The Wholesaler Blog

Johnstone Supply Inc., a national leader in HVACR distribution, held its 2008 Annual Meeting held in Atlanta this fall. The meeting theme was “Full Steam Ahead,” in part reflecting the cooperative’s strong moves forward in implementing strategic initiatives to achieve its goal of reaching $2 billion in total sales by 2010. This year’s Annual Meeting took note of the continuing strong growth of the cooperative in adding new stores and new members, the completion of its robust national distribution network, and sales figures that for yet another consecutive year were over twice the industry average.

Nearly 1200 people attended this year’s event, and the week’s highlights included the popular vendor trade show with 150 vendor booths, Johnstone awards banquet, and business-focused seminars for cooperative members focusing on products, marketing and operations.

Recapping achievements from the past year, Johnstone noted many accomplishments including the completion of its five-facility regional Distribution Center network. This means the company now provides approximately 87% of its stores with the ability to receive orders next day — greatly enhancing customer service and responsiveness, along with stocking more localized products fitting regional weather and contractor needs.

The cooperative reported strong sales in spite of rough national economic indicators, with sales figures again far outstripping the industry. It also marked the 7th consecutive year that Johnstone has at least doubled the sales growth of the industry overall. Johnstone also continues to expand its national store network, with the addition of 22 new stores opening since just January of this year for a total of 338 to date.

Presentations made at the Annual Meeting included a range of Member awards, Store awards and Vendor awards, all of which reflected the company’s record sales and expanding market share. The John M. Shank Award is given to an owner who has been a Member for less than five years and best demonstrates the entrepreneurial spirit of Cooperative founder John Shank. This years’ Shank Award was presented to Bruce Eckenberg, owner of the Paducah, Ky., store.

Another prestigious and rarely presented honor, Johnstone’s Leadership Award recognizes the unselfish dedication, guidance and cooperative service of remarkable members of the Johnstone family. It was presented to long-time store group owner, Board member and six-year Board chairman Greg Popma.

Vendor awards paid tribute to the manufacturing partners who play such a vital role in Johnstone’s success. Awards were handed out honoring excellence in areas such as Customer Service (Jessie Spence, Coleman Heating and Air Conditioning) and Marketing (Rinnai). Johnstone’s most prestigious vendor honor, the Supplier of the Year Award, was presented to Arkema, which has partnered with Johnstone for over 35 years. The Supplier of the Year award recognizes the highest level of partnership and excellence in logistics, product development, marketing programs and store support.

Johnstone Supply is a leading cooperative wholesale distributor in the HVACR industry, with over $1 billion in annual sales and more than 335 independently owned store locations across America. For information, visit www.JohnstoneSupply.com.