Allied Group Sales Celebrates 15 years
On July 1, 2012, Allied Group Sales, Inc. (AGS) celebrated 15 years in business. Founded in 1997 by President Don Kaminski, the company has proved an enduring force in the southwest electrical industry. Kaminski said the continuing spirit of AGS comes from their business relationships, partnerships, adaptability, and their dedicated employees.
“We really focused on developing a mission statement that accurately represents the company and our values,” said Kaminski. “We’ve adhered to that statement through the good and bad times in this market.”
Their mission statement has served AGS well, as the company has become a leader and an example of a successful, community-concerned, employee-nurturing, and environmentally conscientious business. The manufacturers’ rep company continues to grow, in Arizona, New Mexico, El Paso and Las Vegas and expanded recently into Colorado and Wyoming. “We are currently looking into vertical markets as well, with schools, universities and hospitals,” said Upchurch.
“Due to the recent economic slump, as some companies have either merged or closed, we did a good job of maintaining, and are still profitable” said Mick Upchurch, CEO, who purchased 50% of AGSin 2006.
One reason why AGS not only survives but thrives is due to their adaptability and conscientious decision making and continuing education program. AGS hosts training sessions for end users, contractors and engineers, in their on site training center and recently conducted an Energy and Lighting seminar in May.
In December last year, AGS upgraded their main facility as part of the “Energize Phoenix” program, incorporating Lutron Dimming, Simkar Lighting, Pass & SeymourWiring Devices, and Halco Lamps into their 60,000 square foot warehousing facility located at 201 South 28th Street in Phoenix. All rooms are equipped with dimmers, motion sensors, surge devices and designed for energy conservation.
When Kaminski purchased Allied Geis Sales in 1997, the company employed nine people. Today, Allied Group Sales boasts 21 “invaluable employees.”
“We have several employees that have been with us for upwards of 10 years,” said Kaminski.
“We also have many younger employees bringing fresh and innovative ideas to the table,” said Upchurch. These new ideas have lead AGS to a technological forefront. The company is on its fourth-generation website, originally launched in 1997.“We plan to have the latest version ready for launch by the end of this year,” said Kaminski.
The company poses a formidable presence online, hosting a Facebook page introducing the latest in new product innovations, a Twitter page, and is working on integrating Dropbox, a file hosting service that offers cloud storage, file synchronization, and client software in a portable and sharable format.“We are working on compiling the literature and new product information for our manufacturers and customers in Dropbox,” said Upchurch.
Additionally, employees work with laptops and IPad’s, staying abreast of the latest and most useful technology in the industry.
“One of the keys to attracting and maintaining quality employees are that we offer a competitive salary as well as medical benefits, 401k, and profit sharing,” said Kaminski. “Even with the recent recession, we are proud to state that we only had one lay-off and were able to bring that individual back on staff within 12 months.
“We really want to thank our employees, and the new and long term relationships that have been formed with our manufacturers, customers, distributors, contractors and engineers without who we would not have had the pleasure of doing business over the past 15 years,” said Upchurch.
PHOTO CAPTION:
Don Kaminski, Angela Hayes, Sue Fegebank, Michael Casa. Mick Upchurch, Amy Taylor, Terri Shoop, Mark Brown, Pam England, Rich Ruelas, Don Hall, Todd House and Dwayne Lang.Jason Elgin, Rick Jacobsen, Matt Lenuzza, Gene Martindale, John Marckstein, Damian Blaschka and Tim Sandhoff.
