Article Number : 1054 |
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| Date | 5/16/2006 10:32:53 AM |
| Written By | LGM & Associates Technical Flooring Services |
| View this article at: | //floorbiz.com/BizResources/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=1054 |
| Abstract | By Matthew Spieler Bal Harbor, Fla.—With nearly 600 people in attendance, StarNet Commercial Flooring celebrated the cooperative’s largest convention in its 14-year history with no signs of slowing down... |
| Article | By Matthew Spieler Bal Harbor, Fla.—With nearly 600 people in attendance, StarNet Commercial Flooring celebrated the cooperative’s largest convention in its 14-year history with no signs of slowing down. While the growth spurt in the last 18 months was helped by the incorporation of more than two dozen contractors who were part of the former Invironmentalists program from Invista, the group has maintained a steady pace of adding eight to 10 members a year. And, that includes commercial dealers north of the border as eight have joined so far with more on the way. At convention, StarNet stood at 149 members with 240 locations. Lori Dowling, the group’s president and CEO, said even though the organization has grown significantly it has done so “responsibly. We’ve kept our high standards with those that have joined.” Along with keeping true to the quality of contractor allowed to join, StarNet has managed to seamlessly integrate the new members into the organization so that its fraternal atmosphere does not get lost, a sentiment that some members expressed as important. Paul White of Paul G. White Tile Co. in Portland, Me., noted, “StarNet does a good job in making sure we know who all the new members are. That’s what great about convention; there’s a good mix, especially with all the new members. There is so much knowledge gathered here and the good thing is, we get to share that with each other.” Dowling acknowledged StarNet makes a big effort to integrate the new members. “It is important for them to know they are welcomed and have something positive to add. As with existing members, these are leaders in their markets and the knowledge, experience and expertise they bring only adds value to the overall organization. “That’s why we encourage them right from the beginning to join our committees,” she added. “We also break out into smaller groups to discuss best practices and other issues because it promotes dialogue. And, by being in a smaller group of peers each person does not feel intimidated to speak.” In addition, Dowling said StarNet employs a mentoring program where an existing member is paired with a new member. The mentor is there to answer any questions the new member may have, spend time together at meetings, etc. “The concept is to help get them assimilated into the group.” Getting members all working together is one of the key ingredients to StarNet’s success but another important component is forming a strong bond with the group’s preferred vendors and service providers. Having a good relationship with suppliers is critical in any field but in commercial flooring it may be more important than most due to the nature of the industry. That is why it has to go beyond just sales volume, though the membership has no problem supporting its vendors in this area based on the record number of incentives earned. For Starnet it involves getting each side to know and understand how they can help one another achieve their ultimate goal of success. “This is a great group of contractors,” said Gilles de Beaumont, president of Tarkett Commercial. “They are very focused on the vendors. We want to be on the same page with them and have been growing 15% to 20% annually with them. “Tarkett is trying to be close with each member,” he continued. “For example, we brought members from Texas to our plant to give them a better understanding of who we are and what we are trying to accomplish. We started with the Texas members since they are in our backyard, but we plan to expand the program to everyone in the group.” Armstrong’s Randy Gablehouse called StarNet “a very professional organization that cannot be ignored. The quality of the group is awesome. But, the reality is, in this business there are so many products and services out there that to get them in a dedicated setting gives us a great opportunity to review and remind them of what we have to offer. “It boils down to relationships and trust,” he added, “because their reputations are on the line with everything they buy and use, so they tend to gravitate to those companies they know the best and have had a successful relationship with in the past.” Sometimes it takes a little time to establish the relationship, but when it happens it can mean a great deal for a company. Michael Freedman of resilient maker LG Chem noted, “This is our third convention and things are starting to take off. The membership is buying into the program and we are actually making a great deal of headway.” Earl Geertgens of Free Axez USA, a maker of low-profile access floors, called StarNet “the most important group to this company.” To get to this level with the vendors, StarNet has done a number of things. Dave Kalberg of Pierce Flooring & Design in Billings, Mont., and chairman of StarNet’s Training & Development Committee, along with Deb Esbenshade, StarNet’s director of member services, explained the “Working Together” presentation that was implemented in the last year. The idea is to explain why it makes sense for suppiers and StarNet members to partner with one another. The presentation is given to local sales reps of vendors. There are approximately 25 to 30 people in each session and to date, nearly 800 field sales reps have participated. Another way to form closer ties with vendors is to work hand-in-hand with them on a specific project that benefits everyone. For example Jeff Buttitta, president of Johnsonite, noted how the company has spent the last 18 months and invested approximately six figures to develop a presentation for members to take to their customers. The presentation is an attempt “to increase profits and better serve your customers,” he explained. “Clients see us as a cost, while furniture is an investment and we need to change the conversation and the language to one your customers can understand.” It covers three areas —space being a strategic asset, a value proposition of floor covering and the value of collaboration—“all using language to which they can relate. We need to change the conversation to economics and it doesn’t have to be low cost.” The interesting thing about this piece is,” he concluded “you will not see Johnsonite in the presentation. Members can even put their names on the cover. We feel you touch more people on the front lines than we do.” |