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REGIONAL DISTRIBUTORS FEATURED COVER STORY IN LATEST ISSUE OF MAINTENANCE SALES NEWS

February 12, 2015



Tracy and David Scalen founded Regional Distributors, Inc. in 1994.
The NYS certified Women's Business Enterprise and family-owned 
distributorship
services 2,500+ diverse customers throughout Western New York and the Albany area. 


Rochester, NY – Regional Distributors, Inc. is the featured cover story for Maintenance Sales News magazine’s January/February 2015 issue. The local family- and woman-owned business was selected as a model of progressive-minded distributorship that embraces cutting-edge modern technologies and innovations. The cover story highlights Regional’s central focus on creating exceptional customer service experiences. “We try to really help our customers be more successful than they expect and that is the key. When customers need something, we assist them through the entire process and, not only get them what they need; we also get them what they didn’t know they needed,” shares president Tracy Scalen and vice president David Scalen. “This is part of that ‘exceptional experience’ we want for all our customers. For us, it really is all about above-and-beyond customer service and delivering an exceptional experience from beginning to end.”

Creating these exceptional experiences is a team of skilled account managers, customer support specialists, warehouse personnel, and drivers that include veterans to millennials to boomers and everyone in between. “We have a diverse team of hard-working folks here who are transforming customer expectations and experiences,” says Scalen. To help ensure exceptional customer experiences, Regional utilizes a number of leading technologies including CRM (customer relationship management) software and customized apps to meet customers’ needs today and into the future. “Customers’ expectations are such that they don’t want to wait for anything,” states Scalen who has provided his entire sales staff with iPads and iPhones so that they may easily access anything they may need from the field.

Regional also contributes part of its success to strategic partnerships with companies offering leading brands in several markets. These relationships allow Regional to keep customers up-to-date about the latest solutions to increase efficiency and decrease costs. “We are always seeking to add new vendors that are the best and most relevant for our customers,” says Scalen. Helping them partner with leading manufacturers is Strategic Market Alliance (SMA). Regional Distributors, Inc. is one of the owners of SMA, an interdependent cooperative owned and directed by leading market distributors including 3M, Betco, Filmop, Solo Cup, Clorox, and many other prominent suppliers. It is the commitment of SMA owners to optimize the effectiveness of their chosen supplier partners while providing current and future customers a more efficient channel partner. SMA is structured to enable suppliers and distributors to work more proactively together to address channel issues and grow sales to generate greater returns. “Being a part of SMA has been a game-changer for us,” Scalen said. “It is a phenomenal organization that’s upping the bar for the industry.”

The cover story also highlights Regional’s green cleaning services, an area of increasing importance for many businesses, particularly schools and healthcare facilities. In addition to Green Seal, EcoLogo, and U.S. EPA Safer Choice certified products, the company also supplies compostable, biodegradable, rapidly renewable, recyclable, and other sustainable products guaranteed to have minimal impact on the environment. While green certified products are important to any green cleaning program, it’s the understanding and education behind the full impact of green cleaning products and practices that businesses sometimes lack. “One of the important aspects of sustainability that we emphasize is being truthful with our customers,” Scalen says. “The question we ask is, ‘How will the products a customer is purchasing have a measurable impact on improving the health of the environment and building occupants?’ We help customers understand the impact on both environmental and human health and the potential impact to future generations. And if there is no impact, we will tell them. We are very open and honest with those conversations.” 

Regional’s local Rochester, NY community and support from the City of Rochester is also given praise for the company’s success. In 2005, the city helped Regional relocate from Greece to Rochester by assisting with site selection and providing a $100,000 loan toward equipment purchases. Then, in September 2011, city and state officials including Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks and NYS Senator Joseph E. Robach joined owners Tracy and David Scalen to celebrate Regional’s expansion at 1281 Mt. Read Blvd. The expansion was the result of $2 million in investments that Regional put towards acquisitions and renovations prior to the new opening. “The City of Rochester’s Department of Neighborhood of Business Development assisted us through the entire process of this project, from zoning and planning right through to working with the County and Canandaigua National Bank,” says Scalen. “The assistance that the City of Rochester was invaluable and will help us continue to grow and give back to the community.”

Read the entire issue or download a PDF version.

About Maintenance Sales News 

Maintenance Sales News is edited for maintenance distributors and articles specifically focus on the industry’s professional development. MSN reaches owners and presidents, buyers and purchasing agents, sales executives, and all levels of the sanitary supply marketing pyramid, including independent sales agents, master distributors, janitorial distributors, and growth-market distributors such as food service, paper goods and industrial.


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Creating Exceptional Customer Service Experiences

 


"Regional Distributors, Inc. has supplied excellent order accuracy and customer service at the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que for a number of years. They are more than just a supplier, they take a genuine approach to solving business concerns and cost savings. I appreciate our relationship and their dedication to us as a vendor."

Jim Clancy, Director of Catering & Concession Operations, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Restaurants

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"When choosing a supplier, price is always one of the key factors that determines who will receive the business. Regional isn't only the company that has the best value, they also provide invaluable recommendations for highly efficient products and green alternatives. Their entire team goes out of their way to help each of our dining units evaluate their needs and provide specific products that work best. They also advise the campus dining operations with various green initiatives and recycling efforts. If you’re looking to make a change in paper supplier, I highly recommend Regional Distributors."

Dean Engdahl, Asst. Director, RIT Dining Services, Rochester, NY