Articles by Kevin Austin

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The Golden Pacific Way

August 18, 2011 in Company Culture by Kevin Austin | No comments

In an era of devaluation of traditional print management and production overcapacity, our company has continued to thrive because of our commitment to a service based model to our customers. It is our compelling culture that is the intangible that sets us apart in a world where products and services are viewed as interchangeable. Our employees, supplier partners , and valued customers have enabled us to grow in a very challenging economy.

What sets our employees and partners apart from our competition? Our employees are creative, passionate, enthusiastic, optimistic and enjoy having fun in the work they do for our customers. This positive attitude results in a more energized and fulfilling work environment. Each one of them takes a “whatever it takes’ attitude toward completion of their goals. They take the initiative to be in control and own it. They act with our customer’s best interests in mind and with a sense of urgency. Each one addresses issues with solutions. They believe in innovation and take pride in their work.

These are the values that have become our culture. We will continue to strive to do what we do well and be the best. We will continue to pursue new creative solutions to our customer’s problems. This is the formula that has worked for over 34 years.

Kevin Austin
President and CEO

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What If Today is the New “Normal”?

July 12, 2011 in Innovation by Kevin Austin | No comments

I just recently returned from a business conference of 4000 people consisting of some of my suppliers and peers. I have always believed it is very important to work “on” your business as well as “in” the business. In one of the sessions I attended, the question was raised “what if today is the new normal?” We have been told by economic experts that the recession is technically over, but you would have a hard time trying to sell that idea to the 7 million people that lost their jobs during this time period. The job growth pace is much slower than job reduction period.

At the same time that the Big Box stores are down 30%, our wholesaler tells us that their top 150 independent dealers are up 22%. What can be the reason for this? I believe it all has to do with the value proposition. Independent companies like ours can deliver a better value to our clients including higher levels of service, flexibility, innovation, and technology solutions. This drives down our client costs and puts us in a position of a partner to our client.

In today’s business environment, it pays to team up with a company that understands your company’s problems, needs and objectives. This results better relationships based on delivering programs and solutions. I believe this is the new “normal” and is why Golden Pacific Systems has grown in a down economy.

Kevin Austin
President and CEO

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Press On!

June 8, 2011 in Innovation by Kevin Austin | No comments

Ever wonder why a less talented person is more successful than their counterpart? In my many years of experience in dealing with people the answer lies with persistence and determination to succeed. Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the US, was quoted shortly after the year 1900 that

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men (people) with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race”.

This is still true today, a hundred years later. Perhaps we can all be persistent and determined to achieve our goals and solve the challenges facing us today. Press on!

Kevin Austin
President and CEO

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Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

March 29, 2011 in Company Culture by Kevin Austin | No comments

I come from the old school, believing very strongly that the best way to foster business relationships and communications is through old fashioned personalized service. Even though I enjoy the efficiencies brought on by technology, I also like face-to-face meetings and talking to a person on the other end of the phone.

However, I have come to realize how important it is to be visible through the use of social networking. Blogs enable us to communicate with our growing customer base and vendor network. It has always been very important for me that our company understand our customer and their needs. It is also important for us to partner with the best suppliers. I truly believe this is one of the factors that have differentiated us in the marketplace for the past 34 years. This enables us to know each other better, establish trust, respect, and motivation to make it work better.

It has never been about the products we sell. There are lots of competitors out there that can also produce the same items. We understand that it is about our personal connections, relationships, and living up to our promises. I also understand now that the use of Facebook, Linked In, and Blogs make it easier to communicate with our customers and for them to get to know us better.

Kevin Austin
President and CEO

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Collaboration is the New Business Environment

February 8, 2011 in Innovation by Kevin Austin | No comments

In the “olden days” your competitor was your enemy, both parties would fight over a shrinking market share. While healthy competition will remain, savvy companies are looking to utilize their strengths and expand services to increase value to their mutual client. Creating strategic partnerships to reach a larger portion of the market not only provides additional sales, it creates efficiencies and lowers overall costs.

Strategic partnerships can be based on cross endorsement or creation of a new market utilizing combined strengths. Any strategic partnership should outline responsibilities and expectations of each partner. It should also include timelines of what will happen, when, and by whom. Probably best to put it in writing outlining details of activities and roles. Open communication is critical for success, and regular business reviews should be included in the activities. It is very important to include a section on areas in which to work together and areas in which to compete. It would also make sense to include an arbitration process to safeguard the agreement.

Creative collaboration with competitors in the same industry or similar industries is vital today to capitalize on each others resources to survive and grow. Economies of scale have been replaced by technology solutions and market expertise. This creates a win for the client and wins for both strategic partners.

Kevin Austin
President and CEO

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Real Cost Savings Through Single Sourcing

October 14, 2010 in Strategic Outsourcing by Kevin Austin | No comments

In multi-branch and franchise location companies, single sourcing has been proven to lower product costs over the past decade by leveraging purchasing with fewer suppliers. However, this is just a small portion of the savings possible when strategically outsourcing to a single, trusted provider.

A symbiotic relationship between a company and committed supplier allows both parties to learn about one another. This results in an in depth exploration of all costs that go into procurement, distribution and the accounting process that surrounds the efforts resulting in the development of solutions to drive those costs down. Potential areas of savings include:

  • Labor costs through accounting simplification and branch ordering simplification
  • Worker’s compensation costs
  • Office space utilization
  • Inventory obsolescence
  • Brand consistency improvement
  • Elimination of rush charges
  • And of course reduced item costs

When considering a single-source strategy, if your potential provider promises only a reduction in hard dollar costs, ask them how much proven cost savings beyond those hard dollars you can expect. If they don’t have an answer, they might not be the right partner for you.

Kevin Austin
President and CEO

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