ABC Supply’s history is full of success stories of associates who have worked their way up to become standout employees, great leaders and trusted partners to contractors. By encouraging our associates to be entrepreneurial and giving them opportunities—regardless of position—to find growth and personal career success, they’ve found new ways to help contractors and their businesses succeed.
Here are some ways that our Core Values of Opportunity and Entrepreneurial Spirit not only benefit our associates but ultimately help us be better partners to our contractor customers.
Rewarding Dedication to Customers
At ABC Supply, if you have the drive, determination and willingness to work hard for your teams and for customers, opportunities will exist for you.
Take, for example, Jeff Ploch, manager of ABC Supply’s Wisconsin District. Jeff took a driver position with ABC Supply in 1987. While his primary responsibility was to deliver orders, he quickly became known for going above and beyond his job description. He was often the first person to arrive at the branch each day and would help customers who stopped by early, writing up their orders and loading their materials. Once other associates arrived, Jeff would get on with his regular driving duties. It wasn’t long before Jeff’s dedication was recognized, and he has since worked his way up through a variety of positions to eventually become a district manager overseeing 18 branches.
“If you work hard and put in the time, you have all the opportunity in the world to do whatever you want within this company,” says Jeff.
Consistent Training Helps Us Stay Ahead Of The Game
We know that providing associates with ongoing education about the industry and their positions allows them to stay on top of the latest trends, tools and building materials that can help contractors thrive.
In addition to formal educational programs for associates and contractors, we support our associates with one-on-one guidance. Many of our branches also offer educational resources to contractors to help them be better informed about products, trends and best practices.
Finding New Ways to Solve Contractors’ Problems
The spirit of entrepreneurship is encouraged throughout our organization. At every level, our associates are encouraged and trusted to think creatively and find innovative solutions. Exploring new ideas, identifying opportunities, assessing risks and taking action are not only desired, they are expected. Our Entrepreneurial Spirit Core Value has allowed us to look beyond accepted boundaries at the local and national level to find new ways to improve our value to our associates and customers.
From myABCsupply and ABC Connect to our delivery promise our focus has always been on finding new ways to solve problems for our contractor customers and make their jobs easier.
We don’t just view ourselves as a distributor for contractors; we believe we’re an extension of their teams and have a responsibility to help them succeed. Visit our blog for more advice and examples of how we’re helping contractors better run their businesses.