CPAC, Inc.'s Annual Meeting Speech
August 9, 2001, at 11:00 a.m. EDT
Thomas N. Hendrickson, President and CEO
This document contains edited transcripts of the
presentations made by executives of CPAC, Inc. at its Annual Meeting held
Thursday, August 9th in Mt. Morris, NY. An edited transcript of the
question and answer session that took place at the meeting is included here
also. For further information, please contact Karen McCulley, CPAC's Corporate
Communications Manager, at 716-382-3223 or kmcculley@cpac.com.
Thomas N. Hendrickson, President and
Chief Executive Officer
"The euphoria I felt at this time last year
has been replaced with cautious optimism.
"The slowdown in the U.S. economy that
started last year in the manufacturing sector hit CPAC's U.S. operations just
after last year's Annual Meeting. The troubles we have experienced domestically
have now spread to the world economy as Japan, Germany, Singapore, Brazil, and
Argentina are all in, or approaching, recessions. The strong U.S. dollar has
only compounded the problem. On one hand, U.S. companies are seeing reduced
exports. On the other, currency translations are causing significant financial
reporting issues for U.S. companies, like CPAC, with foreign operations.
"I could make a very strong case for just
how bad things are. Let me simply quote from the August 13, 2001 issue of
Business Week.
"There's blood in the water as the
economic downturn continues to gnaw through corporate earnings. Even with an
8% gain in sales the 900 companies on Business Week's Corporate Scoreboard
saw second-quarter profits plummet 52% from a year earlier, while margins
fell to 3.2% from 7.2%. That's the largest decline ever recorded in the
quarterly scoreboard -- nearly twice the 27% year-to-year drop in the fourth
quarter of 1991. And the current profit plunge follows a 25% decline in the
first quarter. This 'near recession' as some economists dub the current
slump, is breaking new ground in corporate misery."
"As outlined in Tom Weldgen's presentation,
sales and earnings in both segments of CPAC business are down … much of which
is attributable to the global economy. We do not have crystal balls, but our
business indicators tell us not to expect much improvement in sales throughout
this fiscal year. Our short-term philosophy is that "cash is King" and
our cost containment programs reinforce that position. We have controlled all
hiring, capital expenditures, salary adjustments, and administrative expenses
with tight fisted management. We have not announced layoffs, because we are
already lean in most areas and strongly believe that we must remain able to
deliver on customer services once our top-line growth initiatives start to beat
out sales shortfalls brought on by economic conditions. That is not a stated
policy, but rather our commitment to our sales and marketing executives
worldwide. If they cannot deliver on their targets, we will obviously need to
reconsider our employment levels.
"One cause for optimism in Fuller Brands is
the successful addition of Read McNamara as president of that segment, which
includes Fuller Brush, Stanley Home Products, and Cleaning Technologies Group.
Read has over 25 years of experience in global business development for Fortune
500 companies. He has a record of leading double-digit sales growth for major
consumer products companies including Pillsbury, Gillette, Revlon, and Bausch
& Lomb. Some products under his management included Right Guard, PaperMate,
Green Giant, Haagen Dazs, Healthy Choice, and Ray Ban. Read will outline his
direction for Fuller Brands in a few minutes. The remainder of my time will be
devoted to a discussion of Imaging.
"Our 1994 'Vision 2000' plan to prepare
this company for the impact of digital imaging by the year 2000 was well
conceived. An acquisition strategy was successfully executed to create what now
is Fuller Brands. Our early pessimism about the future conventional photography,
however, has proven wrong. Yes, digital photography is growing and will continue
to grow. However, there is still much money to be made in the silver halide
arena, and we aim to get a larger share. In international markets, sales of
photographic chemistry are not mirroring the U.S. situation. Instead, sales are
flat, to up significantly, in local currencies. Even with weak economic
conditions in the countries we serve, the outlook for growth remains strong.
