Bradford White hosts memorable sales meeting
For most, it would be a dream vacation. For Bradford White, it was a way of rewarding its family of employees, reps, retirees and guests. Situated on the coast of Puerto Rico and the sparkling blue waters of the Caribbean, the El Conquistador resort in Las Croabas provided a beautiful venue as Bradford White, Laars Heating Systems, Bradford White-Canada and Niles Steel Tank sales representatives from throughout North America gathered March 19-21. During the three-day meeting, almost 400 people from Bradford White and its subsidiary companies celebrated Bradford White’s 15-year anniversary as an employee-owned company.
Bradford White has had three acquisitions since its last sales meeting in 2002. This was the first time that representatives from Bradford White, Bradford White-Canada, Laars Heating Systems and Niles Steel Tank joined together to exchange ideas and strategies, interact with each other, forge relationships and forecast plans for the future.
The size and scope of the sales meeting has changed with the growth of the company. Each sales meeting has virtually taken on a life of its own. Each meeting has had a theme and mission that represented where Bradford White and its representatives were in the marketplace, and where they were headed at that time. The 1993 meeting hosted approximately 100 reps/employees with one company; this year’s event drew almost 400 attendees from four companies under the Bradford White umbrella.
Highlights from paradise
The first night of the meeting was the official opening of the sales gathering. The event took place on Palomino Island, a private island leased to the El Conquistador Resort. Bradford White rented the entire island for its opening program, which celebrated the anniversary as an employee-owned company. The theme of the night -- as well as the entire meeting -- was “The Quest to be the Best.”
All attendees were transported to the island by seven-minute boat ride, greeted with cocktails on arrival, walked through a torch-lit tiki trail and treated to an interactive reception/dinner. Entertainment included palm readers, tattoo artists, cigar rollers, fire eaters, and culminated with a five-minute fireworks display.
A. Robert Carnevale, president and CEO of Bradford White, opened the program and set the tone with an overview of the first 15 years along with outlining goals for the companies with 10 principles outlining what it takes to be the best.
“Your quest for the best is not a destination, but a personal journey,” said Carnevale. He concluded his presentation by saying, “The tenth principal you must discover on your own to fully understand. Continue your quest, together, and the tenth principal -- the key principal -- will be revealed.”
The quest continued the next morning as executive vice president Nick Giuffre opened the meeting in a room that was completely transformed to a rainforest theme complete with temple and theatrics. His entrance was set up on Palomino the night before as the leader of the quest. Giuffre’s speech centered on the concept of teamwork and the need for everyone to be their best.
“You found the most important principal in the quest to be the best,” Giuffre said. “The tenth principal required to be the best is teamwork! When you worked as a team, you achieved success. And from now on, teamwork is the key to even greater rewards.”
That evening, attendees were treated to dinner at the Hacienda Siesta Allegre, a unique venue located at the foot of the Junque Rain Forest. It is a gorgeous setting on a hill that featured patios, verandas and a truly one-of-a-kind feature -- no walls.
Attendees were skeptical at first, riding though very narrow streets that led to the rain forest, but when they experienced the completely open setting without barricades, they realized it was perfect for relaxation and good conversation. Entertainment was provided by the Folkoric dance ensemble of San Juan. True to form in the rain forest, it even rained for about three minutes to add to the ambience.
The mood was upbeat during the entire sales meeting, but on the third day when Carnevale introduced keynote speaker, retired U.S. Army General and Secretary of State Colin Powell, the standing applause was equaled only by the ovation he received at the conclusion of his address.
“Being among you -- and I’ve learned this from getting to know some of you -- is so much like a large gathering of soldiers,” said Gen. Powell. “You’ve set and know your goal, and you have clearly demonstrated an ability to move toward it in unison, to achieve success at a level so few companies have experienced. These are key steps in accomplishing lofty objectives, striving to be the best at what you do, and in tackling the challenge vigorously, ethically, and with a sense of leadership, responsibility and stewardship that now importantly includes the need to develop energy-efficient technology to assure a better world for future generations. This is what makes a great company. That’s why I’m proud to be here with you.”
The selection of Gen. Powell as keynoter was an easy one. “I knew I wanted a speaker who was more than an economist, more than a celebrity, someone that embodied the American spirit,” said Fred Vattimo, director of corporate advertising. “Working with him was actually very easy; he is extremely well-read and still very connected to Washington. Since he was a surprise guest, Gen. Powell was very conscious of not being seen until it was his time to speak. He was a fantastic speaker, and an even better communicator.”
The final dinner took place in the resort’s Grand Ballroom. It was a sit-down affair, preceded by a reception on an outside patio on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean where it meets the Caribbean Sea. All the attendees were given an autographed copy of General Powell’s book, My American Journey. They also saw video highlights and pictures of the meeting -- from check-in to the reception that evening -- and heard Carnevale deliver the meeting’s closing remarks.
Bradford White-sponsored free-time activities included golf, deep-sea fishing, catamaran sailing and a shopping trip to Old San Juan. Others relaxed by the pool, went to the beach or pressed their luck in the casino.
The planning and development stages for an event like this started approximately one year in advance. What followed were long hours and a lot of ideas. All were shared with a single purpose -- to create a theme and develop a program that was informing and entertaining for the participants.
Sales achievements awards
Joseph T. Notte, national sales manager for Bradford White, presented the award for “Best of the Best-Total Company” to Signature Sales Inc. of Corona, Calif. Other Bradford White reps honored were: Preferred Sales Inc. of Hermitage, Pa.; Wiggs, Haun & Bohan of Nashville, Tenn.; Michel Sales Agency of St. Paul, Minn.; and Bradford White – Canada’s choice was Equipco Ltd. of Vancouver, B.C.
John Warner, national sales manager for Laars Heating Systems, presented the award for “Best of the Best-Total Company” to California Hydronics/ Columbia Hydronics Corp. of Hayward, Calif. Other Laars Heating Systems reps honored were: Sales, Marketing & Service Inc. of Stoughton, Mass.; Rathe Associates of Syosset, N.Y.; R.L. Deppmann of Grand Rapids, Mich.; and jsa Sales Inc. of Vancouver, B.C.
Mark Betterly, national sales manager for Niles Steel Tank, presented the award for “Best of the Best-Total Company” to goes Sales of Texas Inc. of Houston.
Two additional awards were given to Bradford White executives. Bruce Carnevale, vice president-sales & marketing, presented the Sales mvp Trophy to vice president and general manager of the Middleville manufacturing facility, Eric M. Lannes, for his exceptional support of the sales team.
A. Robert Carnevale, Bradford White president and CEO, was also honored with an award recognizing his insight and inspiration through the 15 years he has led the highly successful acquisition of Bradford White by the management and employees. Gen. Powell presented Carnevale with the award.
Bradford White Corporation is a full-line manufacturer of residential, commercial and industrial products for water heating, combination heating and storage applications. The company is headquartered in Ambler, Pa., and has manufacturing facilities in Middleville and Niles, Mich., and Rochester, N.H.