Kevin Belanger’s attention to detail, infectious enthusiasm, and his willingness to help vendors at the drop of a hat are just a few of the reasons he was honored with the APA’s 2022 Special Friend Award.

“I have enjoyed working with this group more than the other accounts I service because I feel like APA has a similar culture to the company that I work for," Belanger said. "I am honored to receive this, and I thank all of you.”

Belanger, who is the Vice President of Sales for Shepard Exposition Services in Atlanta, has been a fixture at various APA conferences for the last five years and is known for delivering white-glove service and a tireless work ethic.

These characteristics truly manifested themselves in 2020 and 2021, when the world was in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many businesses were forced to cancel their public events which resulted in revenue losses for companies like Shepard Exposition Services.

Despite the challenges, Belanger and Shepard Expo stood by the APA’s efforts to go completely virtual in 2020 and 2021 for its annual Payroll Congress.