Distribution is a competitive business with thin operating margins. The difference of a few percentage points on a product can make the difference between a sale and losing a sale.

A manufacturer’s salesforce can take many forms — internal sales, external sales or partner with a manufacturer’s rep firm to represent the company and its brand.  A manufacturer’s representative is an integral part of the industry channel and  an extension of the brands it represents. 

We asked Rick Root, principal at Bailey Sales & Associates and the current AIM/R president, to discuss the industry, and how AIM/R continues to be the go-to resource for rep excellence. 

Creating an environment for employees to prosper personally and financially enables businesses to flourish. And reducing barriers to opportunity enhances a company’s growth, as investing in your employees inevitably increases productivity and, ultimately, your bottom line. 

After taking a dip in 2018, spending in the U.S. power industry for pipe, valves and fittings is forecast to continue to rise through 2020, as project activity in various sectors increases.

When President Donald Trump recently raised eyebrows in calling his predecessor President Barack Obama’s “war on climatological impurities” a hoax, he stunned much of America’s believers, who had approved the cutback in the “belching” of carbon dioxide (CO2). This called for the limitation of coal production and cutting back U.S. manufacturing, in general, to “save the air.”

Construction jobs at the end of the first half of the year showed more strength than during the first quarter and at the beginning of the second quarter.

We recently returned from this year’s Southern Wholesaler’s Association (SWA) meeting held on Amelia Island in Florida. As always, the SWA meeting was well-attended and included an excellent program with many opportunities for business, social and family activities.

The expansion is expected to be completed by the end of the year, increasing the building's size from its current 60,000 square feet to 128,000 square feet. 

Rothenberg Associates has been representing manufacturers in the plumbing industry since 1934.