Sigma Supply of North America promotes a culture of respect, compassion and service that has kept its customers coming back.
BY JANICE HOPPE
Personal Attention
Sigma Supply of North America Inc. is celebrating 45 years in business as a world-class packaging company, serving Fortune 100 and 500 companies throughout the country. The company attributes its success to its reputation for providing personalized service that only a family owned company can and having a moral compass that points due north.
“One of the key differentiating factors is the Hamby family truly has a moral compass by which they run their business,” General Manager Steve Mohr says. “What I mean by that is they treat their customers and employees with great respect.”
Husband-and-wife team, Dan and Martha Hamby started the Hot Springs, Arkansas-based company in 1970 with Dan making product deliveries in his El Camino. Sigma Supply is now a certified woman-owned business, led by Dan and Martha’s daughter, Maggie Hamby, president along with the couple’s sons Scott and “Banks” Daniel B. Hamby III who are vice presidents of operations and sales, respectively. Vice President Megan Johnson became the third generation of the Hamby family to join Sigma Supply in 2013. Today, the company boasts sales in excess of $150 million per year and operates 14 locations nationwide.
Sigma Supply distributes packaging equipment and supplies, industrial and janitorial supplies to Fortune 100 and 500 companies throughout the country. “Our customers know what they are going to get when working with Sigma Supply,” Mohr notes. “They have come to expect the attention, response and support that we feel only a family owned business can provide compared to some of the larger publicly and private equity owned companies.”
STAYING COMPETITIVE
The Hamby family has separated Sigma Supply in the industry by running the business with a strong moral compass, but the company also needs to stay competitive. “Fortunately, this company has established itself with companies of all sizes, but specifically with large, national brand owners that allow us to be competitive
because of our large spend in certain categories,” Mohr explains.
Sigma Supply works closely with its supplier and manufacturing partners to provide its customers with the best products and services available. “We are a solutions-driven company,” Mohr says. A majority of Sigma Supply’s customers request new technology that will help them be more efficient or realize a cost savings. The company recently launched its own private label polyolefin shrink film product line that offers better performance at a better price than existing products in the marketplace. “We are working to bring new products to market, especially flex films for improved product protection and equipment,” Mohr notes. “Polyolefin is a shrink film made for the food industry and industrial needs.”
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
Sigma Supply values its supplier partner relationships and works hand-in-hand with them to help satisfy its customers’ needs. “We hold regular, ongoing meetings with our supplier partners at all levels – senior management to sales reps – because we are truly dependent upon one another to satisfy the customers,” Mohr says. “We have strategic meetings to identify joint areas where there are opportunities for growth and areas for improvement.”
Although Sigma Supply has its core group of supplier partners, it is continuously looking to add new partners where and when it makes sense to accommodate its customers’ needs.
“We get phone calls every day from customers asking to help them find something or telling us what they need,” Mohr says. “It’s an ongoing thing and we empower our sales and purchasing divisions to continually look for new sources.” Another reason Sigma Supply has remained successful over the past four decades is because it empowers its branch managers and account executives to make decisions locally. “That’s really important because if you have a large company that needs something, our local branches have the power to deviate or offer special pricing when necessary,” Mohr says. “We are empowered to make those decisions. We spoil our customers and give them what they need, when they need it.”
BRANCHING OUT
Sigma Supply has continued to grow by acquiring two distributors this year and adding new warehouse and sales branches in Atlanta, Texas, Tennessee, Nebraska and Louisiana. “We go
where our customers need us,” Mohr says. “We are continuing to grow and expand.” The company plans to add more locations throughout the country based on demand and looks to add more staff in 17 of its U.S. markets. “When it comes to hiring salespeople, who are the heartbeat and reason for growth in the company, we are looking for people that have a passion and desire to be successful for themselves and for the company,” Mohr says.
Sigma Supply promotes a culture of respect and compassion that its employees live every day. “We talked about the company and how the Hamby family truly has a moral compass by
which they conduct business, but it’s also the culture within the company,” Mohr says. “It’s a culture of respect and a very nice way to do business that becomes infectious.”
Published by Phoenix Media Corporation Tel: 312.676.1101 Fax: 312.676.1280
On behalf of Sigma Supply of North America Inc. © 2016 Phoenix Media Corporation. All rights reserved.