While several of the companies featured in Distribution Center’s Top 50 Distributors of 2018 list had banner years, few accrued as much success as Winsupply Inc. The Dayton, Ohio-based company, which ranked No. 6 on this year’s list, surpassed $3.2 billion in sales last year. Yes, that's billion with a ‘B.’
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers is projected to grow 15 percent over the next eight years, which is much faster than the average for all occupations.
HARDI facilitates each benchmarking program via partnerships with four unique vendors. Members’ proprietary data is sent directly to the vendors, where it is securely stored and protected. At no time in the process does HARDI have access to the data that serves as the catalyst for each analytics report.
“Numbers have value,” said Brian Loftus, market research & benchmarking analyst at HARDI.
Throughout my columns, I’ve tried to tilt the frame of reference for my readers - from warehouse and counter help to the CEO, so they might approach their jobs with an alternative or a fresh outlook on how to improve their performance. I have found that a common ingredient among people who are good at what they do is the element of self-improvement.
HARDI’s Marketing and Sales Optimization Conference at the Marriott Courtyard in Philadelphia, Sept. 17 to 19, broke an attendance record for all previous focus conferences with 236 attendees, highlighted by 108 distributors, 106 suppliers and five independent reps.
I’m a sucker for articles that discuss job trends. As the editor of a publication with an audience that regards personnel issues as a top priority, my eyes jump when I see a workforce story that appears significant. My eyes bulged when I read this headline in The Wall Street Journal: "Videogames Might Be Keeping Young Men Out of the Workforce."
To answer the challenging question of my headline, I have to raise an answer that mimics an attitude I frequently hear in the HVACR industry. From weathered executives to fresh-faced counter people, I’ve heard comments about the unexciting aspects of our industry and how it isn’t at the forefront of many young people's career track.
As part of our follow-up, we did deep dives with nearly two dozen distributors, in four lines of trade (HVACR, industrial, electrical and automation, and building supplies). Clearly, distributors are struggling to get to a compensation plan that drives the right behaviors. And thoughts on commission extended past outside sales.
Technology is a good thing, right? That’s usually our premise, and regarding smartphones, who would argue? We now hold the world in the palm of our hands, with the always-on ability to communicate, connect, influence, and of course, watch cat videos and peruse our friends’ Instagram feeds.
My stress arrives with figuring out what topics matter to my readers. I’ve repeatedly said we’re a business publication for owners and operators in the wholesale HVACR industry. I honestly pretend sometimes that I am the owner of a distributorship or maybe a hard-working middle management type. I ask myself: What do I have in common with everyone else and what can I do to make it better?
