May 21st - Austin, TX - The third annual Rothschild Award was presented to Joe Turco, President of Optimum Data during UNEDA's annula 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 Resolutino 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.

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. Memb ers represent the entire spectrum of the secondary market, from companies with hundreds employees and million of dollars in inventory to small, entreprenural 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 www.uneda.com