Just as so many other family members, Jeffrey Blumenauer has settled into a rep career. Today he serves as sales manager for the Blumenauer Corporation. In that capacity he brings a unique perspective that has been impacted by his legal experiences in both the military and private practice.
Just as so many others who grew up in and around a family‑owned independent rep business, Jeffrey Blumenauer ultimately settled into a rep career.
Before following that path, however, he took a serious detour which has provided substantial benefits for himself and for the Blumenauer Corporation, located in Ocoee, Florida. “I grew up in the business,” explains Blumenauer, the third generation of his family’s company. “My time growing up was spent sweeping in the warehouse and in the office stuffing envelopes with invoices. I can remember meeting with principals as a kid and going on sales calls across Florida with my father when I was as young as six or seven. It was through all those experiences that I learned the importance of hard work, having a firm handshake, and the value of looking a customer right in the eye.” Blumenauer continued working in various capacities at the Blumenauer Corporation throughout his early years, including as a salesman during the summers while home from college.
Even equipped with that initial introduction into the “rep world,” Blumenauer may have been in danger of leaving a prospective rep career in the dust. Upon completion of his undergrad work at The Citadel — a United States senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina — he followed an interest in the law and continued studies at Stetson University College of Law, known as one of the top trial advocacy law schools in the country. After receiving his law degree, he entered private practice and concurrently was commissioned as a citizen-soldier in the U.S. Army Reserve as a Judge Advocate. “Though I knew I’d have some future hand in the family business, my goal was to become a career trial lawyer, and having attended a military college, I also had a desire to serve my country.”
Before joining the “rep world,” and after receiving his law degree, Blumenauer entered private practice, and concurrently was commissioned as a citizen-soldier in the U.S. Army Reserve as a Judge Advocate.
In 2013, Blumenauer was mobilized with the U.S. Army Reserve and deployed to Afghanistan, where “As a military attorney, my job was to plan and execute ‘Rule of Law’ initiatives throughout my assigned territory, a province similar to a U.S. state. The role was hardly that of a trial lawyer but more as an advisor, and I would work with members of the Afghan military and law enforcement, and others across the territory. After completing a mission, I couldn’t help but be reminded of my experiences of going on sales calls and engaging in business meetings across Florida before law school. The fact is I realized I loved being out of the office and working in the field. I found working in Afghanistan with our numerous coalition partners very similar to working with partners in the plumbing industry to build business here at home — less, of course, a combat environment. It’s all about building relationships and working hard to achieve a shared goal. Returning from my deployment, all the experiences of being in the middle of a large-scale operational environment really stuck with me.”
Impact of Energy Regulations
Upon his return from active military service and continuing to engage in his own private law practice, Blumenauer notes it was the enactment of a set of federal energy regulations which brought him back to closely working with the rep firm. “In 2015 guidelines related to the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act (NAECA) served as a catalytic event for the agency.”
Effective April 16, 2015, the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act (NAECA) — per the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) — required higher energy efficiencies for almost all residential tank-type gas, electric, oil and tankless gas water heaters manufactured in the United States.
According to Blumenauer, “Our agency has been known for repping high-end, high-quality principals that manufactured engineered products including high-efficiency water pumps, water heaters, boilers, and other products. Since I still had a hand in the agency and was able to advise them to successfully navigate the launch of the new regulations, I saw great opportunity to dramatically expand our company’s business, and I ultimately made the decision to return full-time to the agency. I enjoyed the prospect of applying the practical operational skillset I had learned from my military experiences, and the advocacy principles I had learned as an attorney to grow my family’s business — between sales operations and sales advocacy for my manufacturers and distribution partners, it’s as if the best place to apply my life’s experiences had converged at a single point as a manufacturers’ representative.”
Agency History
Here’s a bit of an historical look at the agency he returned to:
Roy C. Blumenauer, the founder of The Blumenauer Corporation, moved from Frederick, Maryland, to central Florida in 1956. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Florida was starting to see an influx of growth, spurred by the construction of what is now known as the Kennedy Space Center. At the time, Blumenauer worked for a major mechanical contractor and was involved in both the construction of rocket-launch facilities for NASA at Cape Canaveral and also for facilities of Pratt and Whitney, one of the world’s leading jet-engine manufacturers. Soon thereafter, plans for the development of Walt Disney World were announced and he realized the potential for growth in the Orlando area. Blumenauer and Associates was formed in 1973, supplying the mechanical contractors of Florida with a variety of pump and boiler products to meet the demands of the growing market. The company expanded with the Florida market, and in 1980 not only changed its name to The Blumenauer Corporation, but also became manufacturers’ representative of the Grundfos Pumps Corporation for Florida, in addition to acquiring other major product lines.
Today, The Blumenauer Corporation is a leading distributor of engineered equipment in the plumbing and water products industry and represents manufacturers from around the world. Its warehouse facility and service center are located in Central Florida and they are stocked with a wide selection of products to meet today’s plumbing needs for its wholesale and contractor partners throughout the state of Florida and beyond.
Wes Blumenauer, president and CEO of the Blumenauer Corporation, is a graduate of the University of Florida and has more than 40 years of experience in the pump industry.
