[00:00:05] Speaker A: Hello everybody, and welcome to Distribution Unpacked. My name is Charles McLaughlin and with me today is Ryan Rittenberry, the director of sales for Simple Green. Ryan, thank you so much for joining us today.
[00:00:15] Speaker B: Yeah, thanks for having us.
[00:00:16] Speaker A: Of course, of course. So why don’t you take a moment to introduce yourself and your role at Simple Green as it relates to this distribution channel that we’re in.
[00:00:25] Speaker B: Sure. So, Director of Sales, Simple Green, and I am the primary contact for all things SP Richards.
[00:00:33] Speaker A: And we’re happy to have you. That’s a big job over here. So I want to kick us off by talking about some of the marketing trends that we have here.
You know, lots of new developments coming out as the market changes. But what are some of those market trends most impacting your business and where are you choosing to focus on?
[00:00:51] Speaker B: Yeah, so it’s interesting. Sustainability continues to be a prominent buzzword.
For over 50 years, Simple Green has advocated for safer and more sustainable solutions for cleaning. This is a core value and a part of our company’s DNA. Our mindset has always been that these are daily needs, not seasonal trends. We want all people to be assured that the chemistry that they’re using is non caustic, non harmful, non flammable and safer for the environment.
Plus it actually works well.
[00:01:21] Speaker A: That’s a big benefit, having it green and also clean. So, so tell me a little bit more about the importance of sustainability in the wholesale channel for cleaning and for chemicals. You know, how, how is that value helping us helping our customers kind of win business?
[00:01:39] Speaker B: Well, I would say that it’s growing.
So we were founded back in 1979, or excuse me, 1975, and the idea of sustainable cleaning really wasn’t front of mind for a lot of people. If anything, that has shifted and that it’s much more consumer driven. So when people have the option of can they have something that is safer or more sustainable than option B and efficacy is going to be on par? Yeah, it’s more of a common sense approach. Then we’re going to take the more sustainable route.
[00:02:11] Speaker A: Got it. And so when you look at some of the different vertical markets that we have, whether it’s education or government healthcare care, where do you see that sustainability message really shining through and what are some of those unique demands that you’re adapting to to win in those vertical markets?
[00:02:28] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, so we’ve been around for 50 years and we, we partner well with a lot of the focus verticals that you guys participate in. So sled, for an example, is an established market for Simple Green chances are you’ll find us pretty much in any type of sled facility. Okay. We have solutions for pretty much any cleaning challenge that you might face, but our focus is more so on education.
We often find that consumers are using our chemistry in a more one dimensional way or for a specific application. They may not know that we offer many different solutions that can tackle cleaning, sanitizing and odor control for a variety of surfaces and applications.
[00:03:09] Speaker A: So that’s pretty interesting. So when you’re talking about that education solution, like, where are you seeing some of the added value that Simple Green is providing? Is it in mostly the classroom? Is it the restroom? Like, what are, what are some of those cleaning applications that you’re seeing? Simple Green really win in state, local education?
[00:03:29] Speaker B: So I would say that it starts with the floor that’s going to be the greatest surface area. Whether it be the classroom, the bathroom, the cafeteria.
We want to, we want to address the primary need because that’s going to be your highest consumption. And then from there, if we can establish trust and that the chemistry that you’re using is safe and effective, then we can get more dialed in and do more specific applications. So maybe it’s some kind of a lime calcium remover or maybe it’s some kind of odor issue that you’re focused on or sanitizing.
It’s really trying to get into the account, understand primary needs and then from there continue to explore. And that’s where the education part really kind of unfolds as, as we’re working together to figure out new solutions.
[00:04:15] Speaker A: It’s an interesting approach and it leads nicely into my next question, which is how our customers can succeed with the Simple Green product line. It sounds like you said it all with, it starts with the floor, right? It’s like get in on that core offering, win them over with the brand and expand the business from there. Is that right?
[00:04:33] Speaker B: That’s right, yeah. So show and tell still works best in any situation. If given the option of using a safer product and we can achieve the same results, it’s a no brainer. But it starts with getting the opportunity to demonstrate, if we can demonstrate efficacy and then explain the benefits of using safer and more sustainable products, then it’s how we’re, you know, we’re on the road to closing business. But you know, we, we have partnered with a national outfit. So we have 94 sellers in the field that are able to go out and assist sp with distributors, distributor partners, or end users.
[00:05:10] Speaker A: Wow, that’s a pretty big team. So it’s Nice that our customer base has that kind of resource available to them. That’s huge. So we have a tradition here on the show where we always ask this question. Our tagline here at SP Richards is simplifying complexity. And we all know how complex the distribution space can be, but what complexities are, you know, are Simple Green focusing on today and how are they approaching that complexity?
[00:05:38] Speaker B: Yeah, it’s a great question. So where we want to do as much as we can on education, that’s not always available. So we’ve brought new innovation to the marketplace that really is more descriptive of how to use chemistry. So we have a new pro line that, that we’re bringing to market and it’s very specific. Four bathroom, four food service, four floor, four carpet, four glass. So it takes a lot of guesswork out of cleaning and also it really gives you the insurance of maybe your primary function is not cleaning, maybe this is a part of your job, but it’s not your primary function.
We don’t have to really rely on education at this point. It’s self evident in the product.
[00:06:21] Speaker A: Got it. So being able to have that product line for that customer to adopt some additional cleaning system solutions, that’s not just all purpose or anything like that. You’re growing the business with the product line.
[00:06:33] Speaker B: That’s right.
[00:06:33] Speaker A: That’s awesome. So as we close out today, I wanted to make sure I gave you the opportunity to address our listeners one last time in the distribution space.
Anything you want our audience to walk away with about Simple Green or about your role in the wholesale channel?
[00:06:50] Speaker B: Yeah, sure. I would say that it’s the brand that you know and love, but there’s more. Please reach out to learn.
[00:06:56] Speaker A: Absolutely. We just heard all about the great ways to start with the floor and build your way up from there. So be sure to reach out to Ryan guys for all of those for the cleaning opportunities. Ryan, thank you so much for coming out for your time today. Really appreciate it and thank you all for watching and we’ll see you next time.
