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Western Express For Western Success
By Chris Heine
THE STORY behind Western Express, the leading wholesale company for cowboy hats, western shirts, belt buckles, and other buckaroo-styled clothing items, starts with a touch of show business. T ere is a scene in the 1980 box office hit, Urban Cow- boy, where actor Debra Winger’s character, Sissy, asks Bud, played by John Travolta, a simple ques- tion: “Are you a real cowboy?” His answer would end up defi ning a new product niche, while helping inspire a great wholesale company in Western Express. “Well, that depends on what you think a real cowboy is,” Bud replied. T e movie, which grossed $53 million in sales,
told America that being a cowboy was a state of mind. You do not have to be from Wyoming or Montana; you can be from Miami, Buff alo, Chi- cago, or San Diego. And ever since Urban Cowboy debuted three decades ago, explained Dan Mot s- man, CEO of Western Express, western-themed products have consistently been go-to sales genera- tors for mom and pop retailers nationwide. “We’ve developed this niche business that has retained its popularity for a really long time,” he said. Aſt er the movie made its mark, Mot sman’s par- ents, Western Express founders Richard and Evelyn
Mot sman, identifi ed a marketplace void they could fi ll, and launched a wholesale business that would become the envy of the industry. In the 1990s they began handing over the reins to their son Dan, and their daughter Paula Brant, who have guided the business through the Internet era to the tune of ten percent year-over- year sales growth. Dan Mot sman at ributes the consistent revenue spurts to advertising via proven marketing channels such as Google AdWords, Web Wholesaler magazine, email, and direct mail.
According to the CEO, Western Express is also
building a presence on Facebook and Twit er. “It started out as mostly catalog and trade show sales,” he explained, while sit ing at his company’s head- quarters in Bridgeville, PA. “T e biggest growth parts of the marketing have been the Internet, email, and social media. Our website,
www.wexpress.com is our greatest sales tool.”
Best Products and Prices Dan and Paula constantly upgrade www.wex-
press.com, giving retailers an optimal navigation experience and allowing them to quickly discover the best products at the best prices. For instance, the homepage has been enhanced to include a Best
Continued On 32 30 May 2012
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