How has business been lately? We're pleased to see our gross profit dollars up nearly 10 percent, year to date, against last year. The market is firm, and profitability is up.

What do you expect the remainder of the year? Continuation of a firm market combined with market share and efficiency gains has 2006 shaping up as a very good year.

What is the best idea you've implemented in the last six months? A gross profit percentage incentive program for our customer service representatives. Gross profit is up 90 basis points, year to date, against last year to date.

What is the biggest issue facing distribution today? Developing more efficient (and profitable) ways to provide the market what it wants. Understanding the competitive landscape, and what we are and what we are not.

When interviewing potential employees, what is the best question to ask them? I ask them about when they have failed on something and what they learned from it. It's a character question, and you get good insight from the answer.

If you had unlimited resources, what change would you make in your business? I'd invest much more in personnel training and development, and better IT systems that have integrated, dynamic margin management and CRM components.

What is the most misunderstood aspect of your industry? Customers don't understand our economics; they think there's more to give than there is, that greater volume should command a greater discount than you can give, and that our profitability is greater than it is. And, most people in our industry do not understand what they are and are not; therefore they see threats from other businesses that they cannot do anything about.

If you could have any other job in the world, what would it be? Is there a job that would let me disentangle the terrible mess in the legal system today?

What's your golf handicaP? Your favorite course? 18. I like Pacific Dunes on the Oregon coast because I shot my best score ever there!

If you could choose someone, living or dead, to have lunch with, who would it be? What would you ask them? Julius Caesar. How did you accomplish so much? What would you do differently?

Where did you go on your last vacation? A house-boating trip with my family at Lake Shuswap, B.C., Canada.

Name a talent you wish you had. Playing the piano and speed reading.

John Wiborg is president of Stellar Industrial Supply, Inc., an industrial and safety products distributorship headquartered in Tacoma, Wash. Visit Stellar at www.stellarindustrial.com , or contact John at jwiborg@stellarindustrial.com.