_____________________________________________________________________________________ Columbus Distributing
will move faster. This benefits our retail partners as well, as they can be confident that what we’ re selling them will produce the expected ROI in a reasonable time frame while bringing their customers back to their store as a trusted retailer. We also continually train our sales and merchandising staff on what a perfect account looks like, as it pertains to brand presence and display, to ensure that the way we position the brands aligns with their attributes and the marketing efforts of our supplier partners.”
Firm family foundations
Looking to the future, CDC is set to introduce some exciting new developments, both internally and for its customer base. The company has invested heavily in digitization, encouraging its clients to move their ordering onto its online B2B platform whilst implementing new administrative software to track its entire sales process, from point of receipt to delivery and invoicing. With the company’ s 100th anniversary on the horizon, now is the perfect time to celebrate the extraordinary hard work and passion of each generation of the Jenkins family, all of whom have led CDC to where it is today. Reflecting on the journey thus far, Erik discusses all the factors that have contributed to the longevity of CDC.
“ Being the fifth generation of my family to operate the business, the first principle is always focusing on the long term. We make investments and portfolio moves based on where we want the company to be in the next 36-to-48 months and not necessarily on what would produce the best P & L result this month or quarter. I also think our succession program has a lot to do with our long-term success. As a family member, you’ re allowed to work at the company
while you’ re in high school( and college if you choose to go to school in town) to get a small level of familiarity with the operation. On graduating college, employment with the family business is terminated and you are encouraged to work elsewhere, pursue a different career and achieve a level of success outside the family firm, whether that’ s getting a promotion or hitting objectives and proving you know how to work. It’ s imperative, in our opinion, that anyone who eventually may sit in the president’ s seat knows the company, the people, the manufacturers, the retailers, and the industry from the ground up. It also ensures that, by the time you get to the top office, you’ ve matured enough to know what to do with the resources and income and are less prone to making rash decisions in both your personal and professional life.” ■
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