Purpose-Driven Profit: J&H Industrial’s Miracle Delivery
Allen Hamilton and Kevin Jones of J&H Industrial Supply Co. proved Charles Koch right by making lives better and earning a new customer for life.
"The purpose of business is to make people's lives better and make a profit doing it."
Charles Koch of Koch Industries said this. He represents the family's interest in their multi-billion-dollar businesses. He added that we will sell a company for one or two reasons.
It is no longer making people's lives better or
It no longer makes money doing it.
I heard this in a podcast interview over five years ago. Here I am writing about it because it is a simple truth. These are the businesses I want to invest in and be a part of.
I was prompted to write this because I recently heard a story about a business that exemplifies this truth.
Hurricane Helen caused property devastation and loss of life on its path from the Florida Panhandle up through Western North Carolina. It decimated Asheville and its surrounding areas.
My son-in-law, Allen, and his business partner, Kevin, own J&H Industrial Supply Co., a fast-growing industrial supply company.
They have a great partnership.
Allen is the operations guy, and Kevin is the sales and service guy. In short, Allen is the inside person, and Kevin is the customer-facing representative.
On Monday at 8:45 AM, Kevin received a call from Jeb Morris, the President of RED (Rental Equipment Direct), a wholly owned subsidiary of Choate Construction. Kevin has been trying to crack this account for a long time. It was the Monday morning after Hurricane Helene destroyed Asheville.
Jeb said, "I've called all my suppliers looking for forty generators, sixteen chainsaws, and the oil, fuel, and OSHA-approved gas cans to run them. I told everyone I needed them today. They all laughed at me. You're my last call. I expect you'll laugh at me, too."
Kevin said, "I'll have them for you by tonight."
The president asked, "Everyone says it is impossible to fill this order. How are you going to do it?"
Kevin answered, "The more time I spend explaining how I intend to fill this order, the more time it will take me to do so. " The president said, "I'm hanging up now. Go get it."
Kevin called his wife, who doesn't work in the business, and asked for her help. She began calling around to source the necessary products to fulfill the order. Kevin, well-known in the maintenance and building supply business, did the same. By the end of the day, Kevin was picking up the items from the supplier with one of his drivers and a panel truck. After completing the last pickup, they drove to East Atlanta and delivered the order to RED’s warehouse at 8:30 PM.
The next morning, Kevin received a call from the President of RED.
He said, "I wanted you to know that the National Guard just picked up all the supplies you delivered. They are being delivered by helicopter to people in need in the greater Asheville area. Thank you for this miracle. You made a big difference to many people in their greatest need."
Kevin said, "When he told me this, I cried."
Kevin told me, "This is why we are in business. We want to meet our customers' needs in their timeframe and at a competitive price. We are not here to serve our customers only today. Our goal is to serve them in the future."
On Saturday, after that Monday, I discovered from Kathy over morning coffee that my son-in-law, Allen, was allowing people to borrow his delivery trucks over the weekend. These were friends and neighbors serving churches and other organizations in Asheville, helping them rebuild their lives. Allen helped them buy supplies, load their trucks, and get these “angels of mercy” on the road as soon as possible.
Later that day, Allen received a call from a friend in North Carolina. He said, "The organization I delivered the baby formula and diapers to also needs the pallet loader. What should I do?"
Allen asked, "What kind of organization are they?"
He said, "They are an orphanage."
Without hesitation, Allen said, "Give it to them."
I am proud of Allen and Kevin; they are proud of each other. This is a purposeful partnership in a business. J&H Industrial Supply Co. improves people's lives and makes a profit.
And now the end of the story…
Kevin received a call from Jeb Morris, who invited him to their next sales meeting to present J&H Industrial Supply Co.’s values and capabilities to all of Jeb's salespeople. This meeting marked the start of another long-term relationship between the two companies.
When a crisis hits, does your company see impossibility or opportunity?