THE panel is impeccably balanced:
From the manufacturing side, Dan Rengert of TODCO and Rod Robinson of Waltco Truck Equipment Co; from the distributor side, Vic Tedesco of Zoresco Equipment Co; from the leasing and rental side, Mike Corchin of Wheels Inc; and from the fleet side, Curt Whitmir of King Truck Center.
Everything is in place for “The Value of the Truck Equipment Distributor in the Equipment Purchase,” scheduled for 3-4:15 pm on Tuesday.
Now all they need is a lively discussion.
Tedesco doesn't think that's going to be a problem.
“There are going to be a lot of different viewpoints,” he says. “Frankly, I think some of the distributors in attendance might discover internally that they have a lot of value and they don't recognize it. In talking with a number of distributors nationally, I'm not sure they really understand their function.”
Tedesco says he envisions the debate starting with one phrase: What's in a name?
“We should analyze the term truck equipment distributor,” he says. “Isn't the distributor really a retailer? A final-stage manufacturer? Or both? I think once we understand as a distributor the value we have and what's involved in completing the sales cycle, we'll be able to describe who and what we are.
“Personally, I don't think truck equipment distributor is the right nomenclature, so maybe we'll spark some debate there. I'd like some opinions on that. What is a car dealer? What is he considered to be? Is he a retailer? Look at what's going on with Ford Motor Co. That's a classic example of recognizing the value of that independent entrepreneur or dealer — their attempt to retail their manufactured product just a few years ago in Salt Lake City. Dealers sold their stores to Ford, and now Ford's selling those stores back to independent dealers.”
Tedesco says a good truck equipment distributor is doing a lot of things because the market is very broad and diversified.
“If you take the cable market, utility market, pest-control market, landscape market, they all have different needs and desires,” he says. “A distributor has to be able to function in that market to be able to create solutions. That's one of the things distributors don't really recognize — the kind of information that you not only need to give, but you have to extract from the market so you can learn how to serve the market in today's world.
“There are some very sophisticated distributors out there who understand marketing, who understanding fulfilling needs, who understand they're just part of the distribution chain. I look at manufacturers more as distributors than I do truck equipment distributors, because that's what manufacturers do.”