Astra Academy 2019

The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA) will honor this year’s winners of the ASTRA Excellence Awards at the 2019 Marketplace & Academy.

The awards recognize leading retailers, manufacturers, sales representatives, and young professionals who represent the best of the specialty toy industry, as nominated by the ASTRA membership.

“Our annual gathering at Marketplace & Academy is an appropriate time to pause and recognize those leaders who have had a big impact on growing the toy industry,” says ASTRA President Kimberly Mosley. “Our honorees exemplify what makes the specialty toy industry special — an appreciation for the role of play in healthy child development; a commitment to top-notch service; and a willingness to help others in the industry succeed.”

Winners of the 2019 ASTRA Excellence Awards:

Retailer of the Year:  Play, Chicago | Ann Kienzle, Owner

Manufacturer of the Year: Fat Brain Toy Co., Elkhorn, Nebraska

Sales Representative of the Year: Bill St. John | Diverse Marketing & Be Smart Toys LLC, Dallas

Young Professional/Rising Star: Nick Guffey | The Toy Store, Lawrence, Kansas

Industry Innovator: Cassidy Smith | Hape, Sherwood Park, AB, Canada

The award ceremony will take place at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, June 10, 2019 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh during ASTRA’s annual Business Meeting and Awards Breakfast at Marketplace & Academy.


Related: The Legacy of ASTRA Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Beau James

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.

archivearrow-chevron-downarrow-chevron-left-greyarrow-chevron-leftarrow-chevron-rightarrow-fatarrow-left-blackarrow-left-whitearrow-right-blackarrow-rightarrow-roundedbookscalendarcaret-downclose-whiteclosedocumenteditorial-archiveeyefacebook-squarefacebookfilesgifthamburgerheadinghearthomeinstagram-squareinstagramlatestlinkedin-squarelinkedinmailmedia-inquiresmessagenewsopen-boxpagination-leftpagination-rightpauseplayprintproduct-archiverecent-productssearchsharesort-filterspotifysunteamtiktoktime_purpletimetrendingtvtwitter-squaretwitteryoutube