Sales could easily double at CPAC Asia by the end of this fiscal year, as we
continue to penetrate new markets. In Italy, we are moving to new, larger
facilities by March 2002 to accommodate expected increases in export sales.
"The U.S. photographic market, however, has
been brutal. A reduction in sales and profits has been experienced and reported
by virtually every company operating in that sector. Trebla has been hard hit
with sales off 20% last year, and nearing 24% so far this fiscal year. The
Trebla team is on a short leash, but conveys optimism that its customer base
will show signs of recovery before the end of this calendar year; and we have
faith that their instincts are correct.
"Our other U.S. Imaging operations, CPAC
Equipment Division and Allied Diagnostic Imaging Resources, Inc., are both off
in sales this year but are anticipating new contracts to reverse this trend. A
new three-year contract for medical chemistry with Premier, Inc. gives us access
to over 1,800 U.S. hospitals. Another new three-year contract with Radiology
Partners, Inc. for both chemistry and equipment enables contact with more than
1,500 clinics and physician practices in the U.S.
"The Imaging cash cow is not dry! And we
are in a financial position to take advantage of some unique opportunities in
this market. CPAC Japan was recently created in Osaka, Japan, to better serve
our growing customer base in Japan. And we are only now actively looking at
acquisitions in the imaging sector that will allow us to leverage our existing
resources to gain market share in this maturing, low-growth segment."
Thomas J. Weldgen, Chief Financial
Officer
"Our results for the first quarter were
still weak, with total sales of $24.3 million versus $27.6 million last year -
down 12%. We reported income per share of 13 cents.
"For Fuller Brands, sales for the quarter
were down 8.3% at $14.8 million, versus the prior year first quarter, as the
economic slowdown, which first hit our operations in the third quarter of last
fiscal year, continued its negative impact on our business. However, it is
important to note that the sales level is up slightly, if you compare it to the
4th quarter ended March 31, 2001 when sales were $14.6 million. Thus the sales
volume seems to have leveled off rather than continuing to fall further.
"Cost of sales for the quarter at $7.3
million, represents 49.4% of sales versus 51.6% last year. This favorable
reduction in the cost percentage relationship was largely the result of a better
product mix in the quarter, coupled with plant operation and production
efficiency projects currently in process as we try to reduce costs further.
"Selling, administrative and engineering
expenses were 43% of sales versus 38.2% last year in the quarter and 42.1% in
the quarter ended March 31, 2001. The increase in the percentage relationship is
a direct function of the decrease in sales. We have continued to expend funds to
develop new sales programs and to increase penetration through our internet
sites. In addition, although sales are off, we have been reluctant to make
reductions in staffing levels or programs that serve our customers. We have
chosen to remain focused on finding new customers, strengthen existing
relationships, and improve our market presence, to provide solid opportunity for
growth when the economy recovers.
"Operating income for the quarter was 6.7%
or $995,000 versus $1.5 million, or 9.4% in the prior year, but this shows an
increase of over $688,000 since the $307,000 or 2% result that we reported in
the quarter ended March 31, 2001.
"In the Imaging segment, sales for the
quarter decreased $2 million to $9.5 million, due to the overall economic
situation and continued pricing pressures. This sales decline is in line with
sales declines for peer companies in the imaging business.
"Cost of sales remained stable in relation
to sales. The pricing and product mix in this quarter resulted in gross margins
of 37.2% of sales which is the same margin percentage as last year. We expect
margins to remain in the 35% to 38% range in this segment for the next quarter.
"Selling, administrative and engineering
expenses were 33.4% of sales versus 29.3% last year. Throughout this period, our
decision has been to continue our sales programs and levels of sales support, to
hold onto our customer base in the belief that sales volumes will begin to
return to more normal levels as the economy settles. During this period, we have
not lost any significant customers, and we are continuing to work on potential
new customer contracts and relationships.
"Operating income represents a 3.5% return
on sales versus 7.7% last year and 5.6% for the March 2001 quarter.
