Florida Plumbing Perspective

Managing a

business

successfully

in leaner

times

Drinking water

piping study:

taste, odor,

leaching concerns

Florida Plumbing Perspective

Page 16

Our model has a lower cost of entry into the business, and at the end of your career, we buy out your shares.”

Salsman says WinWholesale expects to keep increasing its presence in Florida in the next few years in the electrical,

HVAC, and water markets, as well as plumbing. “We don’t grant exclusive territories, but we pay close attention to the local markets,” he said. “We would never do anything to harm an owner’s ability to make a great living.”

Historically, WinWholesale has given a great deal of auton-omy to its local presidents. Salsman said, “We have focused on providing operating efficiencies, in areas like accounting, purchasing, payroll, and technology. We believe that our local presidents are the best people to make decisions about their customers.”

In Florida, Winnelson’s local presidents are Vance Adams, Fort Walton Beach Winnelson; Bill Coggins, Jax Beach Winnelson; John Knab, Tampa Winnelson; Ralph Litton, Vero Beach Winnelson; Steve Lyon, Orlando Winnelson; and Philip Ross, Gulf Coast Winnelson.

“With the players we have in Florida, we’re going to definite-ly be a force in the market,” said Litton.

While the Fort Walton Beach and Jax Beach companies have been operating for more than 15 years, the other four locations opened their doors in late 2007 and early 2008.

Noting that WinWholesale has not traditionally advertised its capabilities in Florida, Knab said one of his roles is build-ing awareness in the Tampa Bay market. “Many plumbbuild-ing contractors don’t realize this is the nation’s second largest wholesaler with five major U.S. distribution centers,” he said. “We can get them all the materials they need for a project.” A LEADER IN DISTRIBUTION

Winnelson traces its roots to 1875 when Nils Olas Nelson founded the N.O. Nelson Mfg. Co. in St. Louis, Mo. The com-pany manufactured and distributed plumbing supplies of all kinds, including faucets, water closets, water heaters, valves, and fire hydrants.

Monte Salsman

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March-April 2008

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S_{teve Lyon and John Knab are looking forward to} grow-ing their new plumbgrow-ing supply businesses. Both are veteran industry professionals who have teamed with one of the nation’s largest distributors to open their own Winnelson com-panies in Florida.

“For me, the ability to operate my own independent compa-ny yet have the support of a $2.5 billion wholesaler was very attractive,” said Lyon, a 25-year industry veteran who recent-ly opened Orlando Winnelson.

That model also appealed to Knab, a 25-year Florida plumbing veteran and president of Tampa Winnelson. “Our customers have the best of both worlds,” he said. “We have the resources they need, and our team can react quickly to their requests.” For example, Tampa Winnelson can make deliveries at 5 a.m. or on Saturday mornings if necessary. “One of our big projects is stocking a replacement medical clinic at McGill Air Force Base, and we have a truck on site there daily,” he said.

In the past year, Winnelson has quickly established a sig-nificant presence in Florida, with six local companies serving plumbing contractors in Tampa Bay, southwest Florida, cen-tral Florida, the Panhandle, Jacksonville, and the Treasure Coast.

Headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, Winnelson’s parent com-pany, WinWholesale, is one of the nation’s largest distributors, ranking seventh on Industrial Distribution’s Big 50 list of dis-tributors with annual sales in the $2.5 billion range.

Despite Florida’s economic slowdown, WinWholesale is committed to further expansion in Florida. Monte Salsman, WinWholesale’s chief operating officer, says the company growth model is focused on people rather than geography or market conditions.

“Rather than target new locations, we believe in finding the right people in the right places,” he said in a recent interview withFlorida Plumbing Perspective. “Some of the highest-qual-ity plumbing professionals in Florida have decided to take advantage of our business model.”

Salsman said the American dream of becoming an entre-preneur is still very viable regardless of economic conditions. “With WinWholesale, the earnings opportunity for plumbing professionals is unmatched, unless you’re a sole proprietor.

