Distributors gear up for Winter Olympics

By John J. Keough, EDITOR/ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER -- Industrial Distribution, 11/1/2000

The Summer Olympics may have just ended but it's not too soon to be looking ahead to the Winter Olympics, to be held two years from now. ID's Senior Editor Susan Srikonda paid a visit to Salt Lake City, Utah, where the Winter Olympics will be held in 2002, and interviewed three distributors who have sold varying amounts of construction supplies to contractors working on Olympic venues and other projects (p.46). The three distributorships, Industrial Supply Co., Acme Construction Supply Co., Inc. and White Cap Industries, are involved in projects such as a new stadium, a hotel, a number of roadwork projects and an Olympic Village.

Phil Thompson, president of Industrial Supply, is not only selling products for these projects, but also serves as a volunteer chairman for Deer Valley Resort, which will host the slalom, freestyle moguls and aerial competitions.

In this month's issue you can also find out what the connection is between being a former Secret Service Agent and running a distributorship. Be sure to read the profile (p.60) of Reggie Ball of RB Industries in Sterling Heights, Mich. Ball, who spent 23 years in the Secret Service, including missions in Sudan, Pakistan and China, has successfully made the transition to a business executive. "I use skills like preparation, teamwork and cooperation," Ball says. "Just like in the Secret Service, everything [in business] comes down to teamwork."

Also in this issue, we note that the tight job market and strong economy are having their effect on the distribution business. Our 13th Annual Salary Survey (p.73) shows that the median industry paycheck is $65,000 a year, according to respondents who also noted that their pay rose 5.5 percent in 1999, higher than in other industries. In fact, as we point out, the consulting firm of Hewitt Associates shows that in the past few years salary increases have leveled off at around 4.3 percent for most U.S. workers.

Outside salespeople and executives saw the largest increases, while salaries for inside salespeople moved only slightly ahead at $34,000, up from the $33,000 the year before. Inside salespeople, as we've mentioned in a number of articles, are often an overlooked asset. We will be focusing on the inside sales function, as well as other key industry issues, in the months ahead.