"Our foreign sales and operating results
were again negatively impacted by the strong US dollar and high translation
rates for all of our foreign locations. If sales had been translated at last
year's rates, they would have been higher by $272,000 or 3%. Despite the current
translation impact, our combined foreign locations have shown good sales in
their respective local currencies, and they continue to expand penetration into
new foreign markets and distribution arrangements. These translation rates also
negatively affected our pretax income line. If translated at the prior year
rates, pretax income for the quarter would have been higher by $35,000 or 11%.
"Yesterday, the Board of Directors declared
a cash dividend of $.07 per share to holders of record as of August 24. This
dividend is payable September 21, 2001.
"Our EBITDA was $2.2 million or $0.42 per
share for the quarter.
"Depreciation and amortization was
approximately $967,000 this quarter, with total capital additions of $234,000.
We slowed our capital projects during the third and fourth quarters of our most
recent fiscal year, and we have continued this philosophy to conserve cash,
based on the current slow sales levels. We have re-evaluated our capital budgets
and expect to expend approximately $2.5 million on additions for fiscal 2002,
but this will continue to depend on the economic situation. These expenditures
could be further restrained if the economic situation persists or deepens. Our
plan is to fund all of these expenditures from operating cash flows.
"Our statement of cash flows continued
strong in the quarter. Starting with $8.9 million in cash at March 31, we have
invested $234,000 in new property and equipment, $858,000 of our stock was
repurchased in the marketplace, $492,000 of outstanding debt was paid, and cash
dividends of $370,000 were distributed to our shareholders.
"I am pleased to report that at June 30,
2001, there was $8.3 million in available cash, nothing outstanding on the $20
million corporate line of credit, and we have total working capital of $31.5
million. Our balance sheet is very strong, which we believe will allow us to
work our way out of the current economic downturn and still leave our company
with continued substantial opportunities for expansion and leverage.
Read D. McNamara, President, Fuller
Brands
"I am honored to be here before you today.
I'm here at CPAC because I'm excited -- I jumped at the chance three months ago
to lead the rebirth of some of the great brands in U.S. commercial history --
The Fuller Brush Company and Stanley Home Products. They were, and are, highly
respected, widely admired companies with great products and terrific people. I'm
grateful for the opportunity to lead them to prominence again as part of the
CPAC family of companies. I'm energized by the challenge ahead of me.
"What's happening at Fuller Brands, and
what does the future hold? Our businesses have not been spared from the sharp
economic downturn that began in the second half of last year. Quarter three and
Quarter four of our Fiscal Year 2001 were difficult, and while we definitely see
signs of recovery in some of our businesses in Quarter one of Fiscal 2002, we
are still mired in a recession -- there is no other word for it. Cautious
consumers in Fuller Brush and Stanley Home Products and conservative
institutions in Cleaning Technologies Group's customer base, have made the last
three quarters a struggle for us.
"I'm happy to say that while we are
definitely not out of the woods, the month of July featured all three of our
Fuller Brands' companies recording sales above the prior year. It has been quite
some time since that has happened. Moreover, one of our operating units, the
Fuller Brush Company, finished Quarter one 7% above the prior year. Amidst the
negative signs in a difficult economic environment, we are beginning to see some
slight improvement in our results. Initiatives that were implemented late last
year are beginning to take hold, even in a tough operating environment.
"But, we can't wait for the economy to
improve -- we in Fuller Brands have to seize the opportunity ourselves and move
ahead aggressively to promote growth. My top priority is to stabilize the
downward trend in sales this year, and position the segment for real growth next
year. My strategies will include a blend of organic growth through several new
marketing initiatives, and a focused approach on tactical acquisitions. Allow me
to summarize my near-term plans for each of our three businesses:
Fuller Brush Company
"We have a number of initiatives underway
that are beginning to bear fruit:
"Internet: With Quixtar and fullerbrush.com
leading the way, total Internet sales at FBC in June amounted to almost 5% of
total company sales, well above the prior year.
