Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/480616
4 FEDA News & Views Brad Pierce President Restaurant Equipment World brad.pierce@rewonline.com The President's Message I n 2014, FEDA Past President Brad Wasserstrom spearheaded the ini- tiative to recognize manufacturers that best support dealer-based distribu- tion by honoring them in the March/ April issue of News & Views. Named to our Exceptional Manufacturers and Honorable Mention List, this group of distinguished supplier partners best exemplifies predetermined criteria established in 2013 to spell out what makes for an exceptional manufacturer. We will continue the good work that Brad started and plan to announce an updated list in the March issue of News & Views in 2016, and will review selec- tions every other year. We hope many manufacturers were either encouraged by this recognition or motivated to make the list in 2016. For your review, the criteria used is below, along with details about the review process. To recap, deal- er scoring was based on five important criteria: FEDA Support: Does the manufac- turer contribute to FEDA's overall goals? Brand Attributes: Does the manu- facturer offer quality products at com- petitive prices that give dealers profit potential? Sales Support: Is the manufacturer engaged with the dealers' sales teams? Do they provide timely product infor- mation and on-going training? Are their sales representatives (whether direct or independent) professional and well- trained? Manufacturer Trustworthiness: The manufacturer must never undermine the dealer with the end user and handle dealer information (including pricing) with confidentiality. Does the manufac- turer consistently work to improve their relationship with dealers? Relationship Attributes: How well does the manufacturer communicate with the dealer? Is there two-way dia- logue amongst senior management and is there an understanding of the dealer's business needs? It is important to note that while creat- ing this list, we had no specific number in mind in regards to the companies that would get the top ranking or make the Honorable Mention list. We simply took the average scores for each manufac- turer, and those that scored above X are being recognized as exceptional. Those that scored between X and Y are being recognized on the Honorable Mention list. Both cutoffs became a natural break point with separation from the group directly underneath. With the way we did this, it was not impossible (although highly unlikely) for every company con- sidered to be designated as exceptional. The manufacturers that are rated as "exceptional" help to make each of us more profitable as dealers. They have well trained staffs that also help to train our teams to sell their product. These manufacturers have high-quality items that don't cause dealers to spend exces- sive time or money on sales support after the sale. These manufacturers com- municate and plan with dealers and allow dealers to make good margins that are also protected from "inquisitive and demanding" end users. I would hypoth- esize that the manufacturers rated as the best on this survey are also some of the most profitable in the industry. Well-Deserved Recognition for 2014/2015 Exceptional Manufacturers continued on page 14 See Page 14 for the 2015 list of "Exceptional Manufacturers"