An ALLPRO® Publication MARCH / APRIL 2015
By: Joe Poliseo
Job Well Done As noted in the previous issue of the Scouting Report, Vic Meier, ALLPRO’s first (and thus far only) Vice President of Business Development, will be retiring in April. From the day of Vic’s hiring in August of 1999 a new and positive element of ALLPRO service to all associated with the group was born. The lines of communication and information were immediately enhanced…both from corporate to members and suppliers, and back to the group from the field. He was a “one man band” for a few months and still managed to visit every domestic member by year-end…not a small task. The feedback was fantastic (and most communities enjoyed the surge in ice cream sales) as Vic made his initial rounds. It was quickly realized that a Business Development team would be necessary and was created under Vic’s guidance. Bringing what is now forty plus years of industry experience to a conclusion will not be easy. But due to such diligence and caring, the team that Vic has built is well prepared to carry on with the same enthusiasm and class that members and suppliers have come to expect. I have had the distinct pleasure to work with Vic for many years as a supplier to the group with Premier Coatings and later Coronado Paint. It has been a
privilege to work with him as a colleague for the past 15 years. Despite the stretching of the truth that Vic’s hiring would (in the words of then President David M. O’Leary) take a load of work off of my plate, what the organization has accomplished during this time is remarkable. Speaking of David, when asked to reflect on his history with Vic, David commented, “Integrity. If I were to try to sum up my 30 year history with Vic, it could easily be traced back to that word – integrity. Whether it was Premier Coatings, Coronado Paint, or ALLPRO, the companies and job descriptions might have changed, but Vic’s character remained the same. He distinguished himself from his counterparts based on a genuine concern for his customers, who turned into friends. He took on the role of mentor and acted as a sounding board for issues or challenges that owners might be grappling with. Part of the reason I get so much gratification from this industry is that it’s this industry that brought people like Vic Meier into my life, and I’ve (Continued on page 5)