"We consider the Internet an important and
indeed necessary tool for Fuller. But, it is one of many tools, and it is not a
panacea. We will continue to invest prudently to keep ourselves in the vanguard
of Internet direct sellers.
"Custom Brush: We have outstanding
technical capabilities in the area of custom precision brushes. With world-class
customers like IBM and Maytag, our clients read like a Who's Who of American
Industry. We have excellent credentials, a fabulous reputation, and excess
capacity. I plan to market these strengths very aggressively, and put more
people in the field to sell our expertise. I expect double-digit growth in this
$6M business in the near future.
"Catalogs: Our business with PCH is coming
back slowly after a severe downturn due to their legal/public relations
problems. We have stayed a loyal partner, and we are being rewarded with a nice,
steady, recovery. Direct mail and sweepstakes will be a bigger part of our
business this year and will show real growth.
"We intend to continue to support PCH and
view them as a key customer. We will, however, selectively diversify into the
fast growing, high margin, home catalog business. Direct mail will be a key
linchpin in our growth strategy at Fuller.
"International Expansion: For FBC this is a
strategic imperative. Quixtar Canada is at the verge of breaking out into our
first big international success story. My own broad experience in Asia and Latin
America, spanning 25 years, will help position Fuller as a truly international
brand. We have a brand that travels; and we intend to successfully exploit the
equity in that brand, in those selected parts of the world where we think we can
win.
"Acquisitions:
We will be aggressive in pursuing those opportunities that fit our tight
criteria for tactical acquisitions. CPAC's strong balance sheet will allow us to
pursue opportunities that are:
• Accretive to CPAC earnings
• Profitable/Growing
• Add volume to Fuller Brush facility, and
• Draw on heritage of cleaning -- the closer
we stay to our home, which for us is cleaning products, the more likely we are
to succeed.
"We have a target list and we are currently
pursuing several attractive companies that would be compatible and synergistic
with Fuller Brush.
"In summary, FBC should continue to perform
at or slightly above prior year's results in Fiscal Year 2002. We are
positioning the company for double-digit sales growth next year via both organic
growth and acquisition.
Stanley Home Products
"Stanley has been buffeted by a difficult
external environment as well as some internal issues. A downturn in consumer
spending combined with a diminishing customer representative network has made
the last three quarters a real challenge. Externally, the softness in consumer
spending put a dent in our sales while internally, we have been coping with
multiple issues that have gotten our attention:
- Recruitment and retention are down -- the
lifeblood of direct selling is attracting and keeping new sales associates.
We need to do a better job.
- Our rep and customer bases are aging faster
than we can get younger people into the organization.
3) Consumer preferences, along with societal
changes and more working women, are creating profound transformation in the
household products category. We need to make our household products more
convenient to use.
"We have faced up to the issues and taken
strong initiatives to halt the decline and stabilize this business. The key
initiatives include:
"FIRST, focus talented resources
exclusively on recruitment and retention, our # 1 issue.
"In June, Karen Conkey joined us to head up
the recruitment, retention training function at Stanley. She is a pro, with 15
years experience at industry leader Jafra. We expect great things from Karen and
are already beginning to see results.
"SECOND, we need to bring youth into our
business to achieve a multi-generational organization. We can infuse Stanley
with youthful vigor by focusing on:
"People -- The Internet will attract
younger reps and customers. Our growing line of Personal Care products will also
be attractive to this group.
"Products -- Our new products calendar will
feature an increased stream of new offerings. New products will be introduced at
a rate of 70% Personal Care and 30% Home Care to achieve the critical mass
required to strategically separate the lines. In this way, reps can have a
choice to sell only Household, only Personal Care, or a combination.
"Promotion -- We must create opportunities
in our field management organization to attract bright, ambitious men and women.
