Page 58 - Lighting Magazine August 2018

Does size Matter?
EM: doEs THE sIZE of AN AGENcy MATTEr To cusToMErs?
 Andy Burns: Customers want to speak to somebody immediately or get an email quickly; they are looking for speed in ge ing their answers. Size does not necessarily determine an agency’s promptness. A larger agency’s reaction time may be slower, but they likely have a team in-house that can get back to a customer earlier than a smaller agent who is making sales calls all day and then tries to catch up with any necessary issues a er their appointments.
EM: ArE THErE MorE MErGErs ANd AcquIsI- TIoNs occurrING AMoNG rEp fIrMs?
 Andy Burns: I don’t see this as o en as I assumed I would in the residential market. My mother (Penny) and I sold our rep agency to Triple C Lighting in 2003 for several reasons. We found it di cult to sustain growth in a small market (Oklahoma) without investing in more people, lines, and geographic territory, plus the number of lighting showrooms in our area was declining. We felt our best opportunity for growth was to merge with a larger commercial agency that gave
THE REPS A very big thank you to all who shared their time to talk candidly about these issues.
KrIs quAcKENbusH, prEsIdENT & oWNEr, THE cArLsoN Group Territory: Northern California and Northern Nevada
Kris Quackenbush had a successful career working in mergers & acquisitions for the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco when he decided to accept his father-in-law’s invitation to join his agency, The Carlson Group, in 1990. Discovering he loved the work, and knowing he made the right career decision, Quackenbush took over the business in 2001, which now has about 10 lines.
rIcHArd ALAN,
oWNEr, rIcHArd ALAN & AssocIATEs
Territory: Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana
Richard Alan’s mother and stepfather owned a rep rm
in South Florida (the Inkeles Agency), doing business with about ve brands. A er his step- father had a heart a ack and passed away, Alan decided to assist his mother at the agency, and later became a partner. His passion for display work got him noticed by Kichler Lighting, who approached him to become their rep in Mississippi and Louisiana. Since then, Richard Alan & Associates has grown to include 15 employees.
ANdy burNs,
vp/sALEs & MArKETING, ELITE LIGHTING
In 1988, Burns began working for his mother’s rep rm (Penny Sales) in Oklahoma while in college. Prior to that, he was a sales rep for a friend’s tee-shirt company that o ered custom screen-printed apparel.
Burns and his mother built
a highly successful agency, repre- senting more than 100 lines. A er selling their agency, Burns accepted an o er to join one
of those lines — Elite Lighting,
a 20-year-old family business owned by two brothers based in the Los Angeles area.
JoN McMAHAN,
pArTNEr, KTr LIGHTING Territory: New York, Southern New Jersey, Maryland, Dela- ware, Washington DC, Northern Virginia, Eastern Pennsylvania
McMahan has been in the lighting industry since 1997, start- ing his career at Capitol Lighting. Since joining KTR in 2000, McMahan has guided many of his customers and manufacturers in redesigning their showroom footprints, creating many impact- ful display designs. Throughout his career, McMahan has had an ingrained desire to continually nd new ways to improve the selling process and streamline the customer and manufacturer experience. McMahan became
a Junior Partner at KTR in 2006 and became a full Partner in 2014.
54 enLIGHTenment Magazine | august 2018
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