Meet the Editor, Jay Gordon
A recipe for lemonade
Winston Churchill once said that the pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity, while the optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.
By Winston’s definition, Geoff Becker would most definitely be an optimist.
While just about everyone we spoke with for this month’s story on discontinued items expressed the frustration and anxiety that often accompany discontinuations, Becker had a decidedly different view.
“I love discontinued product,” says Becker, co-founder of Austin, TX-based PROforma Quicksilver. “I am a distributor who has opened up several Fortune 500 companies by taking advantage of closeouts and inventory reductions. It has provided a niche for us that very few of my competitors take advantage of.
“I have walked several industry colleagues through
the process, but they are always nervous about getting burned.
I have never been burned or lost a client. I use this tool
as a door opener, but I’m never pigeon-holed as some
sort of ‘Crazy Eddy’ vendor.
“My largest client is a Fortune 100 company that placed
their first order with me 10 years ago for $300 worth of
closeout calculators. They are a $750,000 client now. Today
I received orders for closed-out fleece jackets and 1,000
pieces of a discontinued polo. The client gets a great price
and I make a great margin. When you pay $5 for a polo,
you can sell it for $15 and the client gets a steal, loves
me and I get paid for it.”
Bully for Geoff. That’s exactly the kind of resourcefulness and, well, optimism you need to succeed in the uniforms business. And while there probably won’t be too many uniform buyers in the market for $5 polos, we checked the apparel category on Geoff’s Web site and did find some promising uniform items, including several Class 3 high-vis items, three-button blazers, work shirts and more.
For the majority of you who are still tinkering with the
recipe for lemonade when it comes to discontinued items,
our story provides some insights
and advice I believe you will find refreshing.
Dress Jay
This month’s cover story shows
how restaurant chains are trying to distinguish themselves
in a crowded field by remaking everything from design and
décor to uniforms and chefwear. Casual dining chains
(and plenty of other wearers in the hospitality market) could
really set themselves apart with the bold new look we’re
featuring this month. As you’ll see on page 12, we
dressed Jay and most of the Uniforms editorial staff in coordinated
shirts that are perfect for situations where you want to
distinguish the manager from the crew in a stylish new way.
As always, if you have a uniform you’d like us to feature here, drop me a line.
Jay Gordon
jgordon@asicentral.com
