Chris Gehringer is president of Northeast Custom Pallets Inc. in Mohrsville, Pennsylvania. Northeast Custom Pallets was established in 2016 and is a trusted supplier and manufacturer of new, custom-size wood pallets, crates, and boxes. The company is focused on personalized client relationships and unmatched craftsmanship, while serving clients throughout the country.
Pallet Enterprise: What is the best piece of business advice that you have ever received?
Gehringer: Personalized service, alongside authenticity and integrity, will guide you as far as you want to grow.
Pallet Enterprise: What performance indicators do you track to measure how your company is doing?
Gehringer: We track a few things to ensure our company is running efficiently and successfully:
1) Amount of new requests for quotation (RFQ).
2) Percentage of RFQs that turn into new clients.
3) Board footage of pallets and crates built on a weekly/monthly/yearly basis.
4) Maintaining a steady workload for our employees without pressure to meet lead times.
Pallet Enterprise: What is the most important thing you do each day?
Gehringer: The most important thing I do each day is take care of my employees and my clients. Without clients and orders, my employees would be out of work. Without my employees, my company couldn’t supply my clients with the products they need to transport their goods. I work every day to secure new orders and to make sure current orders are completed in a timely manner so that my clients can keep their products moving out of the door.
Pallet Enterprise: What advice would you give someone entering the industry for the first time?
Gehringer: The pallet industry is a tight margin business with lots of competition. Keep your pencil well sharpened and pay close attention to what the markets are doing. Make good rapport with numerous lumber suppliers and stay in contact with them almost daily. And most importantly, treat your clients like family and offer personalized service. Your business cannot operate with unsatisfied clients, undervalued clients, or no clients at all.
Pallet Enterprise: What is one thing you wish you knew a long time ago that could have helped your company along the way?
Gehringer: If your prices are fair, your products are superior, and your customer service is exceptional, your company will grow quickly, and the workload will multiply. If I was more confident in running this business when I started as I am now, I would have added an additional building or two, purchased more machinery and equipment, and hired more employees earlier on. Growth and expansion are very rewarding.
Pallet Enterprise: What do you like most about your job?
Gehringer: I enjoy the chase and thrill of acquiring a new client and exceeding their expectations. The positive feedback we receive after serving a client for the first time is encouraging and makes our consistent efforts worthwhile. Their loyalty speaks volumes about the way we operate and how much we truly care about our clients. Altogether, this makes my job most enjoyable.
