Face of the Industry

Company Notes

Waxie Unveils New Warehouse
Waxie Sanitary Supply recently celebrated the company’s move to a new distribution center in Livermore, Calif.

Charles Wax, president of Waxie, was the featured speaker at the evening ceremony, along with Jim Alexy, CEO and president of Network Services Co. and others. The new five-acre site and 53,000 square-foot facility feature a large showroom, sales and administrative offices and a modern training room.

The Livermore facility also features a 39,600 square-foot warehouse with narrow-aisle technology that doubles the storage capability of traditional warehouses, says Wax. “We have invested in this modern facility to serve our customers most effectively, and allow for the maximum efficiency and comfort for our employees,” he says.

Chemical Company Receives Safety Recognition
The Dow Chemical Co.’s, Ludington, Mich., Calcium/Magnesium business has received safety and health recognition from the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The company has been approved as a Michigan Voluntary Protection Program Star (MVPP) site, the highest level of safety and health program recognition that a government agency can provide in the United States.

Paper Wholesaler Changes Locations
Sweet Paper Sales Corp., a leading wholesaler in the jan/san industry, has moved its San Francisco branch from Milpitas, Calif., to Hayward, Calif. The move took place in early July, allowing Sweet Paper to be at a more centralized location in order to better serve customers in that area.

New Name and New Location for Alto
Alto U.S. Inc., Chesterfield, Mo., recently created a new division for its pressure washer and vacuum cleaner business. The name of the new division will be Alto Cleaning Systems Inc., and the division will be headquartered in Charlotte, N.C.

Distributor Celebrates 60 Years
Beginning in 1942 with founder Everett Needels, Needels Janitor Supply, St. Paul, Minn., has seen three generations of owners. During that time, the company has adapted to changing markets, advances in product technology and increasing employee turnover. But through it all, the Needels have found ways to stay competitive.

To celebrate the company’s 60th anniversary, a celebration will be held in September at the company headquarters. Old and new customers will come for food and festivities in tribute to all that Needels has accomplished. Although customers are mainly from the Twin Cities of Minnesota, others come from as far away as North Carolina. “It will be a mini-trade show with a lot of vendors and a chance to show our appreciation,” says Lisa Needels, current president of Needels Supply and granddaughter to Everett.

“I really didn’t want to major in business when I was a student in college,” she says, “but nothing else really caught my fancy. After graduation, I thought I might work here for a couple of years, but after awhile I developed a loyalty toward our customers, and I knew that I needed to stay.”

Lisa’s father, Roger, retired two years ago with a lifetime of experience behind him. His best advice for distributors is to determine the value of a sales call in advance.

“The biggest change that’s happening right now is that we’re no longer door-to-door salespeople,” says Roger. “My father and I used to just approach various buildings that had washrooms and needed the proper products and maintenance. Now, Lisa has to figure out how to maximize the potential of our salespeople. We can’t afford to send a salesperson to every building that has a restroom. We have to be more strategic in sorting out the potential customers from the ones that aren’t worth pursuing.”

Through economic feast and famine, Needels Supply has focused on serving individual customers and building long-lasting relationships. The company continues to have no minimum orders, believing that if the customer has been valuable, making trips to deliver small orders is worth it.

Players

G&K Services, Minnetonka, Minn., has appointed Richard Marcantonio president and chief operating officer. Marcantonio was formerly president of the industrial and services sectors of Ecolab, St. Paul, Minn.

Bunzl Distribution, St. Louis, has announced that Derek Goodin has been promoted to executive vice president, national accounts. Most recently, Goodin had been senior vice president, national accounts. He has worked with Bunzl for 16 years.

AFFLINK, Tuscaloosa, Ala., has added two new management-level employees: Jim Walker will join the company as director of packaging and Larry Reimer has been appointed business manager of packaging. Walker has 10 years of experience in field sales management, and Reimer comes to AFFLINK with more than 30 years of experience on the distributor sales side of the packaging industry.

Knight Inc., Lake Forest, Calif., has announced the promotion of David Jarrett to the position of industrial sales manager. He will be responsible for driving the sales and market penetration of Knight’s industrial equipment into the food/beverage and dairy markets.

Spartan Chemical Co., Inc., Maumee, Ohio, recently promoted Gary Ford to the position of regional manager of the northern Indiana region. Ford joined Spartan in February 2002 as an area sales representative and comes to Spartan with more than 20 years of experience in the business products industry.

Calendar of Events

HOST August 15-17, 2002
Carpet Cleaning College; Racine, Wis.; (800) 558-9439 .

IICRC August 22-23, 2002
Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification Water Damage Restoration School; Round Rock, Texas; Professional Carpet Cleaning Supply; (512) 861-9213.

NADCA August 26-27, 2002
National Air Duct Cleaners Association ASCS Training Class & Exam; Clearwater, Fla.; (202) 737-2926.

CHSA September 4, 2002
Cleaning and Hygiene Suppliers Association Distributor Service Excellence Awards; Belfry, United Kingdom; (0800) 243-919.

AED September 12-13, 2002
Association of Equipment Distributors 2002 Executive Forum; Rosemont, Ill.; Westin O’Hare; (800) 388-0650.

ISSA September 21, 2002
International Sanitary Supply Association Operation Clean Sweep; (800) 225-4772.

TWA 2002 Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2002
Tissue World Americas 2002; Hyatt Regency; Miami; Contact Ria Van Den Bogaert: (305) 358-1234.

FACT October 2-4, 2002
The Finnish Association of Cleaning Technology has organized Finnclean 2002; Helsinki, Finland; Helsinki Fair Centre; info@finnexpo.fi.

ISSA October 15-18, 2002
International Sanitary Supply Association/INTERCLEAN-USA 2002 Trade Show; Las Vegas; Las Vegas Convention Center; (800) 225-4772.

UID October 20-23, 2002
University of Industrial Distribution 2002; Indianapolis; The University Place Conference Center and Hotel; (410) 263-1014.