Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! This is the time of year set aside to give thanks for all the blessings God has given to us. We continue to be blessed with outstanding people, customers and suppliers.
The reason for our 55 years of success is you! It is with my greatest sincerity that I say thank you for your loyalty to Skidmore Sales and Distributing.
This year, four Skidmore team members reached career milestones that are extraordinary in today’s workforce:
- Vice President of Sales and Marketing Steve Jackson – 45 years of service
- Regional Sales Manager, Jeff Bedinghaus – 35 years of service
- Regional Sales Manager Karen DeWitt, and Buyer Eric Keil – 30 years of service
Their knowledge of our business and continued commitment to excellence are what drives our continued success. Steve, Jeff, Karen, and Eric, please accept my warmest thank you for all you do to serve our customers and suppliers. I am proud to have each of you on our team!
Looking ahead, the future is bright for Skidmore. 2018 has been another year of continued growth for us.
Our leadership team has developed the strategy that will be our roadmap through 2019 and beyond. We understand that the customer loyalty we enjoy must be earned every day. Our strategy reflects our commitment to making sure our “customers first,” mindset remains unrivaled. With empathy, compassion, and a desire to serve, our teams will be challenged to deliver a customer experience that cannot be matched.
We are building a powerful Information Technology team that will provide the tools and resources today’s customers rely upon. In the past year, we have added 5 full-time positions to our IT organization. These new team members, along with our veteran team, will be responsible for propelling our technology infrastructure to performance levels that exceed our customers’ and suppliers’ expectations.
Securing trucking in short notice has become increasingly challenging industry-wide. We will continue to develop our logistics program designed to relieve strain for our customers and suppliers. We are exploring opportunities to further optimize available lanes and strategically consolidate freight loads. Look for exciting news soon.
I am excited for the future we are building. We are putting the right teams, and the right systems in place to meet your needs, today, tomorrow and in the future.
Going forward, the Skidmore mission remains the unchanged:
BY HELPING OUR CUSTOMERS AND SUPPLIERS SUCCEED, WE WILL SUCCEED AS WELL. KEYS TO OUR SUCCESS ARE:
• WE MUST BE A VALUED PARTNER.
• WE MUST DEVELOP STRONG RELATIONSHIPS AND REMAIN CUSTOMER-CENTRIC.
• WE MUST BE FOCUSED ON CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT.
• WE MUST ATTRACT, DEVELOP AND RETAIN THE BEST PEOPLE.
I sincerely thank each of you for your part in Skidmore’s success.
May your holidays be safe, joyous, and bright.
Doug Skidmore
Skidmore Sales and Distributing
Owner & CEO
