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THE
IAPD MAGAZINE
August
1995
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Carolyn Faulk, president and CEO
of A & C Plastic Products, Inc., Houston, Texas,built
an $8.5 million business with what could be saved from
an $800 per month teacher's salary. Carolyn is a woman
who has made it in the "man-made" world of
plastics and with an initial investment of $5,000 and
a $25,000 line of credit from its supplier, she molded
the company into one of the leading plastics distributors
in the Southwest.
The
Distributor's Distributor
A & C Plastic Products, Inc., is an acrylic sheet
distributor founded as a sole proprietorship in 1973
by Carolyn and her former husband, Myrl. The founders
felt it was necessary for all profits made the first
five years to be put back into the company to build
un the inventory needed to fill every day order. From
the beginning, A & C's approach was to be the "distributor's
distributor."
The more inventory A & C stocked, the more reliable
source it became for customers to be able to obtain
items perceived as hard to find.
The company's marketing skills shine in the areas of
telemarketing and direct mail. It is also using very
technical computer faxing methods for getting industry
specified excess inventory lists and sales lists all
over the country on a weekly basis. With this method,
the company's customers have updated lists of A &
C's inventory which is responsible for building the
customer base. A & C's motto for same day or next
day delivery and that "the company is selling its
service and the plastic is thrown in for free"
demonstrate the proactive environment created by Carolyn.
A & C hit a plateau in sales in 1987 which lasted
for three years. Carolyn then bought out her former
husband's interest and opened a Colorado Springs branch,
added sales staff, diversified into industrial product
lines, worked closely with sales and production staff
and also stressed "service above self" with
customers.
Her entrepreneurial spirit shined as she worked tirelessly
to nurture her employees and create a family type atmosphere
that respected and encouraged employees participating
in the company and its success. She has created many
employee incentive plans in an effort to further reward
employees for contributing to the company's viability
in the plastics industry and its success.
A & C's commitment to people is equally demonstrated
in its excellence in client service. Carolyn has run
the company with the philosophy that it is "small
enough to know you, but large enough to serve you."
In fact, today, with sales averaging close to $1.0 million
per month, A & C Plastics boasts of same day or
next day service. Maintaining the hard to find and odd
plastic products has increased and also turned around
this company's sales and customer base.
Entrepreneur of the Year
Carolyn has cemented a seasoned group of management
team members and experienced personnel. In recognition
of her accomplishments, she was recently awarded "Entrepreneur
of the Year" for the greater Houston area. There
were 5,000 initial applicants for this prestigious award
and it was narrowed down to 23 finalists. Carolyn will
now go on to Palm Springs, CA, to compete for the national
award.
At a banquet in her honor, Carolyn thanked her customers
for their loyalty and confidence through the years.
She also said, "My employees are the true winners
because without their tireless dedication and commitment
to A & C Plastics, none of this would be possible."
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