21 minute read
Giving Back in a Crisis
ALLPRO Members making a Difference in the Fight Against Covid-19
There’s no denying that 2020 has brought along unprecedented challenges for our ALLPRO community, and we’re all trying to navigate a new normal and do our part to slow the spread of COVID-19. Many of us are facing the difficult prospect or reality of having to close our doors to comply with government regulations, wondering how employee checks will be paid—all while grappling with the very real threat this virus poses to our families and loved ones. It’s so easy to become consumed by all the anxiety that’s circulating, especially when turning on the six o’clock news can feel like watching a nightmare reel. Every morning, we wake up to a new headline about a new city being forced into lockdown, another hospital that is running out of ICU beds.
es, we have seen how fear can multiply, but we are also learning that generosity and hope can be just as contagious. What we need now more than ever is to search for the stories that speak to our resilience, the ones that can offer hope and remind us of the ways in which communities are showing up for one another, helping to ease the extra burdens this pandemic has placed upon us. Seeking out and celebrating these small acts of kindness and bravery brings us hope in uncertain times.
We’ve been so inspired seeing the way our members have rallied together to support their communities and frontline workers. Some of us are uniquely positioned to help, since the N95 masks that are in incredibly high demand are the same masks used by contractors and painters. Despite being faced with their own struggles and challenges amid this health and economic crisis, our retailers have looked beyond themselves and stepped up to the plate to give back to those who need it most right now.
Leading by example, ALLPRO president and JC Licht owner, Elliot Greenberg, made the decision to pull their stock of N95 masks and donate them to Chicagoland hospitals, hospices, and nursing homes. In addition to this generous donation, JC Licht has transformed their delivery business to serve the communities’ senior population, opening up a hotline for those most at risk. “If they need anything at all, their medication, milk, something to read, they just have to call the number and we will leave it at their front door. Additionally, if someone is worried about an elderly person that they can’t reach, we will go to their house wearing protective gear and do a wellness check,”shares Sharon McGuckin, Vice President of Retail at JC Licht.
Dages Hikes Point Paint & Wallpaper manager, Justin Amburgey, shown with members of the Fern Creek Fire Department making a donation to Baptist Healthcare and the Fern Creek Fire Department
This spirit of generosity seems to have spread itself throughout the ALLPRO community, with numerous members donating masks, gloves and protective gear as well as services and support to many in need. A few examples of the many selfless members and suppliers who make our hearts swell with their good deeds are Terry Dacey, owner of Hadlock’s House of Paint in Victor, New York, who donated over 6,000 N95 masks to Rochester General Hospital. He also donated a small supply to Foodlink to help protect workers preparing food and groceries for community distribution. Barrydowne Paint of Sudbury, Ontario, donated 300 N95 respirator masks to Health Sciences North to support the health-care workers and first responders, many of whom are friends and family of Barrydowne staff members. Spectrum Paint Co. donated thousands of N95 masks from their distribution center to local hospitals in their communities of Virginia, South Carolina, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, and Arkansas. Dages Hikes Point Paint & Wallpaper in Louisville, Kentucky, donated all of their personal protective devices to Fern Creek Fire Department and Baptist Healthcare and Grauer’s Paint & Decorating Center of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, donated gloves to Lancaster Behavioral Hospital.
These acts of kindness and generosity are inspiring. We’ve all made sacrifices to help slow the spread of COVID-19, whether it be a sudden drop in earnings, transitioning to curbside pick-up or having to lay off employees that feel like family. It’s important that we band together during this difficult time, remember that there is still plenty of goodness in this world and smile at the prospect of the day when we will have overcome this hurdle. From all of us at ALLPRO, we thank all our members that are making sacrifices, small and big, to end this pandemic and save as many lives as possible. We’re proud to have you as a part of our family and we look forward to the day when we can gather once again.
Barrydowne Paint’s donation to Health Sciences North
Chad Newcomer from Grauer’s Paint & Decorating Center donating to Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital
Spectrum Paint’s Virginia team donating masks to Bon Secours Richmond Health System.
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NEW MEMBER JANE A. SMITH A LLPRO MEMBERSHIP 2020 WELOME TO ALLPRO NEW MEMBER JANE A. SMITH A LLPRO MEMBERSHIP 2020 WELCOME TO ALLPRO
We caught up with some of ALLPRO’s newest members to find out a little bit more about them, what they’re looking forward to as members of ALLPRO, and how they are coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. Join us in welcoming them to the ALLPRO family!
