Answers by Jerry Weis, President
WHY DID YOU START THE BUSINESS?
The company was founded in 1925 by R.G. Ott. In 1959, his son Reginald A. Ott took over and in 1985 his son Dale Ott began running the business. Ott’s was a third-generation, family-owned business when we purchased it in January 1999. The current ownership team consists of Jerry Weis, president; Chris Sweet, vice president; and Teresa Weis, secretary/treasurer. Jerry started with the company in 1988, Chris in 1987 and Teresa in 1990.
WHAT’S BEEN YOUR TOUGHEST BUSINESS DECISION?
The toughest decision we have made is the time that we committed on a national level to the industry. In 2007, we donated 100s of hours to the heavy-duty aftermarket industry. We are totally committed to the ongoing viability of the independent, heavy-duty aftermarket. Fortunately, over the years, we have developed a very strong management team which allows us flexibility in this area. It is always a challenge keeping the balance between our local economy and national issues. We must always remember the responsibility we have to our employees and their families.
WHAT WAS YOUR BEST BUSINESS DECISION?
There are two decisions we believe to be our best. The first was to join VIPAR Heavy Duty in 1992. This decision allowed us to become even closer to our supplier partners and offered an avenue of communication with fellow distributors on a national basis. The second, and more recent, is our commitment and investment in technology and electronic commerce.
WHAT WAS YOUR WORST BUSINESS DECISION?
Entering into expansion on too many fronts at one time without a crystal ball, only to have the economy take a downturn in the process. Fortunately, we have excellent, long-term employees who stepped up and used their expertise to pull our fat out of the fire!
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO KEEP A COMPETITIVE EDGE?
Understanding our global economy on a local level. We can’t put our head in the sand and believe everything is going to be OK. We have to participate, get involved, know what our suppliers are thinking and try to stay several steps ahead of our competition. For us, that means being very involved in VIPAR Heavy Duty, being an active participant at Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) and the Commercial Vehicle Solutions Network (CVSN), networking throughout the industry and then bringing it home to a local level. Lastly, communicating with our people, because without them and their customer service skills, we don’t exist.
WHAT IS YOUR FIVE-YEAR VISION?
Consolidation, diversification and specialization. We believe the industry will continue to consolidate on all fronts: the manufacturers, the fleets and the distributors. To survive, we will diversify into new products and services, while becoming the specialist to control our market share. Couple that with technology, and you have our vision.
