Pro-West Sales is a Vancouver-based Canadian manufacturers’ rep firm covering the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. “In 1979, it was two guys and a warehouse and now we are sitting at 26 employees and a whole other province,” says Mike Horne, son of the founder and current president of the firm. He proudly adds that the company’s first line was Precision Plumbing Products from Portland, Oregon; it still represents that manufacturer today.

From 1979 to 2018, Pro-West Sales covered British Columbia. In 2018, it acquired Kadin Sales as it expanded its footprint into the adjacent province of Alberta. 

Alex Lowes, Horne’s partner, joined the firm in 2011; both are the majority owners. They are focused on a smooth future succession, so they have already extended minority ownership to a few of their younger team members. 

Under the hood, Pro-West Sales performs some buy-sell and consignment-based business, but the majority of its manufacturer relationships are commission-based. It focuses on two verticals: decorative, run by Lowes, and commercial/mechanical, run by Horne. Since there is minimal overlap of those two verticals, they split their inside and outside sales teams accordingly. 

Alan Cohen: How did you first get involved with AIM/R?

Alex Lowes: It came from a manufacturer’s recommendation. They suggested that we get involved, and after the approval process, I attended the Nashville conference as a first-time attendee.

Jon Thomas: What was your conference experience?

Lowes: Rewarding enough to attend again this year in Arizona, and I would guess for many years to follow. The ability to share ideas with like-minded business owners is invaluable. Both the manufacturer and rep-only roundtables were the highlight. The open flow and transparent conversation were very refreshing.

Thomas: What has Pro West Sales implemented into the day-to-day business that you attribute to AIM/R’s influence?

Mike Horne: We are currently in the process of transitioning our data over to Rep Fabric. Alex called multiple times from the conference, telling me we’ve found our company CRM for years to come. 

Cohen: What are you looking forward to exploring at this year’s conference?

Lowes: Technology platforms. We haven’t yet implemented artificial intelligence (AI) into our everyday business. I am excited to see how other agencies are using AI and how we can benefit and become more efficient. 

Cohen: What do you see as the biggest threat over the next 5-to-10 years?

Horne: Many of the changes in government policy and how that impacts our industry. This creates a high level of uncertainty. We see builders and developers hesitant to go forward with many different types of projects. 

Thomas: What does Pro West Sales do really well?

Horne: It may sound cliche, but we are a “no ego” team. We answer the phones. We service our customers. And we are told that we are true partners. We are product-picky. Our desire is to be the best, not necessarily the biggest. We take a 360-degree approach from start to finish. And we still remain teachable, always striving for improvement. 

Alan Cohen, CPMR, is vice president of sales at Aston, Pa.-based Rich Tomkins Co. Jon Thomas, CPMR, is president of Hunt Valley, Md.-based N.H. Yates & Co.