Success and Triumph: When the going gets tough, teamwork perseveres

This spring and summer are shaping up to be great selling seasons for many in the outdoor power equipment industry. Success and prosperity never come without challenges, and this year is no different. Things can get really hectic in our line of business and some days go by so fast they seem as though they just melt together; however, 2010 is showing great profit potential. How does one stay on top of things and handle the tasks of business triumphantly? No one person is usually responsible for this feat. True success within an organization generally arises from that of motivated and passionate teamwork.

Robertsdale Power Equipment was established in 1978 and has been a great customer of Power Tool Company since 1991. After a quarter century of dedication as an employee, Dwight Lores, along with his wife Bonnie, purchased the company in September of 2007. The very next year, the economy tanked. The Lores', along with 14 other dedicated employees, most with multiple years of service under their belts, set their sights high on a prosperous selling season. Many small business owners in our industry were feeling the crunch of the struggling economy in recent years and Robertsdale was no different. Through the clouds of uncertainty, the team of R.P.E. has risen to the call of challenge in 2010 with great hope, fierce determination and a true love for the services they provide.

If you are the principle of your organization, take a moment and add up all your responsibilities and the impact you make on the lives of those you employ and the services you provide to customers. Think of your retail sales maneuvers, inventory, bookkeeping, customer service, payroll, technical service, company impact on the community, commitment to customer satisfaction…and the list goes on and on. With so many different irons in the fire all the time, it can become a bit overwhelming. Imagine if the circumstances were compounded with something unexpected and out of your control. Something like cancer.

In October of 2009, Dwight and Bonnie's plate became even more full. Unfortunately, Bonnie was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer that resulted in the removal of a 3.5 cm lump. Immediately thereafter, Bonnie began receiving aggressive chemotherapy treatments. As a key member of leadership within the company, Bonnie manages many facets of the company infrastructure; however, the treatments left her very weak and unable to come into the office daily. Bonnie began to work from home performing many of her regular duties and delegating tasks to her employees which continues to enable Robertsdale Power Equipment to thrive to this day. Bonnie states "If it weren't for our team, the business wouldn't be going so well – everyone works very hard and does a good job."

So what are the components to success for this flourishing business in Robertsdale, Alabama? Bonnie chalks it up to several factors. "Our love of the product lines we carry, our commitment to customer service and our dedicated team gets us through trying times. We are proud to carry the very best lines in Baldwin County." When the economy took a nose dive at the end of 2008, most of the outdoor power equipment industry fell on hard times. So how did R.P.E. cope? Says Bonnie: "We kept our parts department well stocked and we remained focused on an exceptionally ran technical service department. We knew people would continue to buy parts and keep their mowers serviced to make them last longer without having to buy new ones. Having parts in stock kept customers happy and the tech service staff strived constantly to improve service times." Bonnie readily admits that the survival of R.P.E. throughout 2009 rested heavily on parts and service. "We knew parts and service were the bread and butter over unit sales during that difficult time because we knew people just couldn't afford it."

The Lores' firmly believe that another smart business move is their annual open house. "Our TSM, Doug Wright, encouraged us throughout the years to continue to have our open houses. Open house season is really our time to shine. We aggressively promote our business with newspaper and radio ads, direct mail pieces and even calling customers directly to remind them of our event. Free food always gets them in the door and traffic has steadily increased over the last two years." In February of this year, Robertsdale Power Equipment held their 17th annual open house which was yet another great success.

If you ask Bonnie why customers remain loyal to the business and why the company continues to prosper, she will happily tell you: "We are a friendly and down-home business…we want to make people want to come back. We will go the extra mile to make sure we make our customers happy. We also try hard to keep up with technological demands by investing in new software and hardware. Peter has 25 years experience in technical service at R.P.E.,Dwight is an excellent public relations figure, and Angie's 17 years with the company has made her a wiz in our parts department. Our whole staff is great; I love them, they are the best."

The future for both Bonnie and Robertsdale Power Equipment looks very bright! As Bonnie continues treatment, she knows her staff will continue to remain driven and professional. With such a wonderful, hard-working staff, the Lores’ know they are lucky. An additional blessing is that family is also pitching in…“I am fortunate that my sister-in-law, Diane Lores, has offered to take over for me if I need her to.”

The startling reality of cancer is very real. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 1,479,350 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2009 and 11.1 million Americans with a history of cancer since 2005 are either cancer-free today or are still undergoing treatments. Bonnie would like everyone to know a fact about the discovery of her cancer. “I’d always heard [“Cancer doesn’t hurt”] but I found the lump myself BECAUSE it was sore. That’s the reason my doctor and my surgeon both said it WAS NOT cancer. It took a biopsy to find out the truth, so don’t let anyone keep you from knowing for sure. Once we knew, Dwight and I decided to look for the things we were grateful for and thank God for them. I can’t say we were never overwhelmed but we tried our best to keep each other hopeful and positive. For me, chemo wasn’t horrible – or at least not as bad as I imagined it to be. Don’t let your imagination get the best of you, get the facts and move on from there. Sometimes it takes something drastic like this to make you look around and count your blessings.

My co-worker, Doug Wright, summed up his feelings about Dwight and Bonnie Lores and the staff of Robertsdale Power Equipment with one sentence: "Every time I call on them, it's just like going home; they're just really good folks."