P+P: What do you expect to be some of the biggest challenges the industry will face?
DJK: Shifts in technology, changes in the industry, environment, customer demands, and communication shifts between our customers due to technology. Many customers are so busy nowadays that they do not have time to see customers or even talk over the phone. Most requests/responses are done via email and fax. Personal one-on-one [time] and phone communication are key in this industry. We find customers become easily overwhelmed when we ask questions or want to change items to benefit the end-user. My last challenge would be the resources of promoting our products in the hands of our distributors to train them to help market and sell all the products we manufacture.
executive perspectives: All in the Family
Tales from a top executive