Distributor Profile: Painters Supply & Equipment Co.

Founded by the late Chet Taurance in 1952 as a single location in Lincoln Park, Mich., Painters Supply & Equipment Co. (PSE) has since grown to encompass 21 stores throughout Michigan, Ohio and Indiana.

Still owned by Chet’s family and serving some 2,800 collision repair facilities, the company’s mission statement is simple and to the point: “To be the best distributor of automotive and industrial products in the United States.”

“To accomplish this, we deliver the highest quality products, superior services and value-added programs to our customers,” says President Patrick Mayette. “We establish successful partnerships with our customers and our manufacturer suppliers in a manner that respects the interests of both,” he explains. “Through continuously improving processes and team performance, we ensure profitable growth for all involved parties.”

Embracing the latest technological innovations and emphasizing the benefits of ongoing education for employees and customers alike remains a top priority.

“From our business development managers, to our store managers, to our territory managers, to our technical service representatives, to our drivers and counterpersons, and to our highly skilled office staff – at all levels – we encourage and facilitate continuous improvement, and that can only come about through an integrated training program,” Mayette reports, referring to the 180-member workforce as “our most important business asset and our most valuable resource.”

As a PPG Platinum Distributor, much of the instruction comes through the paint manufacturer’s offerings that address both technical and business expertise. Selling skills, telephone etiquette, customer service details and extensive product knowledge are among the topics covered at length. Third-party surveys are conducted on a quarterly basis to monitor and measure current performance and identify opportunities for improvement.

Professional Counter Person Workshops, Time Management and Peak Performance, Distributor Tech Rep Certification, Solution Based Commercial Selling, Excellence in Distribution Management and other courses assist in keeping the staff up-to-date with the latest industry developments.

The PPG Guide to Collision Center Profitability program is a two-day affair that is mandatory for all sales personnel. Mayette says this “gives our team a broad understanding of collision repair operations and profitability challenges – affording them the opportunity to offer consultative help to their customers.”

“PSE’s Senior Leadership Team, from left to right:  Brian Fringer, Controller; Ken Waananen, Technology Manager; Joan Dombroski, HR Manager; Steve Nolan, Purchasing Director; Patrick Mayette, President; Guy Bargnes, SVP Sales & Marketing; Brad June, VP Operations and Greg McLeod, Quality Assurance Manager.  The Team is pictured in front of several Sales Achievement Awards received during the recent Annual PPG Platinum Distributors Conference in February, 2014.”

Each of the technical service representatives are certified PPG Technicians. They receive regular training, a minimum of 10 days per year, in numerous coatings applications programs and related application equipment. They travel throughout the service spheres in a Painters Supply branded cargo van outfitted with spray and application equipment, cleaning equipment, color information, air quality and spray booth testing equipment, and an assortment of hand tools.

“Our tech reps can provide assistance with color match problems, support training and waterborne conversions, trouble shoot application issues and recommend equipment and other solutions,” Mayette says. As an element of PPG’s Convert with Confidence waterborne program, they conduct “Tech Audits” of customer and potential customer spray booths and application equipment. They check air flow, air quality and other attributes and make appropriate recommendations for better performance and maintenance while also providing training on equipment such as nitro plastic welders and spray bedliners.

PSE, in turn, nets praise from an ever-expanding customer base. The company “has been a great partner for us for a long time, and they are a great group of people to work with,” according to Steve Tesner, collision center manager at Gordon Chevrolet in Garden City, Mich.

“When we had decided to make the switch to waterbase, PSE came in and gave a great presentation to explain the processes necessary to go from solvent to water. They made the transition smooth, without any real interruption of business and took the time to stay with our painters until they were comfortable using the new product,” Tesner continues. “The support personnel have been great when we have needed some assistance, as well as staying in touch with us to make sure everything is still going well.”

Steve Grabke, owner of Steve Grabke’s Body Shop in Holland, Ohio, is equally impressed with PSE’s instructional abilities. “We were very reluctant to go to a waterborne paint,” he recounts. I didn’t know much about it. We went through Painters Supply with PPG and we have been very excited with the product because the paint is so beautiful, and we are making money with it.”

Adding value
The list of value-added services provided to the customers is a long one. “They include, but are not limited to, technical and business training, process improvement consulting and lean programs, color matching and technical trouble shooting, color computer diagnostics and data base updates, color deck updates and maintenance, scheduled and ‘hot-shot’ delivery service through 21 locations, certified technical support, tech audits and booth maintenance, waterborne conversion programs and mixing room conversions and a wide array of online material tracking, order maintenance and inventory control,” Mayette points out.

“Through our strategic Platinum Distributor Program, in conjunction with PPG, we offer a number of online programs, including training and tracking tools specifically designed to monitor product usage and benchmark performance,” he adds, describing a strong Internet presence.

“Painters Supply’s e-commerce capabilities start with our website, which serves as an up-to-date communication tool. When combined with our email system it provides a wide amount of easy-to-access and critically important information to our internal team and to our customers and potential customers. In addition,” says Mayette, “each of our 20-plus territory managers and technical service representatives are equipped with state-of-the art Windows Surface Pro tablet computers that allow our team to wirelessly place and maintain orders, manage customer inventory, check product information and troubleshoot and provide immediate response to any number of technical or business questions.”

He goes on to observe that “e-commerce is a critical component of process improvement and brings outstanding efficiencies when properly implemented. It also gives PSE an opportunity to provide higher levels of service and much more rapid response time for problem solving. Painters Supply and our key customers have embraced its value and promote the potential opportunities on a regular basis.”

