40•
PVF Hall of Fame
Paramount Supply devoted to customers, employees
(Continued from page 38.) “another recent project of major
size was the Britewater wwTP proj- ect in the Seattle area. it involved major instrumentation for most process systems within the plant, uti- lizing our repair and calibration facil- ity with certification to national standards. utilizing our software pro- grams, we helped the many contrac- tors involved in the project meet their requirements on this project.”
Looking ahead as with most companies in our in-
dustry, Paramount Supply has been challenged by the state of the national economy and construction market in recent years. however, as Grothe noted, Paramount has benefited from its diversification of product lines. “we have been extremely fortunate
as our various branch locations, each with significant end user strengths,
I expect nothing less than complete honesty in all of our business dealings.”
a tremendous amount of freedom, and in return
“I allow my managers
has allowed us to remain profitable throughout this time period. The pulp and paper market in the Pacific Northwest continues to struggle and, as recently seen from the Blue heron Paper bankruptcy, competing in the world market in the newsprint busi- ness is a losing situation.
“as a distributor in the PVF world
you need to know your niche, your strengths and weaknesses, and ex- ploit them to the best of your ability. During this period, due to our branch bonus program and monitoring of costs, Paramount Supply has had no layoffs. each of our branches main- tain a separate profit sharing program for their employees in which every- one at the branch shares in the pool of profits. Our employees at each branch are aware of the sales and gross profit of the branch, along with all of the expenses necessary to keep a branch profitable. They see the cost of health insurance, are aware of the cost of utilities and know that with more employees, greater gross profits need to be generated. educating your people to these facts is enlightening for them and they not only become more cost conscious but also con- tribute to cost efficiency. “in the near term, i anticipate the
MRO portion of our business to be very sound with nice gains from the previous year. Capital projects in most of our locations continue to be a challenge, especially with the tight credit and the mentality of many businesses to hunker down and wait to see what is really going to happen with health care and other govern- ment programs. Paramount will con- tinue to look for opportunities to grow our market whether it is internal growth or acquisition. all in all, i am cautiously optimistic.” Beyond the u.S. economy, the
roller coaster of metal prices has also had an effect on PVF distribution.
•THE WHOLESALER® —MAY 2011
Paramount’s gasket crew, shown in front of a flash cutter, are (from left): Ben Richardson, Donn Horne, Kevin Stultz, Eric Haines, John Diteman, James Grothe and Ken Grothe.
“There is no question that the price
of metals has affected our strategy, especially with our overseas indent orders,” Grothe said. “it is a constant battle to stay on top of the metals market and make long-term decisions with such fluctuations in the pricing. it has also been a challenge for our customers, as no one is thrilled with the time and quantity of price changes in this volatile market. i am not an expert in this field but i believe the future of these price fluctuations can be tied to China. when China has built enough office space for every man, woman and child to have a 5- foot cubicle (as well as plenty of empty mall space) something has to change. Should their consumption habits of purchasing large quantities of metals change, i think the pricing could fluctuate substantially down the road.” in closing, Grothe shared what he believes are the keys that have helped
HARDI philanthropic partner builds 100th home
COluMBuS, OhiO— homes for Our Troops held a three-day Build Brigade april 1–3 in support of the 100th home built for american vet-
erans. a haRDi philanthropic part- ner, homes for Our Troops is a non-profit organization committed to building homes specifically adapted to meet the needs of se- verely injured veterans. The home was constructed in Fred- ericksburg, Va., for Marine Sergeant kenny lyon. Sgt. lyon was on his second deployment in May 2006 when a mortar attack near Fallujah, iraq, left him with severe injuries, re- sulting in the amputation of his left leg above the knee, a shattered jaw
and irreversible nerve damage to his left arm and hand. efforts to build Sgt. lyon’s new home kicked off with a ceremony on april 1. in support of the haRDi – homes
for Our Troops partnership, three haRDi distributor members helped make this project possible. Virginia air Distributors donated the hVaC system for the home, east Coast Metal Distributors donated the hVaC supplies, and Ferguson enter- prises donated the electrical and plumbing fixtures. “it has been a privilege to work
with homes for Our Troops and give back to those who make protecting our safety and freedom their job,” said Chris Baker, Virginia air presi- dent and COO. “we are grateful for the opportunity to be included in such
• Be sure to visit
www.thewholesaler.com for web exclusive articles and videos! •
an honorable cause.” Scott Rogers, Fredericksburg
branch manager for east Coast Met- als Distributors, said “we thank our great customer, First Choice heating & Cooling for donating the hVaC system installation and our vendors for their support, enabling us to do- nate to this great cause.” immediately following the Build
Brigade ceremony, Congressman Rob wittman and Virginia First lady
Milwaukee — Johnson Controls Building efficiency business unit, a global leader in delivering products, services and solutions that increase ef- ficiency in buildings, announced price increases of up to 6% on residential
Paramount Supply achieve such great longevity, and earn such high respect from their industry channel partners. “One of John hagen’s principles of business, and as my closest mentor, a principle we continue to follow to this day is ‘we are entitled to some of the business, but not all of the busi- ness and truthfulness is required at all times, honesty beyond reproach and a cheerful approach to doing a great job for our customers will lead to suc- cess,’” recalled Grothe. “i allow my managers a tremen-
dous amount of freedom, and in re- turn i expect nothing less than complete honesty in all of our busi- ness dealings. we will walk away from an order if it is not in the best interest of our customer and could possibly cause a problem in their fa- cility down the road. we all fall in love with sales, but it has to be a win- win for both our customer and Para- mount Supply.”
n
Troops and give back to those who make protecting our
“It has been a privilege to work with Homes for Our
safety and freedom their job.”
Maureen McDonnell were among the volunteers working to raise the home’s first wall. The 2,600-square- foot, single-level, specially adapted home was scheduled for completion in just seven days. Visit
www.hardinet.org.
Johnson Controls announces price increases
and light-commercial equipment and up to 8 % on parts and accessories, ef- fective May 1, 2011. This includes, but is not limited to, the York, Cole- man, luxaire, Guardian, Source One and Fraser-Johnston brands.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104