Seen at a trade show, Blumenauer maintains that “Every day I go out and work to ensure that manufacturers’ products are honestly and fairly repped in the marketplace.”
Today Jeffrey Blumenauer serves as the company’s sales manager, and in that capacity he brings a unique perspective that has been impacted by his legal experiences in both the military and private practice. According to Blumenauer, “To become a lawyer, I was trained to be a zealous advocate for my clients. From the sales perspective that I currently operate, I’m a zealous advocate in driving products to market for my principals. Every day I go out and work to ensure that their products are honestly and fairly repped in the marketplace. And, just the same as my experiences in the military, I’m boots on the ground throughout Blumenauer Corporation’s territory to work with our team, engage with customers, and plot a strategy for success.”
Representing the Agency
He adds, “As a licensed attorney, I also represent the business interests of the agency. As the industry continues to change, along with that comes local, state and federal code and regulatory changes that impact our business. As the regulatory environment is in constant flux, especially in the areas of energy and water conservation as applied to the plumbing industry, being able to advise and contribute as an attorney in those areas has been a great advantage for our company. In addition, agreements are a major part of our business. When it comes to contracts, whether customer purchase orders or manufacturer agreements to undertake representation, I think my ability to understand contracts and know the significance of contractual language has been extremely beneficial to protecting our company as it grows.”
Notwithstanding the fact that his legal training provides him with a unique perspective of the rep world, Blumenauer acknowledges that on a daily basis, he faces the same challenges that fellow reps face who work in different industries than his. For instance:
Supply Chain Problems — “Do concerns with the supply chain keep me up at night? I’d say that it’s a major concern for all reps. Because of our supply chain interconnectedness, components for manufactured products are sourced from all over the world. As we’ve seen with Covid, disruption to the supply chain is having a major impact on our businesses. From pandemics to geopolitics, we all need to be aware of global affairs and importance of partnering with manufacturers who are cognizant of the need to multi-source their raw materials and components. As a rep, it is paramount to understand how your principals source their products.
“I’d maintain that one of the major functions the rep performs is to grease the gears of the distribution channel to ensure that once a product is taken to market, the product makes it to the end user as quickly and efficiently as possible. That’s why we’re feeling the weight of what’s happening in the current supply chain environment; where there may be delays, we cannot leave any stone unturned to work and get our downstream channel partners a product that meets their need. As a good rep, it’s up to me to figure out how to overcome problems in the market as they occur.
“When it come to the commodity products, we’re able to forecast fairly accurately to make sure there are enough products for our wholesaler and industrial customers. We have a good handle on those high-volume ‘bread-and-butter’ items our market needs. It’s obviously more of a concern when it comes to unique or complex pieces of equipment, especially those used in commercial or industrial applications. When I sense that there may be a problem, I’ll pick up the phone and make an effort to work with the manufacturer or my network of rep contacts to come up with something that is comparable that will meet the customer’s needs. That’s the rep’s job. We’re not ever going to let a customer languish.”
Pioneering Lines — “If a principal has zero business in the territory and they’re looking to expand, having a shared-territorial development fee or some other method of compensation is the perfect means to jump start the effort. Simply asking for such compensation saves the rep a good deal of time in working with a prospective principal. It’s an indication that the principal is willing to step in and compensate us for our valuable time and that tells me he’s serious about establishing a long-term relationship with us.”
Planning for the Future — “I’m a believer in business planning, and we’ll always come up with a one or two-page strategy detailing how we’re going to attack a market. However, there’s an old military adage that says: ‘No plan survives initial contact with the enemy.’ That’s especially true in the rep world. And, I’d add that in my practice of business law, I know you can spend a great deal of time on planning, but the minute you leave your driveway in the morning, everything can change. I’d add that in a true partnership with your principals, communication is critical. That’s why it’s so important to let your principals know what your plans are, how you’re working in the territory, and what changes you anticipate.”
Communication — In line with letting your principals know what you’re doing in the territory, Blumenauer notes, “We’re in constant communication with our principals. I’d say that each of our salespeople in the territory engages with our principals if not every day, then every other day. We want to advise them, especially with all the craziness going on in the market. We constantly ‘back sell’ to our principals and that means letting them know not only all the good things, but the bad things that are happening in a market. We don’t hide anything. With sound strategy, we can move around or over the obstacles that may emerge.”
Keeping all of those concerns or challenges in mind, Blumenauer is asked if he’s ever had any second thoughts about his decision to pursue a career as a rep. Without hesitation he says, “Not a day goes by when I haven’t enjoyed what I do. For me, there’s always the opportunity to do something new. Being a rep entails so many varied practices that I look forward to it every day, especially with the people of our industry. I can make sales calls, call on engineers, meet with manufacturers to launch new product initiatives, or work with the factories to facilitate major shipments — every day there’s always something different. There’s never a dull moment.”
In addition to his work with the Blumenauer Corporation, Blumenauer is a licensed attorney who continues to serve part-time as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve. The views and/or statements presented are those of the author or Jeffrey Blumenauer, and do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Defense or its components.
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