In 2012, the company opened a 4,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Learning Center at its centrally located distribution center in Taylor, Mich. The facility features a full audio-visual system, a private entrance, a kitchen and a demonstration room. “It seats 50 people in comfortable chairs with excellent lines of sight and provides an extremely effective learning environment,” Mayette says. “We host a wide variety of manufacturer training programs for our customers, our potential customers and for the PSE team.”

Technical training programs through organizations such as I-CAR, PPG, 3M and Norton are conducted in the Learning Center. Training and painter certification is also offered in conjunction with the PPG Business Development Center in Wixom, Mich.

The professional environment created in our Learning Center provides us frequent opportunities to offer business management training,” Mayette reports. “We have offered three-day Green Belt Training, Sales and Marketing programs, Primary and Advanced Estimating programs and a number of computer training sessions,” he says.

“We also provide business training to the PSE sales organization to help make them more effective consultants to their customers. Looking forward, we are already planning aluminum repair informational classes – focusing on the recent announcement by Ford regarding the F-150 and the challenges and opportunities that repairers will face in properly repairing aluminum truck beds.”

Periodic open houses are hosted at the company headquarters facility, “and we have found that ‘Lunch ‘n Learns’ held at our store locations do very well in providing local markets with training and product information,” says Mayette.

With the July 31-Aug. 2 International Autobody Congress & Exposition (NACE) being held in Detroit, the company will be exhibiting at the show, participating in the related activities and promoting the event in advance to its shop-owner customers.

Managing deliveries
PSE’s delivery fleet of more than 60 vehicles is comprised of light- and heavy-duty pickup trucks, cargo vans and Ford Transit Connects. The heavy-duty pickups are outfitted with lift gates.

Typically the fleet runs a two- or three-a-day delivery route out of each store. Deliveries are on a regular basis; customers are kept apprised of the delivery schedule, and “hot shot” drop-offs are accommodated as well.

Each location services a radius of 30-50 miles. Some of the more rural stores will travel farther based on customer requirements or to maintain a specified delivery schedule.

“To ensure fast deliveries, we employ a number of communication techniques. Internally, we ensure that our sales people understand our delivery schedule so that they can write and place orders on a timely basis,” Mayette explains. “We keep our customers informed of our delivery schedule, and if a truck is getting ready to leave our in-store personnel look for opportunities to contact regular customers and provide a reminder.”

An in-house detailed fleet maintenance program assures that the vehicles are in top working condition. Vehicles are turned over every three years to keep the fleet reliably road-ready and to be certain that they “look good when they pull in to a customer’s lot. We also hire and train reliable drivers who accept accountability for understanding and exceeding customer expectations,” he says.

Recruiting is conducted via traditional media advertising, Internet listings and referrals. “Hiring only occurs after sufficient – often extensive – interviewing by a number of managers plus an outside HR consultant as well as the appropriate background checks,” according to Mayette. “Retention is a function of environment and incentive. We have many team members who have been with PSE for over 30 years; the average tenure for our sales and store managers is over 12 years.”

Throughout much of the company’s history it was structured like a typical paint, body and equipment (PBE) distributor. Territory managers (TMs) were responsible for growing sales in a defined territory along with taking daily orders, fixing computers, handling paint match issues and numerous other duties. “It was clear we were pretty good at servicing our customer base, but we were not focused on growing new business,” Mayette recalls. In 2008 the sales organization was restructured to have a much better focus on gaining new incremental business while at the same time enhancing the service model.

Business development managers (BDMs) were established to focus on driving new business while the TMs focused on day-to-day support and retention. Additional technical representatives (TRs) were brought on board to assist the TMs. The TM compensation program was switched from commission to salary, “which allowed us to eliminate geographic barriers among the TMs while creating a succinct team approach to the business,” says Mayette.

“As part of the restructuring, we added talent from outside and we moved people within the organization to positions where their skill sets are a better matchup. We are now positioned to provide better service to our existing customers while forming strategic partnerships with new ones. Every year we look at new ways to improve our programs and processes; our senior vice president of sales and marketing, Guy Bargnes, has done a great job of implementing sales programs to drive positive results. In addition to Guy, the entire PSE management team works cohesively together, constantly looking for better ways to do things so we can continuously improve our performance.”

Prior to joining PSE, Mayette held several aftermarket and OEM sales, marketing and manufacturing positions at Ford and then later Motorola.

"After 14 years at Motorola and multiple relocations both domestic and international, I wanted to focus on a new challenge here in my home state of Michigan. I was interested in joining a solid company that specialized in the automotive sector and one that I could make an immediate impact on,” he recalls. “I researched and evaluated the opportunity at Painters Supply prior to joining them in 2007. I saw a company with a long history of serving the automotive aftermarket channel in the heart of the Motor City. I recognized that they had established themselves as a leader in their industry, but also recognized there was opportunity for improvement.”

Mayette counts the late Chet Taurence, the company’s founder, as among his key mentors. “He provided me with an understanding of the PBE business early on and the secrets to his success at Painters Supply. Chet was very honest about the many challenges he faced over the decades, but he was an individual that worked harder than anyone else and he was able to build an institution over time due to his work ethic and relentless determination. His loyalty, humility and fairness to people will always stick with me, and his legacy will live on forever here at Painters Supply,” Mayette says.

“We can talk a lot about value-added services, high quality products and a variety of support, but without the team to implement it – it is just talk,” Mayette asserts. “At Painters Supply, our greatest point of differentiation is the PSE team. We have a large group of highly trained and motivated men and women who have the ability to positively impact their customers’ businesses,” he says. “We encourage our team to constantly improve themselves, and it pays big benefits to our customers who take advantage of their experience and industry insight.”

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