We are designing a field sales structure that opens up more opportunities for
people to progress.
"We need to leverage our strengths to the maximum.
One of these strengths is our great popularity among Hispanics. We are now
working on a plan to extend the great success of Southern California and Texas
to other areas like Chicago and Denver. Hispanics are the fastest growing
minority, with great purchasing power and powerful brand loyalty. We need to
replicate our success to new geographic areas.
"Stanley is under pressure from a number of
different fronts. However, what will turn the tide for this great company, in
addition to the strategic initiatives I have mentioned, is a core of fanatically
loyal, thoroughly professional field managers and representatives. I just
returned from the SHP National Sales Convention in Nashville and, believe me;
their commitment and enthusiasm are contagious.
"Now let's turn to our third Fuller Brands
business… Cleaning Technologies Group.
"This business was really hit hard during
the last half of last year. Large national accounts left us for more attractive
pricing offered by desperate competitors, other accounts actually cut their
consumption of our products by up to 50% due to the slowdown in the retail
environment, and we suffered disruption during our restructuring of this
business. All these powerful external negative forces came down at the same
time.
"I'm happy to report that we are now seeing
slow but steady progress at CTG. The positive results are beginning to come
alive every day.
"In Quarter one, CTG returned to
profitability despite our largest national account cutting its consumption in
half. We began a margin improvement program that will continue indefinitely.
This program, which features ambitious goals and specific measurements, resulted
in an improvement of five gross margin points in the First Quarter. Finally,
expense control has produced the desired result, and now CTG is properly sized,
correctly aligned, and poised for top-line growth. The key initiatives in
top-line growth will be:
"First,
we recently launched regional grocery sanitation program. Here, we found a niche
in which we can effectively compete and win. We offer one stop shopping for
supermarket cleaning needs, and we have chosen those regional chains where
service and range of products mean a lot, and where we can command attractive
pricing. We expect to close our first regional grocery deal sometime this
quarter with more to follow.
"Second, a tighter focus in our product
offering. We have set aggressive targets of rationalizing SKU's by a minimum
of 10% this year. We can't be all things to all people -- we will slim down our
range and sell more volume of fewer SKU's -- this will lower distribution costs
and increase field sales effectiveness.
"Furthermore, for the first time, we have
set tight gross margin criteria for individual products, and we will be
prudently ruthless in discontinuing unacceptably low-margin business. We are now
in a position to be able to turn down business that does not meet our profit
expectations.
"Third, International expansion of CTG's
franchise is key to future growth. I will be working closely with CPAC managers
in Europe and Asia to plan and execute CTG penetration of those overseas markets
where we feel we can compete. We will be actively pursuing partners, alliances,
and leverage our strengths into international markets.
"Fourth,
National Account Development needs, and is now getting, full-time professional
leadership. Mike Carr, an industry veteran, has enjoyed success in developing
and nurturing national accounts like K-Mart. Mike will provide the necessary
leadership to make us a force with selected national accounts. We have proven
conclusively in side-by-side comparative testing that we can beat the likes of
S.C. Johnson on key product attributes. Now we need to leverage that superiority
into new national accounts, and one of our best men is on the case.
"In summary, we are undertaking a
significant number of bold initiatives in the Fuller Brands segment. While they
may not yield spectacular results in this very difficult current fiscal year,
they are the right initiatives, and they will reward you, the shareholders of
CPAC, Inc., over time. Thank you for your support, and I look forward to
addressing you periodically with news of our progress."
Wendy F. Clay, CPAC's
Vice President, Administration and Chief Operating Officer, Stanley Home
Products
"The corporate staff in Leicester handles a
number of different functions for CPAC, Inc. and continues to provide services
to the other divisions. Employee benefits administration, public relations,
investor relations, human relations, MIS (management information systems), and
financial support all fall under the corporate umbrella. I have the pleasure of
speaking to you today on a variety of different and unrelated subjects that fall
under the category of corporate administration.
