Relationships Matter (Part 4)

Lasting Relationships flourish when all parties trust each other. Greed, or a breach of that fragile trust by either side, fractures the relationship and makes it impossible to restore it to its original trust level.

We believe in transparency and good relationships with our customers, employees and suppliers – all key stake holders in a successful business.

We must respect all stake holders and ensure that each one of them is honest, trust each other and allow each one’s business to grow.  If one stake holder gets greedy, the relationship sours and as discussed before, the relationship cannot be restored to its original trust level.

We treat our customers as kings, we treat our employees as family and we treat our supplier-partners with respect as well as pay them on time so they can function efficiently.

We are fortunate to have customers, employees and suppliers, who have been with us for over 30 years.  We thank them for their continued support.

Relationships Matter (Part 3)

Lasting Relationships flourish when both parties trust each other. Greed, or a breach of that fragile trust by either side, fractures the relationship and makes it impossible to restore it to its original trust level.

We all worked very hard back in the early days; usually seven days a week. We also had many breaks in business; one that comes to mind is from a large pharmacy chain.

Mr. Blackburn had a vacuum-forming business. I used to deal with him when I worked at my old company. Mr. Blackburn was older than me and he liked my tenacity in business.

When I started AGORA, I pursued this secured business of a large pharmacy chain. This company was looking to reduce the cost of its shopper baskets. The shopper baskets were made from vacuum-formed ABS plastic and then silk-screened with the company logo.

Mr. Blackburn redesigned the basket using polyethylene plastic rather than ABS plastic. Instead of silk-screening a logo on a basket afterwards, he debossed the logo while forming the basket thereby manufacturing the entire basket in one process.  This reduced the cost of the basket, as well as, made for a stronger and more durable basket.

Here is the break: this pharmacy chain would give us a large order of 50,000 baskets per PO.

We would in turn, place an order with Mr. Blackburn and then receive 50,000 baskets by truck.

We would have an empty truck parked beside the truck full of baskets. All of us would go out, and randomly check the quality of the baskets, then start filling the empty truck with the inspected baskets.

This process would take our 6 employees about 6 to 8 hours.

Our customer would pay us within 10 days. This check received in a short time would provide Agora operating cash to purchase raw materials and pay our employees, etc. We would receive a 50,000 piece order twice a year. With this huge break, our business was able to sustain for about two to three years.

AGORA was able to improve the basket design and reduce the price of the basket thus creating a win-win situation for all parties involved. Knowing the innovative Mr. Blackburn plus the trust that our customer placed in AGORA, provided this break for us. 

Relationships Matter (Part 2)

I met Real Ramaciere when I first moved to St. Petersburg, FL in 1980.  Schell, the company I worked for, moved from Cincinnati to St. Petersburg in 1980.

We purchased a building in St. Petersburg. I was the first one from Schell to arrive in Florida, to get the building ready to move in and also set up the factory once the machinery started to arrive.

I was selling off shelving etc., that the company we bought the building from, left behind.

Real Ramaciere was a plant manager at a local watch strap factory. He came to purchase some shelving etc., that is when I first met Real. Real and I connected during this brief meeting. Real was older than me and took a liking to me.

Going forward, when I started AGORA, Real was at the factory every day.

I Always Remember Two Things Real Told Me

“Never look back on negative things.”

“Always follow up on what you started until it is completed.”

This advice was instrumental in my focusing on the business from the very first day. Every evening after Real left his factory, he would come to my factory and help us fix machine problems and make process improvements. Real would first ask me if I checked the machine he fixed the day before.

Invariably I would say, “Real, I was so busy up front that I did not get a chance to check.” So he would get up from the chair, strut to the plant, check on the machine and any other help we needed in the plant. He would come back and say, “Subash, where is my beer?”

Both of us would have a beer together and we talked about my day, new business and any other problems we had.

He owned our problems and took care of them.

What a blessing!

Relationships Matter (Part 1)

A message from our founder, Subash Dave’.

I believe that personal relationships are a huge factor in your personal enrichment of life, which can also translate to your work life. Without the generosity of friends who help along the way, it would be much harder to achieve growth and satisfaction.

A good friend, Ron Lambert, had a metal shop. Back in 1986, he took two weeks off his business to help us move six trailers of used machinery all the way from NJ to Florida.

When I first started my business, Mr. Blackburn who has a vacuum forming business helped by giving us different sized containers, which we used as material handling containers. This saved us some money which we could then use for purchasing raw materials.

My friend Real Ramaciere, worked in a watch strap factory as a plant manager. He came every day after finishing work and helped us repair machines and made production fixtures for us. Without his help, we could not have shipped products on time.