It has been just over one year since Waymon passed away. It has been a year full of memories, moments wondering ‘what would Waymon do’ and the challenging task of describing Waymon to those at Presco who never met him. At one point during that time, I inherited a box of Waymon’s Presco files to sort through. Six months later, I finally got around to it. I am NOT a pack rat in any sense of the word, nor am I particularly sentimental which doesn’t leave me as the best candidate for such a job. My first instinct is always throw it away. Knowing Waymon, there was no telling what he decided to keep around all these years.
Looking through it was just what I needed that day. There was his old Rolodex, documents on 30 year old letterhead, quotes on that crazy slippery fax paper (!), past catalogs, etc. The best of all were the three recommendation letters from customers dated February 1996. But it was not just the glowing references Presco had received, it was the fact that all three companies are still Presco customers today. That blew me away! The names and roles have changed over 20 years, but the partnerships have endured. This is stronger than any one individual at Presco. It is the culture and mission of Presco to be our customer’s first best place to buy. It is not about accepting a purchase order, it is about building a partnership with our customers.
Longstanding relationships also extend to Presco’s vendors. Our PVC resin vendor has been such for over 30 years. Building such a strong relationship has benefited us both and opened the doors to development partnerships and technical support.
The walk down memory lane was a welcome surprise to me and reinforced my belief that customer/vendor relationships can endure the test of time if built on trust, communication, and outstanding products and service.