I thought I had seen it all. But, yesterday, while running into my local grocery store, I was astonished to see a large sign on the side of the building, promoting a "signing bonus of $100" for any new employee. Is this economy at a max or what.
I can't speak about every part of the country, but in my territory, the biggest, most heartfelt question I get from my customers is where can they find qualified people. If I could get my hands on a warehouse full of people as easily as I can get stone & tile, I'd be rich.
This leads me to a lesson I learned in the 90/91 recession. I was WMG's National Sales Manager then, and after 5 years of unprecedented growth, I had the displeasure of watching sales drop 55% in 9 months. Few companies were prepared for that deep a recession, and few had the resources to weather the storm.
In the late 80's, growth came easy and new companies were popping up all the time. Smaller firms were beginning to feel confident enough to invest in their own stock. When the drop came, all those containers didn't seem as clever as they once did. I saw a lot of people go under, and a lot more came real close. How prepared are you, if a deep recession hit tomorrow?
Each of my programs help you avoid this trap. Let someone else stock the inventory, so that you can focus on what your customers need. My two new associations; Lutz Custom Tile and Monocibec are perfect. Lutz is US made, with a two week ship time for custom tile. Monocibec is stocked in my territory in container quantities, and available for immediate shipment. All my companies allow you to offer your customers an enormous range of product with no inventory commitment. You can respond quickly to changes in market taste, simply by changing your display, and use your money to buy the best people you can.
In the end, the difference between my most successful accounts and all the others is the quality of the people. And good people cost. Every market area knows who are the top people, and these few get job offers all the time.
My advice; invest in people for the long term, and use suppliers like me that do not tie up your capital on inventory commitments. Deep pocketed, broad based suppliers, with readily available product are your best hedge against any downturn.
After spending the last couple of years pulling ourselves up by our boot straps, an old saying comes to mind that " rumors of our death have been greatly exaggerated". Suffice to say that our boots are on and Latco is moving forward into the new century.
We've been very busy with the recent move to our new location at 13536 Saticoy
Street, Van Nuys, California 91402. Simultaneously we have been putting an extra effort into rectifying our inventory problems. I'm happy to report to you that, at this writing, we are 83% stocked and are shooting for our goal of 95% stocked by the end of this year. If you've put your Latco samples away, let me encourage you to bring them back out.
Available now are four new and exciting colors we have added to our FourPlus line of floor tiles from Steenbok. By the beginning of next year, we will have finished reworking our 2"x2" Nuance/Accents line. A new Master Sample Board, combining all the Nuance/Accents/Basics into one convenient board will be available along with an updated Nuance brochure. Six (6) new colors will be added to the line, and out of the Color Marketing Group's seven emerging color combination trends, four will be represented by our newest colors. The other three trends are represented by existing colors, you might not have looked at in a while.
The most exciting news, for me, is that our primary efforts now will be placed on developing new and exciting products to offer you in the coming year.
1997 promises to be a good one!!
Penny Campbell. Owner
I have waited a long time to take on any new lines. Mostly, because I am extremely picky. From my experience in the industry over the years, I have learned to take my customers opinion of product over my own. When two very important accounts, Beaver Distributors and Chas. Taylor & Sons, both said I just had to get involved with these folks, that was all the encouragement I needs.
Terri Lutz began to paint tiles a decade ago. A few years later, she began to manufacture them too, and with her husband John, they formed Lutz Custom Tile.
(John Lutz, shown here, presenting to Kriss Hilborn and Phyllis Schoenherr of Beaver Distributors, Detroit, at a recent managers meeting there). Based near Seattle, they hand craft all their product, with an amazing average turn around time of 2 weeks! Each tile is a high relief design, offered in a variety of custom colors, and include natural Petroglyphs, complete with rich and timeless earthen hues and jagged edges; the Lace series, in which actual samples of Battenburg and antique laces are used to make molds that create a look of old time beauty, charm and romance; Seashells, featuring shells of different shapes and sizes clustered together with just a hint of sand texture peeking through, Old World Grapes; with an artistry that makes these truly unique, and a broad collection of Florals, Listellos, Victorian and Fruits and Berries.
As with all ceramic lines, Lutz Custom Tile is marketed through exclusive distribution, and may not be still available in all areas. Make sure to ask me about it!
In June, Ross Horton admitted at his trial in Honolulu that he killed his business partner in 1993 after the man criticized his ability to lay tile, which Horton takes seriously as "an art form."
"Rome wasn't built in a day. If it had, we'd be using their contractor!"
And they turned to yours truly for representation. I have know Ohio Tile & Marble for 10 years, and knew them to run a first rate operation. In business since the '30s by the same family, they are a credible source for product. With no stocking commitment, yet having stock readily available in the region, makes this an enviable program.
Monocibec makes a variety of floor tile designs, in monocottura and porcelain bisque, in a broad range of natural earthy pallets. Beautiful literature, and a hot, competitive price, round out this program. Now available, a grouted, framed display rack, which greatly enhances the appearance of the tile, and shows design capabilities in a beautiful setting.
WHAT ISN'T?!?
A NEWSLETTER OF THEIR OWN;
Some of you may remember that my newsletter began in the 80's as a company newsletter for WMG when I was National Sales Manager. Jeff Lupica, WMG's new Gen'l Mgr, wants to revive it, and am I glad. In the 8 years of doing this thing, I have tried to perfect it with each edition, continually revising format in search of perfection. What I have discovered is that I do best in comment and editorial, not just the facts. Often I am not as current as the office, whereas I am more up on the market and trends. Therefore, in the future, the WMG newsletter will be the news, I'll be the comment. Given our different mailing lists, as the need warrants, the same article may appear in both. However, for now, the responsibility for reporting some of what is new, falls on me . . . and gladly so!
A BIT OF ROMANCE;
Back when I was married - heck, even before - the most romantic weekend for me was to take my fiancee to the Cotswolds in England. Driving Northwest out of London to Oxford, we would turn North past Churchill's birthplace at Blenheim Palace and lunch at a country pub. Later we would continue on up to the Lygon Arms, in Broadway, to spend the nite in a room built in the 1500's. There are few places as charming and picturesque, and no place that epitomizes the image foreigners have of the English countryside.
Now, through exclusive arrangement, WMG has brought the Cotswolds to America. The Cotswolds is a hilly region of England, comprised of a warm, honey gold limestone, and by law, buildings there must be made of this stone. The whole region, and all its picture perfect villages, glow of old gold in the morning sun, and now this famous limestone is in stock at WMG. Available in several sizes, pillowed edge and straight, and even random planking, your high end clients are sure to recognize this color from perhaps their own romantic trip. Few stones are as famous, or as beautiful. And samples are available for far less than a ticket on British Airways . . . just ask us!
RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME;
19 centuries ago, the main street in Pompeii would have been a bad place to stand. When the long dormant volcano, Vesuvius, exploded, ash and lava rained down over everything and everyone. A moment in time was captured forever.
Today, we have one of the rare sources of Roman painting, in the form of frescoes, from the walls of Pompeii. Now, for the first time, WMG has imported a custom line of ceramics and frescoes The Imperial Collection , recreating actual Pompeii walls, all modular to our tumbled marble and antique limestone. This series, due to the investment in displays, will be sold through exclusive, protected territories. If you are interested, let me know soon.