Roberts Decorator Supply Sherman, TX
Enterprise Paint Enterprise, AL
Owner: Mike Goolsby, since 1992 Been In Business Since: 1966 Number of Stores: 1 Joined ALLPRO: January, 2020 Looking Forward to: “I like the contact that I get to make with other dealers; the information I can get from other members is really helpful.” San Antonio Spring Show Highlight: “Learning how to make the most of the buying opportunities.” Wants to Talk to Other Members About: “Insurance is a huge cost for us, so it would be great to hear how other members are handling that.” How COVID-19 has Impacted Them: The retail side of things have seen a downturn, but thankfully they’ve been able to lean on their industry relationships. They’ve been declared an essential service so they’ve been able to continue operating in accordance with social distancing measures. What They’re Doing: “We clean our store, doors, counters, screens, everything every two hours. We wear our face masks to be able to go out to people’s cars.”
Mike and his team wanted to send their well wishes to the rest of the ALLPRO family as well: “We hope that everyone stays safe and that all our fellow business people get through this without being too badly hurt… we wish them great success.”
In Business Since: 35-40 years General Manager: Lucas Simmons Number of Stores: 1 Joined ALLPRO: 2020 How They Got On Board: “One of the other paint stores recommended ALLPRO reach out to us.” Looking Forward To: “Just being a part of a group, kind of like a community. And going to the ALLPRO show and feeling that sense of family, everybody knows everybody. The extra discounts and additional terms will really help our cash flow.” San Antonio Spring Show Highlight: “It was really great meeting everybody and just having a good time.” Wants to Talk to Other Members About: “I would like to talk to other more experienced members about how they use ALLPRO to their advantage. Strategize.” How COVID-19 Has Impacted Them: “Here in our city of Enterprise, we’ve only seen about ten cases, but we’ve actually been a lot busier. The industrial side of things has been busy but also our walk-in customers, so many people are at home from work and bored.” What They’re Doing: “We can’t have more than ten people in the store. We’ve been sanitizing everywhere, and just trying to help our customers practice social distancing.”
Lucas and his team are very much enjoying being ALLPRO members and look forward to getting to know you all better!
Santa Barbara Paint Santa Barbara, CA
Joined ALLPRO: July, 2019 In Business Since: Early 90s Owner: Art Prado How They Got On Board: “Vendors mentioned to us that we should become members only because we were transitioning and going to be able to take advantage of the type of support and promotions that ALLPRO has.” Looking Forward To: “The networking, the resources, and the savings.” San Antonio Spring Show Highlight: “I’ve been doing this for twenty-eight years and I’ve never been able to sit down one-on-one and really have a dialogue about concerns that I have and questions that I can pose to people that just want to share their experience.” How COVID-19 Has Impacted Them: “We see that on the community level there’s a lot of uncertainty and fear and that usually will lead to restricting buying or socializing. And then on a business level that translates to a lot of existing projects being halted or stopped entirely. That affects sales… historical data and forecasting is out the window.” What They’re Doing: “We’ve changed our store hours, how we’re interacting with the public, pre-paid options, delivery so they’re not even coming in the store…. We’re limiting services that we’d normally really love to have, we’re limiting our exposure on those job sites that have been deemed essential. We’re trying our best to continue being there for our community and remain a functioning business while keeping everyone safe.”
“We support each other and with support we have more strength and the ability to weather this. What ALLPRO and the vendors are doing is amazing; to give us extended payment terms, because the next few months are going to be critical, but when we believe we’re not alone, when we believe there are more people out there willing to help out, I think that’s key.”
Ideal Home and Paint St. George, UT
Joined ALLPRO: January, 2020 In Business Since: 1974 Owner: Roy Odette (Second Generation) How They Got On Board: “One of our employees had talked to us about ALLPRO and we have been trying for many years to get affiliated with them. As a little guy you’ve got to do a lot of work to be better, to be competitive in that realm.” Looking Forward To: “Access to competitive pricing, access to unique product lines, association with other people that are in the business… being able to rub shoulders with them and pick their brains. A competitor of ours is in the same market and having that kind of connection will eventually lead to a less hostile environment and actually being able to work with them.” San Antonio Spring Show Highlight: “It was the best trade show I’ve ever been to in terms of providing value to me.” Wants to Talk to Other Members About: “Selling product. Strategies around sales.” How COVID-19 Has Impacted Them: “We’re one of five states that hasn’t gone state-wide with the lockdown. There are a total of 20 people that have it in our city. We have seen an increase in business… people that are staying home are getting focused on doing some home projects.” What They’re Doing: “We have put in some best practices. We try to be representative of a good community steward. Wearing surgical gloves, wiping the counter down, those kinds of things.”