"First let’s talk about our stock price
in light of our performance this year and that of others in the industry. Not
news to any of you, but a lot has happened in the market since the last time we
met! Our troubled economy has impacted sales and profits of large and small
companies alike, and the previously high-flying Internet stocks have predictably
tumbled.
"As of this morning, our stock was trading
at $6.32 per share – this is 13% less than what we reported at last year’s
annual meeting. In terms of volatility however – while many companies have
seen tremendous swings, our highs and lows for the year were almost identical to
the previous 12 months at $8.50 and $5.12 respectively.
"Although this has not been our best year
in terms of growth, there are a number of things we can point to that are
positive. To recap briefly some of Tom Weldgen’s comments:
- We remain financially solid – at March 31,
operating income was $7.3 million
- Cash dividends paid were $0.28 versus $0.26
per share resulting in a dividend yield on today’s stock price of 4.4 %
- With nearly $8 million in cash we have a low
– zero net debt position
"These are all strong indicators of solid
companies.
"That said, conserving cash has been a
strength of ours. . . investing in the right internal growth initiatives has
been a weakness. Mr. McNamara brings expertise to help us in this area with
respect to Fuller Brands.
"Where do we need improvement? The single
most important area of focus is growth – our sales slipped 7% year over year
and we simply must reverse that trend. One action we have taken is to change the
compensation program for senior management such that both sales and profit goals
must be obtained before any incentive compensation can be paid. Previously our
program rewarded senior managers for increases in earnings per share
exclusively.
"What else can we do? Although our cash
position is strong, we must remain vigilant about expense reduction in areas
that don’t compromise growth. Some examples are as follows:
- In operations -- The introduction of a
plant-wide gainsharing program at Fuller to focus on improving manufacturing
efficiencies and eliminating waste at our largest facility. This program was
just launched in April of this year.
- In investor relations -- The scaled-back
presentation of our annual report this year and streamlined quarterly
reports. By using the 10K as an insert for the annual report, we reduced its
production cost by nearly 30%. Many of you are aware that all of our
materials are posted on our web site, www.cpac.com. We will continue to use
this method of communicating with our shareholders to its fullest extent to
reduce costs and help us be compliant with the new Fair Disclosure
regulations. As another example, we are now posting management comments
quarterly on the Internet and have thus eliminated the analyst conference
call expense. We will continue to make these types of changes, which we hope
will contribute to improved earnings in addition to expanded and more
expeditious communication with our shareholders.
- In human relations – benefits costs for all
companies continue to rise and this becomes even more significant during
challenging economic times. Through additional cost sharing, plan design
changes and employee education, we have been able to consistently hold costs
under the national average renewal rates for our benefits programs.
"We will continue to target non-growth
related areas to control expenses in all parts of the business.
"Moving on to public relations activities
and events, I’d like to mention a few that are related specifically to the
Fuller Brands side of our business, where I have been the closest over the past
year.
"Both Fuller Brush and Stanley Home
Products are celebrating milestone years this year. For Fuller, its 95th
year in business, and for Stanley – its 70th year in business. Both
companies have anniversary events planned throughout the year with the
communications aspects handled by our corporate staff. In July we released
several stories over the newswire on Stanley Home Products to commemorate the
origin of the party plan method of selling, and to acknowledge Stanley’s rich
background. At Stanley's National Sales Convention last week, we exhibited a 70
year display of memorabilia including photos, old products, newsletters and
advertisements from the 30’s, on up. A 'virtual display' will now be created
and posted on Stanley’s web site.
"Fuller Brush will also introduce special
anniversary promotions online, at the retail stores and throughout the holiday
season in recognition of its 95th year in business.
"Fuller also placed several national
advertisements this year in recognized magazines like AARP, Modern Maturity,
Better Homes and Gardens and Reader’s Digest. Additional corporate identity
type ads are planned for the future to help expand awareness of the Fuller name
and drive traffic to their Internet sites.
