Six Questions For...Michael Posternak
Michael Posternak
 Partner |
1 What are your operator-customers’ greatest challenges and what is your firm doing to assist them?
“As manufacturers’ reps, we find that operators are often becoming confused by equipment suppliers’ different claims and use of terms such as ENERGY STAR™ and LEED. They’re confused about rebates for green equipment, whether they should buy or lease and, if buying, should they purchase equipment online or from a local showroom dealer.
“ PBAC tries to reduce our customers’ confusions by coupling our market-sector experience with appropriate equipment recommendations and we demonstrate different products at our New Jersey test kitchen. We also conduct energy audits to show potential customers how they can reduce their water and energy use. Given the quality brands that we represent, we constantly prove that low purchase prices seldom lead to low overall cost.”
“ PBAC tries to reduce our customers’ confusions by coupling our market-sector experience with appropriate equipment recommendations and we demonstrate different products at our New Jersey test kitchen. We also conduct energy audits to show potential customers how they can reduce their water and energy use. Given the quality brands that we represent, we constantly prove that low purchase prices seldom lead to low overall cost.”
2. What are your expectations for U.S. equipment sales through Q2 of 2011?
“In our home New York Metro territory, I have to say that sales are strong and look to be getting stronger. The New York area is seeing a full recovery and the city is now the number one tourist destination in the U.S. We’re seeing sales growth at healthcare and senior care accounts, at boutique hotels filled with out-of-town visitors, at high-end independent restaurants and higher education institutions. Add to this the fact that New Yorkers are in a food frenzy, one that’s being fueled by the growing number of food trucks and new food halls opening around town. Also, our MAFSI Business Barometer is pointing steadily upward.”
3. Which world issues keep you up at night?
“As a businessman, my number one concern is the ongoing erosion of our domestic manufacturing base. If this trend isn’t reversed, we will lose our ability to create innovate products and maintain the world’s greatest economy. I’m also concerned that we’ll soon see inflation returning as international labor and transportation costs rise, along with material shortages, fuel cost pressures, and delays in deliveries from abroad. I firmly believe that the more goods we import, the worse off we’ll become. My customers want high quality products in a “New York minute.” How do you expedite an order when it is on the high seas or stuck in a container at a port? It would be more productive and affordable simply to rehire American workers and re-open factories right here.”
4. What was the best meal you enjoyed so far this year, and where and with whom did you eat it?
“Some of my most enjoyable dining experiences have been family dinners at a seafood shack in the West Village called Mary’s Fish Camp. We love the New England-style clam bakes with steamers, lobsters and shrimp, and it all reminds me of the meals I ate growing up in north Boston.”
5. What would you most like to change/improve in the relationships between manufacturers’ reps and equipment manufacturers?
“Reps are the ‘eyes and ears’ of the factories in the marketplace. We are single brand-dedicated to our manufacturers and, as such, should be employed as sounding boards by equipment makers for new products, features, programs and promotions -- before they hit the street. Not enough of our companies take advantage of this free resource. The smart ones, though, have active rep councils. Sales reps should more properly be viewed as marketing reps.”
6. Which parts of the world do you still want to visit and what do you want to do there?
“A couple of years ago, I ran into a little health problem and had to cancel a planned trip to Budapest, Krakow and Prague. I intend to make a family visit to those cities just as soon as possible. Beyond that, there are so many great places in the United States that I want to visit and revisit”
