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MARTIN’S CORNER
Partnerships and relationships do matter! W
Paramount Supply: PVF Hall of Fame Inductee for 2011!
hen I was told this was going to happen, I felt compelled to dedicate
“Martin’s Corner” this month not only to my great friend Ken Grothe and all the associates at Paramount Supply, but also to the concept and idea of having someone and their company tagged with that phrase “Hall of Fame!” You know I have found over the past 10 months or so of writing my article around inde- pendent companies in the industry that some people (owners) just don’t want to or would rather not talk about their company in any detail. I do have some mixed emotions
about that, as it seems to hold back the pride and the passion that can be shown by the company and its people for a service to the industry job that has been very well done for years. This is what I see in Paramount Sup- ply. The track record of its key branch managers runs from three years to 47 years each. WOW! Why does someone stay as
long as 47 years with a company, yet someone as young as three years managing comes to such a solidly placed company to find their spot in the industry? Why? It’s the reputation of the company and the owners/man- agement of same, that’s why! Ken said it all, I think, when he
stated that the company’s philosophy (led by his involvement) to educate, empower and execute is a very key reason for the length of service of a lot of his people, and the end result success of the company as a whole. So, Ken, congratulations, friend!
You guys have come a long way and with your next generation coming on strong right at your side, it appears to me that Paramount will be around a very long time! Take PRIDE in that title of “HALL OF FAME,” as you can bet we are all PROUD for you. Don’t look back; just keep “truckin’ on”!
Partnerships, relationships I want to talk to you for just a little
bit about partnerships and relation- ships in this industry of ours. As stated above, there are plenty of good companies out there like Paramount that prosper due to having solid rela- tionships and partnerships with ven- dors and customers alike. In some cases, vendors can have a great rela- tionship with end users, but the dis- tributor that he wants to use for a project has no partnership going for them with that end user. The reverse can happen also. I be-
lieve that well over half of the vol- ume done by a class “A” vendor in any market is done relative to how much relationship building he has been doing in that market over the years. Even in today’s world you have to be competitive, BUT it is still not the low bidder in many cases that gets the order. It’s the guys (vendor and distributor) that have the better relationship that wins in the long run — the end user or contractor knows he can count on him, day in and day out. Why is that? It’s his attitude and thoughts about
good solid customer service. Look back at the Paramount Supply exam-
Martin’s Corner wine tip of the month Did you know that there are 13 different and distinctly named bot-
tles for wine that date back to at least the 1700s? The first three I suppose most of you have used or known about. They are the half bottle, the normal bottle and the Magnum! But yes, there are 10 more: The Marie-Jean which holds three normal bottles, The Double Mag- num which holds four normal bottles, The Jeroboam made for Bur- gundy and the Jeroboam made for the Bordeaux region — holding four normal bottles and six bottles, respectively; the Rehoboam made for Burgundy Champagne holding six normal bottles; the Imperial for Bordeaux Cabernet holding eight normal bottles; the Methuselah for Burgundy Champagne holding eight normal bottles; as well as the Salmanazar, the Balthazar, and the Nebuchadnezzar all for Cham- pagne and holding 12, 16 and 20 normal bottles, respectively. You see, wineries only figured out how to use corks in the 1700s, so we know that these type bottles were definitely not used before then, and we think the first use of the Jeroboam was in 1725. All of them were first made for some special event that was being put on by the wealthy, who then continued to use them. All the names were taken from the works of Eugene Destuche, a famous poet from Champagne who lived in the middle ages. ENJOY your new-found knowledge!
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ple. The vision and insight that Mr. Hagen had in the very early days of startup made him determined to keep the customer or potential customer king! When that 12-inch cast steel valve went down in one of the facili- ties of Boise Cascade they needed one and they needed it now. The old institutional houses that
served the area couldn’t get it to him until the next scheduled daily deliv- ery to the area the next day, so John drove all night and delivered the valve right to their door for replace- ment early that morning! Well, that impressed them, and he (Paramount) became their distributor of choice. Why? Because he cared, he listened to the customer, and he made a differ- ence between his company and the competition. He was already at the end of the philosophy of educate, em- power and execute! He made it hap- pen. Relationships and partnerships
yet someone as young as 3 years managing comes to such a solidly placed company to find their spot in the industry?
Why does someone stay as long as 47 years with a company,
management of same, that’s why!
Why? It’s the reputation of the company and the owners/
must always be two-way streets, and should always be flexing and chang- ing with the times and the needs. If you cast something in concrete to cover a very long time period, it be- comes tough at times to stay on track and honor the commitments in today’s world. There are written and unwritten un-
derstandings in relationship and part- nership contracts that I do, and you just have to know or feel the need to know it is time to declare a flex or a favor to carry on the program or the offer for any number of reasons. You know, I was just reviewing the
complete list of all inductees (both manufacturers and distributors) and there is a total of 42 companies listed. Of those 24 are wholesale distributors and 18 are manufacturers. All of these have happened between the years 2002 through 2010. With the induction of Paramount for this year, we will have a total of 25 and 18, re- spectively, or 43 in total. Considering all that went on in the
1990s and the 2000s, we have lost only two distributors to M&A. That is great! Basically, to the ones re- maining, this is to the credit of good strong management, and a good solid
•THE WHOLESALER® —MAY 2011
BY JOHN MARTIN PVF industry veteran
following of their customer base. To- gether, their relationships and part- nerships have stood the test of time and attending the dance together. You can count on them. Remember, it takes just as long to
be rude and short-minded with peo- ple every day, as it does to be nice and thoughtful with them. People need each other in personal life or business. It’s in our DNA, and you just can’t get a way from it. Smile, enjoy and SELL something! Next month I will be back in full
swing with another independent dis- tributor interview. Until then, be care- ful, enjoy the spring weather, and give thanks that we are still in this great country for all of us to help make it better. See ya later. Blessings to you all. See ya next time in the “Corner.”
n
—John Born Johnney E Martin in Venus,
Texas in 1944, he is one of nine chil- dren raised 100% on a cotton and grain farm that his father share- cropped. After high school, Martin went into the Army and then Reserves. From there he joined what was then Grinnell Co. in 1968 and has been with them every day of his life since then through four different owners, now Anvil Inter national, A Unit Of Mueller Water Products. He currently serves as vice president of national ac- count sales for the Anvil Mechanical Unit. Holding various sales and man- agement positions for the company over the years, Martin has received numerous industry and association awards and has been involved with in- dustry education foundation boards, and the Board of Directors of both asa and mcaa. Martin currently resides in Castle Rock, Colo., with his wife Kathy of 27 years; they have a daugh- ter Kayla who is 25 years old. He is committed to staying involved in the plumbing and pvf industry (which he loves) for many years to come.
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