Answers by Charles Weston.
WHY DID YOU START THE BUSINESS?
I started Westpac Heavy Duty to purchase the assets of the former headquarters and main distribution site of the Charles W. Carter Company, located in Placentia, Calif.
C.W. Carter Company was founded in California in 1929 and was instrumental in the growth and evolution of the heavy-duty truck parts business as we know it today. The Phoenix branch of C.W. Carter Company opened in 1959. Today this location houses the corporate headquarters and main distribution center of Westpac Heavy Duty.
I began my career in an entry-level warehouse position in 1969 with C.W. Carter and worked my way up to vice president and general manager by the mid 1970s. By that time the industry was in my blood and I was hooked.
Over the years, I often thought about going out on my own and decided to do so after the unsuccessful industry roll-up of Carter Company into TransCom/USA. I knew that I owed it to myself and to the loyal and long-time former Carter Company employees to assume ownership and invest in all of our futures.
Carter Company benefited for many years from the efforts of its employees and the relationships built with both customers and suppliers.
My goal was to build upon that legacy and leverage past performance and relationships into future growth and prosperity for all the members of the Westpac team.
WHAT’S BEEN YOUR TOUGHEST BUSINESS DECISION?
Throwing caution to the wind and trusting my gut feelings to start Westpac Heavy Duty.
Having confidence in the advice and encouragement I received from my family, friends and the solid “Pac” of employees who helped build the Carter Company legacy. Risking every penny my wife and I had (and some we didn’t) believing we could make this work.
WHAT WAS YOUR BEST BUSINESS DECISION?
Forming Westpac Heavy Duty and purchasing the assets of the former C.W. Carter Company’s Placentia, Calif. location. Using that acquisition as a springboard to successfully acquire the Carter Company and its Phoenix assets, as well as the assets of another truck parts distributorship with two Arizona locations.
WHAT WAS YOUR WORST BUSINESS DECISION?
In my case, not making the decision to start my own business in 1998, after my offer to purchase the assets of Carter Company’s Phoenix operation was rejected. During this period the four major heavy-duty distributors in Arizona were all participants in national roll-ups. Not taking advantage of the disarray in the market and starting my own business was a huge missed opportunity.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO KEEP A COMPETITIVE EDGE?
Effective communication at all levels. In order to be competitive you must maintain open, honest and timely communication with employees, suppliers and customers. Poor communication leads to poor decisions.
WHAT IS YOUR FIVE-YEAR VISION?
Grow the business where growth can be profitable. Strive to become both the distributor and employer of choice in all the markets we serve. Continue to embrace change where change benefits our customers, suppliers and employees.
WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY?
Surround yourself with good people. I believe that people are our number one resource. Take good care of your employees and they will take good care of your customers. During my time in the industry, I have found that purchasing inventory and finding warehouse space is the easy part; the hard part is finding good people. I have been successful in building a team of all stars and look forward to expanding the company by attracting more.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FACING THE AFTERMARKET?
Gross margin compression during a time of rapidly increasing expenses. Truck dealers continue to drive down the market price on the most popular items. Combine that with the ever-increasing cost of the resources required to do business and we face the most volatile time in our industry’s history.
HOW DO YOU SEE THAT CHALLENGE BEING RESOLVED?
We need to continue to develop better and more cost-effective means of doing business. Distributors, dealers and manufacturers will continue to consolidate and many of the survivors will become stronger, gaining market share. Distributors strong enough to dominate geographical territories will have an advantage. Leveraging our VIPAR Heavy Duty membership to improve buying power, as well as creating opportunities for regional and national fleet programs, will become even more important. Truck dealers have been a factor forever and they are not going away. We need to stay focused on providing top quality parts and world class service.
DURING YOUR TIME IN THE INDUSTRY, WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CHANGE?
The pace at which we do business. The pressure to increase productivity, do more business with the same or even fewer people, and master all of the relevant technologies is relentless.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE A YOUNG PERSON CONSIDERING A CAREER IN THE AFTERMARKET?
While our industry is not very glamorous or high profile, very few industries offer careers with such complete on-the-job training and upward-mobility opportunities. Most of the successful companies in our industry have owners, managers and other key personnel who started their careers in entry-level positions. If you are willing to work hard and be a contributor to positive change, your reward will be a life-long, personally fulfilling career in an industry with unlimited opportunities.
HOW DOES YOUR BUSINESS CONTRIBUTE TO THE COMMUNITY?
We provide part-time jobs and internship opportunities for members of the local community who are trying to break into our industry. We support many local charitable organizations.
As an example, we recently provided the parts and installation of a Red Dot air conditioning unit on a 1975 “pink” fire truck that is touring the U.S. as a fundraiser for breast cancer research.
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU EVERY DAY?
I am very competitive. I love the industry and the challenges we face daily. Working with my team to conquer these challenges gives me great personal and professional satisfaction. n
Headquarters Address:
1717 Roosevelt
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Website: www.westpac-hd.com
Founded: 2002
Owner(s): Charles and Paula Weston
Number of Locations: 3
Number of Employees: 70
Business model: Bumper to bumper heavy-duty truck, bus, trailer and off-highway vehicle replacement parts. Specialty shop services including the installation, remanufacturing and repair of air conditioning, fluid power and drivetrain systems.
Growth plan: Continue our market share expansion, both current and future, by investing in additional product offerings, enhancements in technology and continuous process improvement. Focus upon improving vendor and customer partnerships, while we continue to train and empower our employees to provide world class customer service. Add locations via start up or acquisition, where strategic opportunities exist.
