Fellow distributor owners and sales reps, have you ever stopped to think how unbelievably fortunate we are to be distributors?

• We don’t need to own any manufacturing equipment.
• We don’t need to own any manufacturing plants.
• We don’t need to hire manufacturing employees.
• We don’t need to invest in any inventory.

All we need is a business card and the gumption to go find customers. Our suppliers do all of the above and so much more for us.

From time to time I hear distributors complain about suppliers. Sometimes the complaint may be warranted. But, have you ever stopped to think about all the risk, investment and work it requires to be a supplier in our industry?

When I stop to think about how fortunate I am to be on the distributor side of the business, I am eternally grateful. Sometimes I tell people that being a distributor in this industry is such a great “racket” it should almost be illegal!

Thank you to all the great suppliers that make it possible for us distributors to thrive.

Greg Muzzillo started Proforma as an industry distributor in 1978. The company grew quickly and in the early 1980s Proforma was recognized for three consecutive years on Inc. magazine’s list of the 500 fastest growing companies in North America.

In the late 1980’s Proforma introduced its membership program to enable distributors to retain their business ownership and independence, and to share in sales and marketing resources, purchasing power with industry suppliers, one back office including all billing, accounting, vendor payments, cash flow, computer systems and more.

Today Proforma has more than 750 members with over $500 million in sales. Proforma has over 100 members in its Million Dollar Club and more than 40 members in its Multi-Million Dollar Club (With sales ranging from $2 million to over $26 million). In 2014, eight Proforma members were named to Inc. magazine’s Inc. 5000 List of the 5000 Fastest Growing Companies.