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Emphasizing Value in Value-Added Distribution

Published: July 17, 2024
Courtesy / Starin

Midwich Group’s acquisition of The Farm this past January positions Starin, Midwich Group’s U.S. operation, for even greater success. InfoComm 2024 marked the coming-out party for the unified organization, with Starin earning acclaim for its heretofore-unattainable levels of customer and manufacturer support. To get the full story, CI chatted with Starin CEO Bobby Swartz, CTS, and Starin chief strategy officer John Hood.

Midwich acquired Starin in February 2020, with Swartz appointed CEO about a year later. He describes that period as one when Starin began focusing on key parts of the AV market, jettisoning less-opportune segments. “We’ve been looking at how we can jump further into having that value proposition,” he explains, underlining the value in value-added distribution. Meanwhile, The Farm burnished its reputation as a team of top-flight manufacturers’ sales reps, technical service providers, and training and education experts. But Hood, The Farm’s leader, recalls, “I wanted to find a way to stay important, or become even more important, to our customers.”

This prompted a conversation with Randal Tucker of SFM, whose firm Midwich also purchased. “Randal introduced me, Bobby and Tom [Sumner] from Midwich,” Hood says. “And then, things happened very quickly.” If anything, that’s an understatement! Conversations started in late July 2023; by the beginning of this year, the deal was done. As Hood puts it, “When it’s a good idea, do it. Don’t talk about it for a long time. Let’s start making money right now!” Swartz shares that attitude. “[These are] good people,” he says. “Let’s get together and figure a way to make something better.”

Starin Highlights Its Portfolio

During InfoComm, Starin highlighted its services portfolio, encompassing pre-sale, during-sale and post-sale capabilities. “We are now able to make some very bold promises to the channel and [at] the end-user level,” Hood enthuses, pointing to programming, commissioning, supply chain and logistics. “Everything from the beginning until the customer is happy at the very end,” he declares. “It really gives us the ability to assist and [aid in] any aspect of their project, which is super important,” Swartz adds.

According to Swartz, Starin finds its biggest success helping partners where they need to be helped, rather than trying to dictate what they need. That aligns with Hood describing Starin’s value-added services as a menu. “We just want to be able to participate to make sure that the end user has a great experience when selecting the [products] that we distribute,” he continues. “It’s not an all-or-nothing proposition with us.”

One true differentiator is Starin’s technical support, which reflects The Farm’s ethos that people who actually do the work should deliver the technical support. “[Our support is] not done by people who watch videos and read books,” Hood declares. “And it’s not a typical call center. These are people whose hardhat and vest are sitting next to them at their desk because they were in a freight elevator the day before.” The idea is, when a Starin reseller calls in from a jobsite, they’re speaking to someone who has actually been there…someone who understands the speed of integration and the urgency on a jobsite. Contrary to misguided notions that Starin’s and others’ service offerings are meant to compete with the channel, the goal is, in fact, to serve the channel. “We want to set an example for the industry and share that,” Swartz says.

New Energy and Capabilities

Midwich acquiring The Farm infuses new energy and capabilities into Starin — from The Farm’s irreverent, fun-loving attitude to a sizeable West Coast footprint that Starin formerly lacked. “Now, we have these powerhouse rockstars and a huge technical team on the West Coast that joined us,” Swartz enthuses. “It was a perfect fit.” As Starin and The Farm’s union continues to blossom, Swartz makes a promise: “We’re going to see more of The Farm’s taste and flavor come in, and we welcome that.” Hood captures exactly that vibe when he adds, “It’s AV — it’d better be fun!”

With Midwich’s global resources but a personal touch in local regions, Starin is set for continued organic growth. “We’ve got all the building blocks,” Swartz states. “It’s about scaling that up. How do we bring that consistently across North America? That’s going to be the next step.” InfoComm showgoers were excited by the possibilities, impressed with Starin’s adaptiveness and its mantra to truly understand customer needs.

“A lot of people are now waiting to see what we’re going to do together,” Swartz concludes with a smile. Chances are, it’s going to add value, result in better projects and, most importantly, be a whole lot of fun.

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