If Mike Gallagher has learned anything over the course of his lengthy and successful business career it is the value of employing and relying on best practices.

Just as so many reps before him, Gallagher, president and CEO of Centro, Inc., began his business career on the manufacturing side of the desk working for companies including Thomas & Betts, Norton Abrasives, and Square D Company.

“I spent most of my business life working with large companies that sold products through distribution and rep channels. When I was about 40, I determined that my goal of serving as president of … Read the rest

Each year MANA recognizes members who are celebrating special anniversaries of their MANA memberships. In this issue we recognize members who are celebrating 75, 70, 65, 60, 55, 50, 45, 40, 35, 30 or 25 years of MANA membership.

MANA thanks and congratulates these members for their long-term support and commitment to MANA and our industry.

We also thank those long-term members whose membership anniversaries are not among the years listed in this issue. Your company name was either published within the past three years or will be published within the next two.

Representative Members
75 Years

Tim Gahan
Henry … Read the rest

Whether it’s considering if the role of the rep is changing, sharing tips on how to use technology to maximize productivity, or offering advice for getting in front of ever-elusive customers, regularly scheduled MANAchats have become a welcome meeting place for association members. Those and other subjects were addressed in recent sessions of the chats that were participated in by numerous MANA members and took place over several days.

Contacting Customers

As noted in another article that appears in this issue of Agency Sales, the lasting impact of Covid and other variables have made it more difficult for reps … Read the rest

If ever there was a “friendly camp” for a rep firm to call home it proved to be Gallagher Fluid Seals, Inc.

According to Chris Gallagher, CEO of the King of Prussia, Pennsylvania-based company, “When we learned from Dupont, one of the manufacturers that we work with, that the owner of its distributor in New England (IES Technical Sales, Danvers, Massachusetts), was interested in transitioning out of the firm, we opened acquisition conversations with the firm’s owner Mike Berry.”

Gallagher explains, “IES is a segmental distributor for Dupont Kalrez and deals only with targeted customers in the semiconductor and … Read the rest

MANA isn’t alone in celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. Joining the association in achieving that milestone is Altherm, Inc., an independent manufacturers’ rep firm serving the plumbing and heating industry. And if there’s anything the agency can point to as a reason for its lengthy and prosperous tenure, it’s adaptability and flexibility.

“In dealing with the manufacturers that we represent, they’re always talking about the importance of alignment,” explains Tom Gallagher, president of the Ridgefield, New Jersey-based rep firm. “They’ll always tell us how important it is for us to be aligned with what they hope to achieve. … Read the rest

Bob Gallagher’s rep story mirrors that of many other MANA members. He grew up around the profession. Immediately after graduating from college he took a position as a rep and today he serves as the president of Teeling & Gallagher, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana.

Teeling & Gallagher specializes in components for the transportation segment of the market. This includes all the OEMs and tier suppliers to the automotive, heavy truck, agricultural, aerospace and related markets which provides for a large group of customers in the Midwest.

According to Gallagher, “I’ve always been fascinated with anything that has wheels … Read the rest

MANA wants to recognize members who have been with us for many years, those who celebrated their 70, 65, 60, 55, 50, 45, 40, 35, 30 and 25 year membership anniversary the previous year.

MANA thanks and congratulates the members listed here for their long‑term support and commitment.

Representative Members
70 years

Tim Gahan
Henry M. Wood Co.
West Chester, OH

Charles W. McDonald
Phister Equipment Co., Inc.
Cincinnati, OH

65 years

Timothy E. Marshall
Marshall & Assocs., Inc.
Pittsburgh, PA

60 years

Arthur B. Connolly
J. H. Green Sales, Inc.
Royal Oak, MI

Gregory W. Matthews
Keller Industrial Products, … Read the rest

“Never in my wildest dreams did I see this coming. When I first started ‘borrowing’ from the company I had every intent of paying back what I took. Heck, I did pay some of it back — at least at the beginning!” Those were the words Mark said as he confessed that the life he was living was, for the most part, an illusion. Truth be told, Mark, for all his legitimate successes, had over time become no more than a liar and a thief. His choices created consequences that he never dreamed were possible.

Mark’s account of his ethical … Read the rest

MANA wants to recognize members who have been with us for many years.

Every January we list in Agency Sales those agent and principal members who celebrated their 65, 60, 55, 50, 45, 40, 35, 30 and 25 year membership anniversary the previous year. MANA also sends them certificates in commemoration of their longevity as members.

MANA thanks and congratulates the members we listed below for their long-term support and commitment.

Agent Members

65 Years

Stephen V. Foster
Basic Manufacturers’ Sales Co., Inc.
Toledo, OH

Jeff Witt
Henry M. Wood Co.
West Chester, OH

Jim L. Crow
Jim Crow Sales… Read the rest

Exhibiting further evidence that the challenges and travails of being an independent manufacturers’ representative cross industry lines, two other reps — one from the furniture industry and the other who sells “green” products — explain some of their concerns and experiences with being a rep.

It should come as no surprise that reps working in the fabric/furniture industry — just as their peers in other industries — rely heavily on their personal relationships to serve as the foundation for their businesses.

At least that’s the view of Brian Gallagher, Homcraft, LLC. Homcraft, an agency that markets and sells fabrics … Read the rest

The fact that Teeling & Gallagher hasn’t appeared in the pages of Agency Sales since 1987 shouldn’t be taken as a sign the rep firm isn’t still active and successful in Indianapolis, Indiana. In fact, it’s just the opposite. That they’re here again is a testament to the firm’s ability to plan for the future, their continuity and their professionalism.

As a matter of fact, when a cover article on the agency appeared 22 years ago, Agency Sales reported that “While other agencies talk about planning for continuity, Don Teeling and Tom Gallagher wrote the book on the subject.” If … Read the rest

The key to a successful rep-manufacturer sales meeting resides in the effective planning of the event. It’s only when both the rep and the manufacturer focus on what’s going to transpire before, during and after the event that they will reap the benefits of a productive meeting.

Whilst that’s the consensus that evolved after several interviews, the fact remains that planning and executing a successful sales meeting can be easier said than done. For instance, consider what some reps have to say on the subject:

Meeting with a purpose — “There’s no sense in having a meeting just to have … Read the rest

When a group of independent manufacturers’ representatives was engaged in a conversation on the subject of wasteful practices they’re forced to engage in, with one voice they agreed that unplanned or poorly planned joint sales calls — with either principals or distributors — were a huge time waster.

Is a follow-up to this conversation, Agency Sales contacted a number of manufacturers’ representatives to get a feel for whether that initial conversation was an aberration or if joint field visits were something they’d rather avoid. While hardly a scientific study, what we found was that reps:

• Look forward to and appreciate