Stephen Ceolin sticking close to his area of expertise in selecting lines that reflect his over 25 years of Canadian hardware industry experience.

Armed with an entrepreneurial passion, years of industry experience — not to mention the backing and involvement of his family — two years ago Stephen Ceolin opened his agency doors in Canada and today he couldn’t be happier.

With more than 25 years of industry experience, Ceolin and his agency, Ceolin & Associates, Inc., Orangeville, Ontario, Canada (near Toronto), today provide sales and marketing solutions across Canada for businesses in the retail home improvement and hardware marketplace. In fulfilling that role the agency provides:

• Full-line representation.
• National and regional footprints.
• Marketing campaigns.
• Retail service.
• Product knowledge and training.

According to Ceolin, “At the time, like many individuals I entered into a job right out of school and that’s how I entered the retail industry. I stayed there for 22 years before deciding to open my own rep agency. In the course of business over the years my family had been exposed to the working of reps. As a result I knew how they worked and what the job entailed. This is something I had always wanted to try and finally the timing was right for me to venture out on my own.” Joining Ceolin in his venture were his daughter Katie and son Jon who serve as customer relations manager and account manager respectively for the agency.

Commenting on the family involvement, Ceolin noted, “Growing up, my brother worked with my father so we could experience the pros and cons of family members being involved together in business. It’s not always easy, but I’d have to say that with my son and daughter, it couldn’t be any better. Both of them had completed their educations and made their own decision to join me. Having two family members who are millennials is like experiencing a breath of fresh air. They have an entirely different approach to the business, not to mention offering their novel ideas. Fortunately, they’re able to provide a viewpoint from people who make their purchases online. This has provided me with an opportunity to not only understand my children differently, but also to take a new look at people in their 20s. It’s been a very positive experience.”

In the ultra-competitive Canadian retail landscape the Ceolin & Associates, Inc., team represents their principals at industry trade shows regionally and nationally.

A Family Effort

Ceolin indicated that there never was a time when he had to make an effort to attract his children to the business. “They’ve been exposed to what I do for a living ever since I was working with a manufacturer. When they were young, they’d follow me around the stores I visited and they really felt my passion for the business. They were both at a point in their respective careers where they wanted to join me and help build the business.”

That’s not to say there can’t be challenges that accompany the family experience. “We work very hard and subscribe to the theory that if there’s something critical that has to be addressed, we’ll get it done.”

As would be expected with an agency headquartered in Canada that deals with principals located in the United States, there are some concerns — none of which prove too daunting for the new agency. “I’d typify any challenges we face as fairly minimal. For instance, there has to be an appreciation for the size of Canada. We’re a country of 35-million people, the overwhelming number of whom are located within two hours of the border with the United States. I’d say that just about all of our principals are aware of our population density and the expanse of the country. While most of our business can be conducted in the area near Toronto and Montreal, we do runs to the west coast about once a quarter to meet the needs of principals and customers.”

Then there’s the issue of some products having to be shipped with bilingual packaging to accommodate the needs of the province of Quebec. “In addition, there can be some concerns at the border with freight costs or with U.S.-based principals that have no facilities in Canada. But by and large, there are no real impediments in working with U.S. companies, there are just some things you have to be aware of.”

Common Concerns

It’s not unexpected that regardless of the fact the agency operates in Canada, that Ceolin and his staff share many of the same concerns that their rep peers face in the United States:

Locating lines — Ceolin explains that when he opened his agency doors, “We really started from scratch. We didn’t have any lines to begin with but I think our start was timed well in that we were able to locate some lines that were looking to gain a presence in Canada.”

He added, “When we began two years ago we were a little like a piece of Velcro in that everyone was throwing things at us to determine whether they were a good fit or not. Since we attend a number of hardware industry shows in both the United States and Canada we’ve been fortunate because lines have been coming to us by word of mouth. Basically our eyes are always open to see what’s best for us when it comes to new lines.”

Pioneering — “The principals we work with have made it a point to let us know that they’re here to help us. Their approach to us is, ‘Here’s our line, what do you need to get the job done?’ When we’ve taken on a new line, I’d say that really after about six months if you’ve done your research and you don’t have any traction, you know it’s not going to work.”

Ceolin & Associates continually stays involved and active in the latest technology needs and requirements to assist their principals and customers.

Technology — Ceolin maintains that his children are well versed in the latest of technology and that has been a real benefit to the agency. “That’s a skill set I didn’t have at the beginning. The fact that they’re so familiar with technology has freed me up to devote my time to selling and gaining face time with customers.” While explaining that the agency doesn’t do a great deal with social media, with the exception of LinkedIn, the agency website has been a real asset. “The presence of our website has made our jobs easier. It’s there that we can let manufacturers and customers know how to contact us, what events we’re attending, and what lines we represent. It’s also another means of advertising for our manufacturers.”

Face time with customers — “Time — especially time in front of the customer — is a diminishing asset and that certainly presents us with a challenge. I’ve found that if you’re well-prepared and your reputation is that you’re well prepared, and you don’t waste people’s time, you’ll get your time in front of customers. Voice mail and other impediments present a challenge, but if you’re offering solutions to customer problems, they’ll find the time to see you.”

MANA membership — Ceolin explains that during the time he was managing rep groups in his previous position, “I learned online about the value of MANA membership. I’ve found that in the short period of time we’ve been in business, it’s been great to access the support we need to be successful whether it’s in association videos, online resources, or articles in Agency Sales magazine. For me it’s been a real winning proposition to learn from others in MANA who have been in business longer than I have. Establishing membership has been a no brainer.”

Following Intuition

While he and his family only have two years of experience as reps under their belts, Ceolin is confident that the path he’s followed for the agency has been the correct one. “A lot of what I’ve done has been the result of trusting my gut. Following my intuition has probably served me well in nine out of 10 decisions. Sure, I’ve probably made some mistakes, but the real thing I’ve learned is to not be impulsive and to put my weight behind what my intuition is telling me. As I look forward, I’m really hoping to expand, perhaps with an office that caters to Quebec and maybe one out on the West Coast. Basically, what I’d like in the future is to have an agency that’s bigger than what we have today with more employees and more lines. Our plan is to have such talent available for manufacturers and customers as to be thought of as the premier rep group in Canada.”

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