Florida Plumbing Perspective

By the mid-1950s, the company was exclusively a distribu-tor with 22 branches and 450 employees in 15 states. In 1958, Primus Inc. (led by Dick Schiewetz, Robert Kuhns, and Hast-ings Baker) purchased the company and established a profit-sharing plan for employees. In 2005, the company adopted the WinWholesale name and acquired Noland Company, a leading Virginia-based wholesaler founded in 1915.

Today, WinWholesale is a leading national wholesale dis-tributor with more than 460 locally owned and operated Win companies in 43 states under the following names: Winnel-son, Winair, Winlectric, Windustrial, Wintronic, Winwater, and Winsupply. In addition, there are more than 100 Noland branches in 13 states. The Win companies and Noland Com-pany are collectively known as the Win Group of Companies. Salsman said WinWholesale’s vision is to be the premier wholesale distribution company for its customers, vendors, and more than 5,000 employees. To achieve that goal, WinWhole-sale has five key beliefs that define its business philosophy: 1.Local management must own a meaningful part of each

local Win company. WinWholesale believes that the national organization should be driven by the entrepreneurial spirit and ownership opportunities at the local level.

2.A local Win company president who properly manages his or her own company deserves to be successful.Therefore, Win-Wholesale provides the backing of its national organization, which includes: capital, experienced business advisors, business servic-es with a special concentration on information technology, sup-ported back-office operations, and highly competitive inventory buying power.

3.Successful wholesalers tend to follow the same operational “patterns,” doing roughly the same things daily, monthly, or annually.WinWholesale has developed a common set of opera-tional procedures and provides computer systems, office automa-tion, and workflow methods to its local Win companies.

4.Wholesaling is a “local” business whose success is built on establishing and maintaining strong customer relation-ships.The local wholesaler’s name, reputation, and credibility are what matters in the local market.

5.WinWholesale’s role is to establish and protect the organi-zation’s overall policies and standards.The entire national organization exists to help local wholesalers be more profitable than they could be on their own.

Looking ahead to Winnelson’s growth prospects in Florida, Vero Beach president Litton said, “We all have relationships with customers dating back many years, and that loyalty goes both ways. That’s an immediate advantage in the market. For me, becoming part of Winnelson is like starting my career again, but

FORT WALTON BEACH WINNELSON

Open since 1978, the Fort Walton Beach Winnelson covers the Panhandle from Pensacola to Panama City and northward to Crestview. “Our goal is to out-service the competition,” says Vance Adams, president, who has guided the company since 1987. “Everyone has the products, but we do a better job of selling, service and delivery.”

Adams, who has been in the plumbing business for 22 years, says the Fort Walton Beach company was primarily focused on the residential market, but is now increasing its service to the commercial sector. “We will make our sched-uled deliveries, no matter what happens,” he says, “and we offer same-day deliveries as needed.”

The company has a staff of five in its office/warehouse facil-ity. “I think Winnelson’s growing role in Florida will help us,” says Adams. “We’ve been here a long time, but it’s been under the radar. Now, the Winnelson name will be seen quite a bit more often.”

Fort Walton Beach Winnelson

101 Lang Road, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547 (850) 863-8619

Hours: Monday-Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

GULF COAST WINNELSON

Led by Philip Ross, president, Gulf Coast Winnelson opened Feb. 1 in Port Charlotte. “As a local company geared to serve area contractors, our goal is to have an available in-ventory and individualized service to meet our customers’ needs,” says Ross, a 21-year plumbing wholesale industry vet-eran.

Gulf Coast Winnelson provides a complete line of plumbing equipment, parts, and accessories from Bradenton south to Marco Island in a five-county area: Charlotte, Collier, Lee, Manatee, and Sarasota.

Located just south of Tamiami Trail near Port Charlotte Town Center, the company provides counter sales and deliv-ery service for a wide array of kitchen, bath, and other plumb-ing products.

