Ernie Coutermarsh is senior vice president, industrial sales and marketing and national account sales, at F.W. Webb Co. headquartered in Bedford, Mass. F.W. Webb distributes plumbing, heating, cooling, and piping supplies.

HOW HAS BUSINESS BEEN LATELY? Business has been outstanding. The diversity in products that we carry is really making a difference, especially with those customers who are looking to buy more from one place.

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT GOING INTO 2006? Traditionally, distribution lags behind the economy by six months, and we expect the carryover into 2006 to be good. We've budgeted for double-digit growth in 2006, and to achieve that, we're working our niche markets and following the bouncing ball with specific industries.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST ISSUE FACING DISTRIBUTION TODAY? Ensuring that customers and manufacturers understand, appreciate and value the function provided. Change can traumatize customers, distributors and manufacturers. Distributors will be perceived as part of the problem or the solution.

WHEN INTERVIEWING POTENTIAL EMPLOYEES, WHAT IS THE BEST QUESTION TO ASK THEM? The questions I always ask are: You say that you are looking to work for a company that can provide you opportunity; define opportunity. How would you prepare yourself to be ready for opportunity? What does teamwork mean to you?

IF YOU HAD UNLIMITED RESOURCES, WHAT CHANGE WOULD YOU MAKE IN YOUR BUSINESS? The one change that I would make to our business would be to invest in technology to more personalize the Internet connection. People do business with people. The face-to-face transaction needs to be replicated on the Web.

WHAT IS THE MOST MISUNDERSTOOD ASPECT OF YOUR INDUSTRY? That distribution is a necessary function that has an intrinsic value exclusive of the cost of the material that flows through it.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY OTHER JOB IN THE WORLD, WHAT WOULD IT BE? President of the United States.

WHAT'S YOUR GOLF HANDICAP? YOUR FAVORITE COURSE? My golf handicap is my lack of skill. I do participate vicariously by watching the professionals on TV. My favorite course is Pebble Beach in California.

IF YOU COULD CHOOSE SOMEONE, LIVING OR DEAD, TO HAVE LUNCH WITH, WHO WOULD IT BE? WHAT WOULD YOU ASK THEM? Winston Churchill. I would ask him what he really thought of Roosevelt and Stalin and how he managed to persevere against Hitler when it seemed like it was him against the world.

WHERE DID YOU GO ON YOUR LAST VACATION? I went to Nicaragua and Honduras. These are both very poor countries, but their people are spiritual and deal with adversity with grace and a smile. They also appreciate freedom, as it wasn't long ago that they lived under the murderous heel of dictators.

NAME A TALENT YOU WISH YOU HAD. Sing opera like Pavarotti, or write like Hemingway.