Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/602622
36 FEDA News & Views hands. Which means that after they've made contact with a potential customer, DSR's must send out a report to inform the rep of the outcome. "The partnership works both ways," says Fusari. "You don't give me a lead that I just throw in the garbage because I don't think it's worth it. If I don't, I will tell you upfront. But if you give us a lead, we will not only follow through, we will report back to you, good, bad or indifferent." Transitioning into Ownership Rob Myers was one of the first people Fusari met when he moved to California in 1996 to start his rep firm. At the time, he and his brother Jon were co-owners of Myers Restaurant Supply and Fusari was looking to build a relationship and make Myers a significant customer. "We did good business for four solid years until I became a competitor and moved to Economy," says Fusari, "and even at the time when I was at Economy, Rob and I would chat when we saw one another, or he would pick up the phone every once in a while to ask me a question about a particular customer." Which is why it wasn't a complete surprise when the phone rang and it was Myers' on the other end, albeit after a six-year drought. His brother, Jon, was mulling over an exit strategy and he was in need of a fresh perspective. Fusari, who at the time was on Economy Restaurant Fixtures' management team, was a perfect sounding board, having gone through a number of transitions of his own. There was the TriMark acquisition in 2008 and, on a more personal note, the decision to leave his rep business and join Economy after his father-in-law, a part owner in the dealership, retired in 2000. "Chuck [Rothkopf] was great," says Fusari. "He built that business tremendously and I was brought on by his partner, Mike Weinstock, not to replace him, but to fill the void by guid- ing the company into new business arenas." Prior to his arrival, Economy was primarily a cash-and-carry business. "There were no dealer salespeople on the street, no salespeople in the market calling on customers, and (during my rep days) I had always felt there was an enormous void," says Fusari, charged with starting the dealer's field sales divi- sion, in addition to revamping the contract department and institutional sales. "We developed a great team and a great momentum in those days and our business grew tremendously, despite some tumultuous times, the recession in 2001 and 9/11. Those challenges and all of the wonderful management experiences I was able to gather at Economy during my 11 years there were definitely instrumental in preparing me for the next stage in my career." Of course, at the time, when Myers called and the two decid- ed to meet for lunch, he had no clue what life was preparing him for. That's one of the greatest mysteries of life, says Fusari, "you don't get to know or appreciate what a life lesson is or does for you until years down the road." It was Fusari's work at Economy—the years of immersion in the financial side of the business, developing a keen under- standing of the holy grail of stats, gross margin, and his exten- sive work in HR—all of it gave him the confidence to throw out the possibility of a partnership when Myers asked for his thoughts on moving forward. "I gave him a bunch of options," he says, "but one of the options that I threw in was, 'what if I said to you I might be interested in buying Jon out and becom- ing your partner?' And that was the one that excited him the most and that was the one we worked on. But we didn't rush it. It took a lot of conversation, a lot of digging down deep to figure it out and my wife, Jill, was there every step of the way to offer her support and perspective, having worked in the industry and experienced similar challenges." In September of 2011, Fusari stepped into the role of dealer owner. He's transitioned well. More importantly, Myers Restaurant Supply and its associates have transitioned well. "Anyone who knows me, knows that being able to grow our business and to employ people is at the center of everything for me," says Fusari. "When I started at Myers, there were 23 people in the company. Today there are 85. Putting 62 addi- tional people to work is profoundly gratifying to me." Of course, there were hard times. In any story worth telling, the hard times always precede the good. "It was rough in the beginning," says Fusari, who was forced to make the tough decision to let three people go. "That is never easy, especially in a bad economy, but it was the right thing to do. We also did some other financial things that stabilized us and prepared us for growth." Deeply Rooted continued Being a Dealer The most gratifying part of the job is at the end of a project, at the end of the sale, at the end of anything, when we get the "thank you." Being able to bring a successful project to a customer, that's what I enjoy the most. We are not a perfect company. I do not ask my people for perfection because I know that's not an expectation that anybody should strive for. What I do ask them for is focus, hard work, passion and respect. That's all part of our core values.