SUMMIT BREAKS STRIDE LONG ENOUGH TO BLOW OUT 29 CANDLES
When you have more candles to blow out, it helps to have more people at the table.
Summit Electric Supply recently marked its 29th birthday on Aug. 15, 2006, and more than 500 Associates marked the day with appreciation for the past and hopeful excitement for the future.
It was way back during the Carter administration in 1977 when Summit opened its first location in Albuquerque, N.M., with five Associates, three of whom were partners in the start-up.
The founders' firm insistence on nothing less than the industry's best Customer service remains Summit's signature today and is the main reason the company now operates 18 Service Centers in four states and ranks No. 23 among the estimated 3,500 electrical distributors in the nation.
In our business, however, relaxing and admiring your accomplishments for too long can blur your focus. So while Summit Associates may have tooted a birthday horn or two, they're already busy forging plans for the next 30 years.
And the future looks great.
Thanks to Summit's requirement that each Associate receive 50 hours of training each year, the crews at each of our Service Centers are experienced and on the cutting edge of the industry's latest technology and trends.
Our systems of efficiency continue to improve, and plans are in place for a dramatic new implementation that will benefit our Customers, our suppliers and our Associates. (More on this will be announced before the end of the year.)
Summit continues to attract the brightest professionals in the industry and the most promising rookies from the collegiate ranks, so the skill level of our Associates remains unmatched and unapproachable.
As Summit President and CEO Victor Jury Jr. says, "When you hire the best people and give them the best systems to work with, excellence in every aspect of our organization is the natural result."
So while it's fun to pause on your birthday and reflect on everything you've achieved, it's even more fun to discover new and better ways to delight our Customers.
That's our focus, and it will never blur, no matter how many candles are on the cake. |
