Above: Charles Wax, Chairman & CEO (top right); USS Midway 70th Celebration Group Photo (bottom right); Charles Wax
& David Wax Accepting Feb. 26th as WAXIE Day in San Diego from Mayor Kevin Faulconer (left).
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SAN DIEGO, CA -- Three hundred sales representatives from each of the 20 locations of WAXIE Sanitary Supply converged on San Diego, February 26th -28th for a sales rally, to celebrate the company’s 70th anniversary and to hear from top industry officials.
The three-day conference, which included workshops as well as speeches by owners Charles and David Wax, was conducted at the Sheraton Harbor Island Hotel and aboard the museum aircraft carrier USS Midway, upon which WAXIE’s General Manager for Colorado, Mike Midas, once served as a naval officer. WAXIE has been headquartered in San Diego since its founding in 1945.
During the proceedings, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer greeted the sales representatives and proclaimed February 26th “WAXIE Day in San Diego.” GOJO, represented by its Chairman and CEO Joe Kanfer, was declared WAXIE’s vendor of the year; GOJO sales representative Chris Thomas was praised for his attentiveness to WAXIE’s needs; and Kevin Sadakane from the Santa Ana division was honored as WAXIE’s Sales Consultant of the Year.
Throughout the three-day Sales Rally, WAXIE’s sales representatives heard market appraisals and sales tips from such industry leaders as Joe Kanfer and GOJO President Steve Schultz; Heritage Bag Company owner and President Carl Allen and Executive Vice President Scott Hoeft; Georgia-Pacific Professional President Scott Light and Georgia-Pacific Senior Vice President and General Sales Manager Ryan Elwart; and International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA) Executive Director John Garfinkel.
Workshops and presentations were led by David Frank, president of the American Institute for Cleaning Services; Seth McCutcheon of Apogee Human Performance Systems; and some of WAXIE’s own experts. Don Schuldies spoke about the WAXIE brand; Keith Schneringer discussed environmental sustainability; and Harry Babb, Aaron Gerraughty and Randy Hammond updated the sales representatives on informational technology.
In addition to the Wax brothers, the following WAXIE executives alternated in leading the proceedings: President Jeff Roberts, Executive Vice President Clint Hunter, and Vice President for Marketing Rick Hazard. The executive team narrated highlights of the company’s 70 year history while celebrating the contributions of key sales personnel from WAXIE’s nine divisions, which were established in the following chronological order: San Diego, Santa Ana, Ontario (formerly San Bernardino), Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Northern California, Denver and the Pacific Northwest.
In a question-and-answer session, Charles Wax and Jeff Roberts told the assembled sales representatives that the company is looking forward to opening new divisions either through acquisitions or “greenfielding” start-ups. Additionally, they said the company is weighing moving into some closely related marketing channels.