Fred Levinson and Frank Santoro, co-owners of an electrical business based in College Point, NY, describe how the services at NYDC help make them more efficient.
Sonepar: How has Cooper’s NYDC improved your business?
F.L.: Right now, we’re doing a lot of school work, specifically reconditioning existing schools, which requires a lot of might work. That’s where the NYDC comes in. Cooper is able to get deliveries to us in the later part of the day, so we can work at night. Also, Cooper can store things for us, when there’s no space in the school. These additional services allow us to be more efficient.
Sonepar: How do you and the Cooper sales team work together?
F.S.: The first step is right at the beginning of a project when we need pricing. But the Cooper sales team does more than just pricing. They provide valuable knowledge about the product. Having a sales person that can only price does not cut it for us.
F.L.: The Cooper sales team is like a partner to us. The nature of the business today is 24/7, and the people at Cooper are there when we need them.
Sonepar: How do you anticipate the NYDC will impact the business you’ll do with Cooper?
F.S.: Since the facility in Brooklyn has so much inventory and good delivery processes, we have more confidence in Cooper and will do more business with them.
F.L.: Cooper is able to service our same-day school needs. Very often, we place an order in the morning for material that’s needed the same afternoon. When Cooper was shipping out of New Jersey, there was no practical way for us to get it the same-day. Now that they are servicing out of Brooklyn, we can place an order up until noon for material for that same afternoon.
F.S.: Also there are not many supply houses today that are delivering at night. But it’s a great service for us and we will take advantage of it.
Sonepar: If you were addressing other contractors or other competitors, what would you say to them about why they should work with Cooper?
F.S.: Cooper is dependable, and they have the right people. It’s a big part of the business to be able to pick up the phone and have someone at the other end that’s really willing to help you. It’s a double-pronged approach. You need to have a facility like the NYDC, but you also need to have the people. Relationships are very, very important in doing business and we have them with Cooper.
Charlie York (ouside sales), Fred Levinson and Frank Santoro
