The following article will appear in the November-December print issue of Professional Distributor. To subscribe to Professional Distributor, click here.
Mac Tools distributor Stacey Bleile has been successful not only with his route, but with the addition of two other Calgary-based routes. His brother, Jim Blelie, has been running a route for two years. He recently brought on long-time friend Dwyane Melnyk to take on a third route.
Jim had previously worked as a welder before he had been laid off from the job.
Dwayne got into the business after 27 years as a mechanic – a similar background to Stacey. He started his route in May 2014. Dwayne and Stacey have known each other for 15 years.
“I went for a ride for a day with Stacey and we ran around to various places. I thought, this is something I could probably do,” said Dwyane. “Most of the people that you deal with are the same people that I worked with for 27 years. So, I can relate to them a little bit.”
Bleile keeps tabs on his other two trucks, and will take time every once and awhile to review the truck and shelves.
“Me and my wife go over there every two or three months and organize his truck, go through some stuff and I’ll just take it. If he has too many of one thing, or stuff I don’t like, I’ll just take it. I’ll put it on my truck or throw it in my discount bin and clear it out.”
Bleile explained that each truck has a separate account, which Bleile pays and keeps track of. All three routes are part of the same franchise.
“When they get home, same as me, they’ll do their orders,” said Bleile.
“I monitor them. I go online at the end of the day and I can see everything they’ve done, monitor everything that they’ve ordered.”
“I’m the owner, so every week I pay each truck account, and I keep track of it, so I can see everything their doing,” said Bleile.
Jim and Dwayne both receive a paycheck every two weeks, and an additional bonus for sales. “I pay them on what they collect, not what they sell,” said Stacey.
“They both are great. They’re both hard workers. They wouldn’t be working for me if they weren’t,” said Bleile.
About the Author
Erica Schueller
Editorial Director | Commercial Vehicle Group
Erica Schueller is the Editorial Director of the Endeavor Commercial Vehicle Group. The commercial vehicle group includes the following brands: American Trucker, Bulk Transporter, Fleet Maintenance, FleetOwner, Refrigerated Transporter, and Trailer/Body Builders brands.
An award-winning journalist, Schueller has reported and written about the vehicle maintenance and repair industry her entire career. She has received accolades for her reporting and editing in the commercial and automotive vehicle fields by the Truck Writers of North America (TWNA), the International Automotive Media Competition (IAMC), the Folio: Eddie & Ozzie Awards and the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) Azbee Awards.
Schueller has received recognition among her publishing industry peers as a recipient of the 2014 Folio Top Women in Media Rising Stars award, acknowledging her accomplishments of digital content management and assistance with improving the print and digital products in the Vehicle Repair Group. She was also named one Women in Trucking’s 2018 Top Women in Transportation to Watch.
She is an active member of a number of industry groups, including the American Trucking Associations' (ATA) Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC), the Auto Care Association's Young Auto Care Networking Group, GenNext, and Women in Trucking.
In December 2018, Schueller graduated at the top of her class from the Waukesha County Technical College's 10-week professional truck driving program, earning her Class A commercial driver's license (CDL).
She has worked in the vehicle repair and maintenance industry since 2008.