Gulf Coast Winnelson

1615 Market Circle, Port Charlotte, FL 33953 (941) 629-1468

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Florida Plumbing Perspective

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March-April 2008

JAX BEACH WINNELSON

For 15 years, the Jax Beach Winnelson has been serving plumbers in the greater Jacksonville area. “We opened in Atlantic Beach and moved here 13 years ago,” says president Bill Coggins, who arrived here from a Winnelson in North Carolina four years ago.

“With our location on the beach, we service a lot of repair, remodeling, and re-piping jobs,” says Coggins, who has been in the business for 17 years, including 18 with WinWholesale. “We also try to cater to plumbers in the multifamily and light commercial sectors.”

With a staff of five and a 7,500-square-foot warehouse, Jax Beach Winnelson serves all of Duval County and beyond, delivering products to sites in Georgia and St. Augustine as well. “We let our customers know that we’ll go anywhere they need their material,” says Coggins. “We believe we can serve the customer better than anyone else.”

Jax Beach Winnelson

700 Shetter Avenue, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250 (904) 249-4072

Hours: Monday-Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

ORLANDO WINNELSON

Since opening Dec. 3, Orlando Winnelson has been carv-ing out a share of the central Florida market, accordcarv-ing to Steve Lyon, president. “We are striving for excellence in cus-tomer service and throughout our operation,” says Lyon. “The reception we’ve gotten from customers and manufacturers has been awesome.”

With a staff of seven and a 35,000-square-foot warehouse, Orlando Winnelson serves plumbing contractors in five coun-ties: Lake, Osceola, Orange, Seminole, and Volusia. The company is targeting the commercial market as well as the repair and remodeling business.

“We’re building a long-term company here,” says Lyon, a former Hughes Supply executive with 25 years of industry experience. “I have always been a customer service-oriented person, and with the Winnelson model, I can serve customers in the Orlando market the way they deserve to be serviced.”

Orlando Winnelson Company

1996 Stanhome Way, Orlando, FL 32804 (407) 849-2851

Hours: Monday-Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

TAMPA WINNELSON

Tampa Winnelson brings local ownership and a service-ori-ented philosophy to the regional plumbing market. “We can react more quickly and aggressively to the customers’ needs and changes,” says John Knab, president and company co-owner with Mike Booth. “Our focus and experience is on both the residential and commercial markets in the Tampa bay area.” Since opening Jan. 14, Tampa Winnelson has grown to a staff of seven situated in a 15,000-square-foot facility serving contractors in Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Hernan-dez, and Manatee counties. The company provides counter sales and delivery along with 24-hour-a-day service.

Knab, who was with Hughes Supply for 24 years, says one of Tampa Winnelson’s advantages is its experience. “Our cus-tomers are dealing with seasoned veterans who have 11 to 30 years of experience,” he says. “There are no rookies—just qualified personnel who can answer contractors’ questions.”

Tampa Winnelson

6903 Cypress Park Drive, Tampa, FL 33634 (813) 249-8612

Hours: Monday-Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

VERO BEACH WINNELSON

Since opening last October, Vero Beach Winnelson is build-ing a customer base on the Treasure Coast by emphasizbuild-ing service and experience. The company’s co-owners, president Ralph Litton and sales manager John Carter, bring more than 50 years of industry experience to serving their commercial and residential customers.

“As a locally owned and operated company geared to serve local contractors, we’ll do what it takes to help our customers succeed,” says Litton. “Not long ago, John opened our facility at 10 p.m. and picked up press tools to help a plumber facing a shutdown in Cocoa. He was there most of the night, but we got the job done.”

The seven-person company has an 11,000-square-foot warehouse facility and covers Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, and Okeechobee counties.

Vero Beach Winnelson

2813 Flight Safety Drive, Vero Beach, FL 32960 (772) 794-5406

Hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Permission to reprint this article was provided courtesy ofFlorida Plumbing Perspective™magazine, a publication for Florida plumbing and related industries. ©2008Florida Plumbing Perspective.