Ray and his team are very excited to be associated with ALLPRO. “We’re looking to add significant value not just in terms of pricing, but also in terms of training and the association with quality people.” They look forward to getting to know you all!
Brackin Paint & Supply Dothan, AL
Joined ALLPRO: January, 2020 In Business Since: 1982 Owner: Brad Brackin How They Got On Board: “Someone had mentioned it in passing that we should join ALLPRO, and then last November or December, Richard’s Paint, one of the companies we purchase coatings from, had mentioned to an ALLPRO rep, John Shingledecker (who is awesome, by the way) that he ought to come talk to us. When we looked at the extra discount, we saw that we could get our return on our investment back within six months.” Looking Forward To: “The buying power and better profit margins. We were very excited about what we saw in San Antonio, there are a lot of ALLPRO branded products that we’ll get better pricing on. The brand marketing, they’ve done a really good job.” San Antonio Spring Show Highlights: “Every booth we went to at the ALLPRO show was a potential supplier. We learned an awful lot and we found a lot of suppliers.” Wants to Talk With Other Members About: “Find out what their success stories with ALLPRO have been. I know we’ve all got them!” How COVID-19 Has Impacted Them: “Right now, because we do so much with industrial accounts, we move a lot of Isopropyl Alcohol, a lot of gloves, a lot of respirators, so we’re considered an essential business. Our walk-in traffic has slowed tremendously. People are staying at home. We’ve been running deliveries, we’re still selling [homeimprovement] products but it’s slowed down.” What They’re Doing: “We’ve implemented curbside pick-up. We’re trying to do the six-foot rule and keep everybody safe here.”
InSIDE Out Paint Centers Roswell & Marietta, GA
Joined ALLPRO: San Antonio Spring Show, 2020 Been In Business Since: 2016 Owner: John Gregory How They Got on Board: “John Shingledecker reached out and we had a conversation. I had wanted to be involved for a number of years.” San Antonio Spring Show Highlight: “I liked the aspect of having some of the larger dealers across the nation all being present and the opportunity to interact with vendors.” Most Looking Forward To: “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to meet and learn from new dealers… do some knowledge-sharing. There are plenty of lessons to be learned. There’s an openness to the group. If you’re an ALLPRO member and you want to talk about something, start asking questions!” Wants to Talk To Other Members About: Marketing! How COVID-19 Has Impacted Them: “Our business was up initially… right around St. Patrick’s Day we saw a huge uptick in retail sales. But as things continue to evolve, and we got to ‘shelter in place’, we’ve seen a noticeable downturn in both DIY and pro business. I think we’re going to know more over the course of the next week or two.” What They’re Doing: “We rapidly moved to curbside pick-up with call-ahead service and credit card only transactions. I said if I want to stay open, I need to be responsible, and the responsible thing to do was to shut down the showroom. I’ve got to keep my employees healthy and comfortable coming to work. We issued guidance to our customers that we would offer delivery within 24 hours, but to be honest, curbside is where it’s at. People want to get out of the house!”
“We’re all in this together. We will prevail, we need warriors, not wimps, we have to go out into society in a responsible manner, but my view in general is that we’ve got to hit this thing head on, you can’t sit in the house and wait for the all-clear. There is risk every single day, being alive, there is risk. But it’s important to continue to live.”
Mark’s Paint Mart Oakland, CA
Joined ALLPRO: February, 2020 Been In Business Since: 1973 Owner: Tony Rago How They Got on Board: “We’ve known about ALLPRO for the last 20 years or so. We’ve wanted to join for years, and by the end of last year… the time was right.” San Antonio Spring Show Highlight: “I enjoyed meeting other members, new and veteran. The networking, to sum it up.” Most Looking Forward to: “The power of the buying group and the discounts that will be available to us. Just being able to better serve our customers with inventory that we didn’t have access to before.” Wants to Talk to Other Members About: “Marketing plans, point-of-sale and credit card transactions. I know other people in our market have been successful with these things and I’d love to talk to them.” How COVID-19 Has Impacted Them: “The city itself is pretty much being shut down. They are going to be tearing up the front of our street for the next couple of months and that’s still going on. Our business is still pretty strong for the amount of hours that we’re open. We’re only open 30 hours a week. The retail trade is still coming in, but as of last week all of our major accounts have shut it down. I think we’re going to find out next week what kind of drop off we’re dealing with.” What They’re Doing: “I’m still paying my employees for full days even if they are working half days. We’re only allowing three customers in at a time. We’ve set up the tape on the floor indicating where people can stand. People for the most part have been pretty receptive. We’re trying to do the best we can.”
