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INDUSTRY NEWS


Kohler water-conserving products used in NYC Charmin restrooms


KOHLER, WIS.— Kohler Co. is once again serving as a sponsor of the Charmin®


Restrooms in New York


City’s Times Square, by providing water-conserving toilets and touch- less faucets in the 15 public bath- rooms. This is the fourth consecutive year Kohler has participated in the Charmin Restrooms, which were


open for patrons from November 22 through December 31. “We are excited to partner with


Procter & Gamble once again to demonstrate Kohler plumbing prod- ucts, which are specifically designed to save water while remaining true to a singular level of quality for per- formance and design,” said Rob Zim-


merman, manager-engineering, water conservation & sustainability for


Look and learn, and you’ll learn a lot (Continued from page 8.)


Even at $20M and above, companies with too many eggs in a single basket can be vulnerable if that basket gets dropped. Companies that were quite focused on new construction were vulnerable in this economy. They were sized and configured to excel in a booming new construction market and were forced to scramble when the new construction market van- ished over night. Those companies with prudent breadth were better po- sitioned to survive. • A very broad focus can also be dangerous. “All things to all people” is a doomed strategy. • Wholesalers seem to provide two functions: 1. Sales – Where they market


products, take orders, offer credit and bill for the product 2. Logistics – Where they procure, warehouse and deliver products • Premeditated expansion into ad-


jacent markets that leverage the ex- isting infrastructure should be considered periodically as means for solid incremental growth. The key question they should ask is, “What other products, customers and geog- raphy can we sell and support with the existing organization?” • Move very cautiously into “stretch” business like retail as there are always hidden “gotchas” wherein you will pay your dues as you learn that business.


Good people are the hearts and souls of the great wholesalers • Smart enough – Pre-employment


testing helps to bring the best and brightest into your company. So when you promote from within, you have a pool of people who are pro- motable. • Right attitude – In wholesaling,


many of the products are fundamen- tally undifferentiated. In many in- stances, the only differentiators at the wholesale level are the services that surround the products or the price. The quality of the services is largely generated by having a team of people


who genuinely care about their work, the company they work for and the customers they serve. To quote the car commercial, “There is no substi- tute.” Some people are good actors and can pretend to care but it is much better to find people who are wired that way.


Little things matter — The best


wholesalers get the big things right but they also tend to the little things


• The best wholesalers take care of


their people in pay and benefits but they also take time to show apprecia- tion by saying thanks and to listen to their ideas and issues. • The best wholesalers are contin-


uously working to be reliable, reli- able, reliable in serving their customers but they also take time to show appreciation and to listen to customers problems and to create bet- ter ways of serving those customers. • The best leaders remember that,


in everything that they do, their team is taking mental pictures of their ac- tions and will emulate the very best and very worst snapshots in their mental album. Buying companies is relatively


easy, but operating these transplants is really, really difficult. The best companies can buy and integrate companies into their opera- tion effectively but they understand the acquisition game and play it well. Less expert buyers often “work” the numbers but sometimes ignore the “fit” and history of the companies. This can lead to a deal that looked good on paper but tanked in the real world. There are two scenarios: • The selling-company is strug-


gling — With some of the “size mat- ters” comments in mind some smaller wholesalers may be seeking larger suitors as a means to long- term survival. 1. This is not a casual undertaking


for either the seller or the buyer. Highly stressed sellers may not have the luxury of choosing who will buy them and may be forced to sell even when there are big concerns.


• Be sure to visit www.thewholesaler.com for web exclusive articles and videos! • 2. Sometimes buyers forget that


an unsuccessful company doesn’t suddenly get turned around because it was purchased by a successful company. Buyers should always as- sume that they will need to exercise the same aggressive turn-around ef- forts that the seller would have used if the company had not been sold. If the buyer doesn’t have the team or stomach for doing the turn- around, it might be better to pass on the opportunity. • The selling-company is excelling


— A successful company may not continue to excel when the buyer mandates a totally different mode of operation. It is unreasonable to turn an acquired company upside down while expecting it to continue to excel. Often buyers squash the very characteristics that they sought in the acquisition and are then surprised when the acquired company’s per- formance suffers. They bought the race horse for its speed but are sur- prised when it cannot win races while hooked to a plow. A final baseball comment: my


daughter Jennifer insists that I clarify that, having lived in St. Louis for 30+ years, I am now a Cardinals fan. I hope some of these observations


will stimulate your thought processes toward higher performance. One final observation, is at the top of my list: This is a really good industry with a lot of great people and, even in these tough times, we are all lucky to be in it. Here’s wishing you a better 2011.


Rich Schmitt is president of Schmitt Consulting Group Inc., a manage- ment consulting firm focused on im- proving the profitability of distribution and manufacturing clients. www.go-scg.com


Rich is also the co-owner of Schmitt ProfitTools Inc. (SPI), a business pro- ducing print, CD-ROM, web and palm-based catalogs as well as pric- ing management and analysis soft- ware for wholesalers. www.go-spi.com


Kohler. “The Charmin Restrooms provide a high-traffic destination for us to advance our industry leadership in the area of water conservation.” The 15 public restrooms featured the


two-piece, pressure-assisted Kohler Barrington Pressure Lite™ 1.1-gpf toi- let, which utilizes one-half gallon less water than a standard toilet. The toilet carries the EPA WaterSense label, as- suring customers that the toilet saves at least 20% over standard toilets, while still meeting strict flushing guidelines. Contributing to added hygiene, the Charmin restrooms also included Kohler’s water-conserving Geometric Touchless faucets, which are equipped with low-flow aerators, taking the amount of water delivered from 2.2 gpm to 0.5 gpm – more than a 75% savings over conventional bathroom faucets. This sleek-designed “hands- free” faucet features Kohler’s exclu- sive Hybrid energy system – a power solution that has been tested to last at least 30 years. The Hybrid power so- lution is completely mercury-free, and is built with no other chemicals or ad- ditives that are harmful to humans or the environment. The faucets were paired with the


Kohler Parigi™ pedestal and wall- mount sinks, an ideal solution for smaller-sized bathrooms. Addition- ally, Kohler provided decorative bathroom accessories, including gar- ment hooks and mirrors. “The Kohler mission statement is


n


to contribute to a higher level of gra- cious living for those who are touched by our products and services, and the Charmin Restrooms provide us with a rare opportunity to reach thousands of festive individuals dur- ing the holiday shopping season in Times Square and bring awareness to the serious cause of saving water,” added Zimmerman. More than 420,000 people from


100 countries and all 50 states visited the Charmin Restrooms during the 2009 holiday season. The 2010 facil- ities feature 15 restrooms, offering the convenience of easily accessible, family-friendly facilities at the cross- roads of the world. Attendants are on staff to service and clean stalls after every use. Two of the restrooms are ADA accessible. Visit www.EnjoyTheGo.com or www.kohler.com.


•THE WHOLESALER® — JANUARY 2011


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