It's been approximately a year and a half since Mike Miller was named CEO of APE Companies. BIC Magazine recently visited with Miller to learn more about APE Companies' successes this past year and what the company's goals are for 2020.
BIC: What's happened at APE Companies this past year?
MILLER: Lots. Business activity is up significantly due to our customers' strong underlying business trends and robust project pipelines. We've upped our investment in people and the rental equipment fleet -- both key to ensuring we maintain top levels of service. We've also rolled out a sales-support tool that puts all the information our sales representatives need at their fingertips when calling upon customers. Finally, acquisitions are taking on a greater priority due to customers' widespread geographic footprints.
BIC: What's surprised you after one year at the helm of APE?
MILLER: Our growth potential in the markets we currently serve. There are more opportunities to better serve existing customers and to provide products/solutions for market segments we haven't historically focused on. We can do this while still staying in the surface-preparation safety and environmental sectors we know. For example, 85 percent of our customers today only buy from one or two of our product categories. Increasing this penetration between 10-20 percent would yield $6 million in added cross-selling revenue. More importantly, it would give project managers and purchasing departments the convenience of one-stop shopping, which typically sets us apart from competitors. To tap into this latent potential, we recently updated our industry catalog. I urge BIC Magazine readers who have an interest to call our main Pasadena, Texas, number or request one from an APE sales representative.
BIC: Have you faced any unexpected challenges?
MILLER: Two come to mind: the global garnet situation and tight labor market. The global supply chain for garnet, especially the Indian variety, has been in a state of flux since early 2018. In response, we've made available a slate of "good-better-best" blasting media and expanded the sources from which we're buying garnet. Waterjet-grade grit has also been in tight supply, but this is easing up.
The tight labor market has proven to be a challenge for us among many others on the Gulf Coast. I'm looking to increase our outside and inside sales teams beyond the levels we entered 2019 with. APE management strives to recognize and reward our staff, so that's why our total company average tenure is just shy of five years, with sales professionals clocking in at over eight years.
BIC: What priorities have you set for 2020?
MILLER: First, continue building upon APE's service reputation in all its markets through a focus on staff training, marketing and sales execution. Second, find new and fun ways to enhance APE's strong culture. The values we're driving across APE Companies are best summed up by the acronym "APE": "A" as in "Accountability," "P" as in "People" and "E" as in "Excellence." This means excellence in our products, service and support, enabled by our team of passionate and talented employees. Third, continue this year's growth by expanding the reach of our products, services and support to raise APE's leadership position in its markets. My formula for success is simple: Growth takes care of itself when we simply solve customers' needs and problems every day.
For more information, visit www.APEcompanies.com or call (844) 361-7038.