Focus Magazine - Fall 2012 - 15

INMEMORIAM

SPBT Founder Sal Barilla
I By Kristen Brill PBT is saddened to announce that its founder Salvatore “Sal” Barilla passed away in his hometown of Sierra Madre, California on June 28. We honor Sal for his passion and perseverance in creating SPBT, and for serving as our rst president. Sal broke boundaries when - as a sales trainer for Burroughs-Wellcome - he acted on a vision and for the rst time brought together industry trainers to collaborate for professional development. He recruited 12 trainers to shape the organization that was then called the National Society of Pharmaceutical Sales Trainers (NSPST). Under Sal’s leadership, NSPST grew signi cantly and eventually changed its name to be more inclusive of all life science trainers. “ ere is erce competition in the industry,” Barilla once said when re ecting on the Society’s conception. “ ere was always a concern about us getting together. ere was never any concern once anybody got in the organization. We talked about problems and exchanged experiences. We compared programs; it was of great value to us. We never discussed anything that was of a con dential nature. It was just how to be a better educator.” Sal’s industry leadership was particularly instrumental when in 1972 Senator Edward Kennedy held Congressional Hearings on the quali cations and veracity of pharmaceutical representatives. At only one year old, the Society gained notoriety through these Hearings as Sal led the charge to show that pharmaceutical sales representatives are an important part of
Kristen Brill is communications director for SPBT. Email Kristen at kbrill@spbt.org.

healthcare delivery. “I think we created sensitivity among us that the sales reps had to have a wellrounded education, and they had to be of value to the physician,” Barilla later remarked. “A rep had to be more than just a pitch person. He or she had to know technology, business ethics, and nancial aspects of the medical eld.” Sal was inducted into the SPBT Hall of Fame in 2004 to which he said, "Receiving the Hall Of Fame Award was a real honor, and an experience I will always remember. It's so gratifying to see what has become of the Society that I gave birth to back in 1971. e vision I had back then has been realized many times over. Seven trainers attended my rst meeting in March 1971. In 2004, there were 525 trainers, and 396 vendors and guests in Orlando. I'd like to thank all of the o cers and members, past and present, for helping make my dream a reality." A er a long and successful career in pharmaceutical sales and training management, Barilla co-founded CMS, a meeting services company that still thrives today. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, 14 grandchildren, three great grandchildren, and two sisters and a brother in Long Island, NY. SPBT is grateful to the man that inspired our organization and its work for the last four decades. His vision is still very much in place, and has survived signi cant industry and corporate changes. Sal Barilla’s founding values of collaboration, integrity, and determination will always serve as the cornerstone of the Society. I

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Focus Magazine - Fall 2012

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