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Interview with the SWA president: "SWA is on the move!" says Pace Robinson of Modern Supply Co., incoming president of the Southern Wholesalers Association.

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Two words describe the current management style at Modern Supply: communication and involvement. Pace Robinson, CEO of Knoxville, TN-based Modern Supply Co., expects to apply that approach to his role as incoming SWA president.

"My key word is communication--with co-workers, customers, vendors," he says. "Having a regular channel of communication makes things work better. It's not just one guy saying, 'We will do this.'"

Around 1994 Modern Supply underwent a management transition when Mitchell Robinson, the late company founder, turned control of the family-owned business over to his younger son, Pace. Pace Robinson became CEO and Dottie Ramsey became president/COO.

Under this management team, the company has grown to eight branches, of which three--Knoxville, Chattanooga and Johnson City, TN--also operate showrooms. Each of the other branches consists of a warehouse and counter sales area.

"Dad started this company from scratch--he could do everything himself," Robinson says. "You showed up (for work) and he told you what to do that day. Dottie and I had a different management approach and we changed the culture of the company." More employees are involved in decision-making and management, he says.

When Pace Robinson became CEO, there were several employees who had been with the company 30-plus years. They had supervised him when he worked in the warehouse during summers while still in school. Now he was becoming their boss. "That was a challenge," he says.

Involvement and communication helped smooth the way for change. Robinson seeks input from employees, such as feedback on a new delivery charge the company is implementing. "We had to decide how to package and market that" he notes. "We went to committee and kicked it around?'

Different teams of employees participate in the decision-making process depending on what is being decided.

Heating and cooling is Modern Supply's biggest product category--it is a Rheem distributor. As the product line transitions to higher efficiency models and new refrigerants and as interest in tankless water heaters increases, Modern has had to decide what should be changed in its product mix.

"We had a couple of customer focus groups over...

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