Eagle Paint & Wallpaper Englewood, NJ
Joined ALLPRO: 2020 Been in Business Since: 1948 Motto: “Today’s Paint Store with Yesterday’s Small Business Values” Owner: Joe Pisarri Number of Stores: 2 Eagle Paint & Wallpaper has been serving the Englewood community for decades with their knowledgeable staff, passionate service, and custom solutions. They pride themselves on their status as “not just another paint store” and their willingness to go the extra mile for their customers. This striving toward excellence is how we know they will fit into our ALLPRO community seamlessly. We weren’t able to connect with Eagle Paint & Wallpaper for this issue, but we’re very much looking forward to getting to know them!
To all our new members: we’re so happy to welcome you on board and look forward to all the memories and successes we have yet to share!
SAME GREAT PRODUCT BOLD NEW L OOK!
SINCE 1851
s a n a n t o n i o s p r i n g s h o w r e c a p
highlight of each year for many ALLPRO members and vendors alike is the Spring Show. This year, ALLPRO hosted 1,100 people at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas. Starting the weekend in a similar fashion to last year, both members and vendors were welcomed with the pre-show breakfast (delicious as always). This year’s show opened with a video that showcased a number of the ALLPRO members sharing what they were most looking forward to at the show, some benefits that they take home from ALLPRO membership, and a recap of what is on the horizon for 2020. It was a timely reminder of what brings us all together and a hefty dose of inspiration is always a great motivator to make the most of the time we have. Little did we know when we sat down together for our first meal of the weekend that the world was about to be turned upside down, and it would be the last time for many to get the chance to gather in such a large group. As we weather the COVID-19 storm together, memories like these ones are given an added weight in our hearts, and they reminds us how lucky we are to have such a wonderful group to belong to.
In addition to greetings from group president, Elliott Greenberg, individual store achievements were celebrated and Mike Beaudoin shared a number of exciting ideas and goals that are on deck for the months and years to come. Mike shared that our group is continuing to experience growth, with 50 new members added in a four-year period, reporting that our total store count grew from 1,400 in 2015 to just under 2,000 in 2020. Our distribution centers are growing, too, expanding the ALLPRO brand by making our products more accessible to our members. These larger distribution centers allow for large-pool buys on key items, generating more savings that can be passed along to our members. Mike also revealed that a fourth distribution center will be opening in Kansas City, Missouri, sometime in the third quarter of 2020. Furthermore, Mike announced that ALLPRO has designated 2020 as an investment year which will focus on incorporating new technologies that will help support ALLPRO’s growth. In addition to the new scanning app that has been made available (this can be used to purchase products from the distribution center on any member’s smartphone), there is a plan to launch a new member payment portal that will electronically balance payments and statements.
For members looking to fulfill POs and shore up new products for store shelves, the show floor made for jam-packed days. Straight after breakfast, many hit the floor with an agenda and strategy to get it all done in order to stay ahead of schedule and be ready to hit the links or get in some sightseeing after lunch.
Day two started early, but with an added sense of excitement and competition. Members made their way to their list of booths and vendors were poised and ready to process member orders. The air was filled with the familiar friendly banter of members talking shop and sharing tips and tactics, but also about who had their speedy shoes primed and ready to dominate at the 5k that was up next on the itinerary. Who would be the first to cross the finish line: a member, vendor, perhaps a special guest? This was the first time the Spring Show has incorporated a charity run, so there was an added zest and excitement involved in forging this new tradition. It turns out, some ALLPRO members could very likely have a promising career as distance runners should the paint thing ever start getting old!
Day three arrived with the finish line in sight. Members took some time to review their budgets, confirm their orders, and make decisions about new programs or products to fill out their roster of offerings. The closing of the show culminated with suppliers lending a helping hand or roll of packing tape to their booth neighbors, members lining up for their payday from Jonathan at the ALLPRO desk, with some saying their heartfelt goodbyes until next year, while others returned to their room and prepared for the wrap party by donning their best cowboy hats and two-steppin’ boots!