"These activities will tie into Mr.
McNamara’s more comprehensive plans for long term growth for the Fuller Brands
segment.
"As we look to the future, we are well
aware of the corporation’s need to focus on sales, or top line growth for all
subsidiaries, without losing our historical orientation to bottom line results.
The administrative group is charged with supporting the approved plans and
strategies of each subsidiary in a cost effective and timely manner. This means
questioning expenditures -- not compromising plans. The creative and resourceful
use of both our people and our funds to achieve our goals will remain a
priority.
"We appreciate your continued support of
our company and look forward to a promising future."
Questions and Answers:
- Have you seriously considered a dividend
reinvestment plan?
TJW: We have reviewed the dividend reinvestment
plan twice in the last three years, and for the shareholder base that we have,
the economics of it did not make sense. We couldn't find a broker that was
willing to undertake that effort, because we don't have that many individual
shareholders.
- With Europe going into a recession, how does
that affect your growth plans?
TJW: Based on our growth in Europe and in the
Pacific Rim, we're taking significant new customers. Our preliminary July
numbers indicate that sales from our Belgian operation are up significantly over
last year. Although their existing customer base is purchasing less product
overall, they are continuing to add new customers and thus are achieving sales
growth. There is significantly more market share available to us.
TNH: Also, the Euro exchange rates relative to
the U.S. dollar are significantly weaker than they were a year ago. However,
they're also weak against many other currencies. As a result, exports from our
Belgian and Italian plants remain positive. The only country where they have had
major problems is Turkey, which is now a disastrous marketplace. We've seen
sales pick up in Russia, U.K., and Scandinavian countries. We don't look at the
European market as just the EC countries. We are seeing positive results in
local currencies. The difficulty for us as a U.S. corporation operating abroad
is in translating those results into U.S. dollars. We can be up in local
currency but actually report flat to down sales and profits as a result. We're
constantly fighting the exchange rates.
- You mentioned the Hispanic community in
Fuller Brands. Are you actively recruiting within the U.S. Hispanic
community, and will that translate into success into international
Spanish-speaking markets such as Mexico? And are you marketing your products
in Mexico?
RM: Regarding recruitment -- Yes. There are two
major areas of the country in which we have strong field sales organizations
focusing on recruitment, with the assistance of a Stanley employee based in Los
Angeles. She will play an integral part in our efforts in Denver and Chicago.
Regarding selling in Mexico -- no, we will not sell Fuller Brush in Mexico
because of a non-compete agreement with Sara Lee. But here is the other side of
the equation. You're aware of immigration into the U.S. from Mexico. House of
Fuller in Mexico [not affiliated with CPAC] is a huge direct selling business.
Many Mexicans that arrive here are already familiar with Fuller, so our work has
been done in terms of establishing brand awareness. Our objective now is to
market to these people as they enter the U.S.
TNH: What's also important to mention is that
Read McNamara is fluent in Spanish, Javier Paredes [President of Stanley Home
Products] is from South America, and Wendy Clay also speaks Spanish. So the
three top executives in Stanley Home Products are able to communicate with that
group.
- Does the inability to market in Mexico apply
to Stanley Home Products too?
RM: Yes, but other parts of Latin America may
hold great promise for us. I can be more specific at the next annual meeting.
There are other opportunities for Fuller Brands south of the border.
- Are you seeing any pricing stability in the
imaging sector?
TNH: In the U.S., it really isn't a question of
price. We have lost no customers, and our pricing remains relatively constant.
It is not our strategy to lower prices to increase market share. We package an
entire array of products to gain new customers. That isn't quite the same in
Russia, where there is tremendous pressure from the two largest imaging
companies for market share. In China, pricing is almost below our cost, so we
simply are not a factor in that market. It's the only area in the Pacific Rim
where we don't have a customer base.
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