12/1/2014 5:52:00 PM
NEWS BRIEFS
Gowett, Earle Lead STAFDA for 2015
Rod Gowett
Terry Earle
Rod Gowett of Acme Construction Supply in Milpitas, CA, is the 2015 president of the Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Association and Terry Earle, Fort Worth Bolt & Tool Co. is vice president.
Gowett founded Bay Tool & Supply in 1992. He became vice president of sales & marketing of Acme Construction Supply upon selling Bay Tool to Acme last summer. Gowett has been a STAFDA member since 1994.
Gowett succeeds Eric Grabowski of Edge Construction, Spokane, WA.
Earle is COO and sales manager of FWBTCO, which serves industrial and construction customers from its Fort Worth, TX, headquarters and branches in Dallas and Denton. The company was founded in 1949.
Elected to three year terms on the STAFDA board: John Hurwitz, co-CEO of Northeast Wholesale Nail & Fasteners Supply, Canton, MA; Marc Krofchick, vice president of Crispo Canada, Bolton, ON; and Michelle St. John, co-owner and president of Industrial Bolt & Supply, Auburn, WA.
New manufacturers liaison committee members are John Dominice III, Max USA Corp., Mineola, NY, and Michael Ervin, MKT Fastening LLC, Lonoke, AR.
New rep liaison committee members are Cliff Williams, Wil.com Associates Inc., Green, OH; and Patrick Willey, Belmont Enterprises Inc., Houston.
Executive director Georgia Foley reported during the 2014 37th annual convention that STAFDA membership stood at 2,572, including 1,059 distributors, 1,170 associate manufacturers, 324 rep agents and 20 trade press affiliate members.
The 2014 STAFDA trade show in Charlotte totaled 816 booths – up from 795 in 2013.
Foley told the convention that the Grammy winning song, “Blurred Lines,” describes STAFDA membership changes.
“Companies that used to focus on one market or leave one product line have now crossed into a completely different, but complementary, market segment. Businesses who used to be fierce competitors have formed ‘strategic alliances’ to expand market share, product offerings or both. Still others have pulled out of the retail sector after having experience too many years of razor this margins only to return to their roots: traditional distribution.”
Foley emphasized STAFDA’s educational “vision” with monthly free webinars, benchmarking surveys and lending libraries.”We’ve had great success in recent years with out training manual series of Counter Pro, Sales Pro and guides for inventory, showroom design, disaster planning, business security and foundations of a business.
STAFDA will introduce its 8th Training Manual in early 2015. Authored by online consultant Bob Destefano, his “Online Marketing Strategies,” book covers content marketing, creating a customer-focused website with blogs, articles and videos.
Visual merchandising consultant Greg Gorman will update his 2009 STAFDA manual on Effective Showroom Design.
Earlier in 2014 STAFDA released a DVD on distributor profitability, written by Dr. Al Bates of the Profit Planning Group.
At the convention Foley recognized founders. “Their aren’t many first generation members left,” Foley noted. “Most STAFDA companies now are led by second or third generations who have no idea who the original founders were, the nature of their business or why STAFDA was even started.”
Foley noted 18 founders sought to bring distributors and manufacturers together to compete again direct sellers such as Hilti.
Foley’s father, Morrie Halvorsen, was vice president of sales with ITT Phillips Red Head and the 18 founders were his customers. Halvorsen resigned from ITT to take on building STAFDA on a 100% commission job.
At the 2014 convention, Foley introduced six of the founders: Frank Deppe, Fasteners Inc., Grand Rapids, MI; Bob Elstad, Diamond Drilling & Supply, Duluth, MN; Ed Joffe, Automatic Fasteners, Miami; Jesse Pearson, Construction Tools & Supply, Memphis; Chuck Tackett, Dixie Construction Products, Atlanta; and Phil Welch, Kel-Welco Distributing, Omaha.
Foley noted that STAFDA’s first executive director had neither tool and fastener company nor association management experience. But he did have a network of rep agents and long-standing relationships with distributors. “So think of my Dad as sort of a three-in-one kind of guy with these key components to his name: Manufacturer, rep agent and distributor knowledge and experience – just like the three core membership categories in STAFDA,” Foley pointed out.
Halvorsen’s first job was as a salesman for Milwaukee Electric Tool, where over 16 years he rose to vice president of sales and marketing. In 1973, Halvorsen became vice president of Phillips Drill Red Head Anchors shortly before the company was acquired by ITT.
He was STAFDA’s first executive director from 1977 until retiring at the end of 1999.
Related Links:
• STAFDA
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