graduate of North Carolina State University with a degree in engineering operations, Richardson began his career with Union Carbide in the sales department. From there, he progressed through the firm’s marketing and sales departments, and he also worked with First Brands.

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“Bob became my mentor and my teacher. Many people at Clorox have gone through the ‘Bob Richardson school of leadership and customer management,’ and we all feel we’re better off,” said Clorox CEO Benno Dorer.

GMDC’s Lifetime Achievement Award was created in 1994 to acknowledge the achievements of individuals who have made major contributions to mass market retailing with a focus on the general merchandise and the health, beauty and wellness categories, the association said in a statement. Award recipients represent a cross-section of industry leaders, including wholesalers and retailers, suppliers, trade press representatives and association executives.

“We’re here to do commerce together, but we are also family,” said Richardson. “GMDC does both of those best in the industry."