Something old and something new

Cornwell distributor Alex Indeck has been selling tools for 10 years in Lakeville, Massachusetts, stopping at mom-and-pop shops, car dealerships, construction companies, and pretty much anywhere else "that has money and is willing to pay." Indeck joined the industry after striking up a conversation with a fellow Cornwell distributor about life as a dealer.  

"I asked him about the business and if there was good money in it, could you make a living out of it," Indeck explains. "A month and a half later, I was sitting in my own tool truck." 

Around two years ago, Indeck decided it was time to upgrade his ride and began the process of getting his 1974 Kenworth W900A. While the act of physically acquiring the truck was rather simple, Indeck had to jump through a fair share of hoops to get approval for it. 

"When you say, 'I want to daily drive a 1974,' there's definitely some explanation needed to make stuff happen there," Indeck says. "They needed to understand the truck's body is a '74, but everything else is new."  

Once the truck had been picked up from Long Island and was safely back with Indeck, he stretched the frame out and sent it to Herr Display Vans where it was set up with a box and made ready for the road. 

Your truck is your showroom

In Indeck's old truck, his inventory had a more cramped, packed feel. That environment made it difficult at times to find things, and he knew that with his new truck he wanted to be a lot more organized.  

On the new truck, Indeck wanted it to feel like his customers were stepping into a store or a showroom. Having pull-out drawers and walls has helped with this.  

Grouping products together allows Indeck and technicians to more easily navigate the truck and all it has to offer. In addition to organizing products by their function or type, Indeck keeps Milwaukee tools grouped together as they're in demand amongst his customers. With GripEdge's rising popularity, he's moved their kits to their own big shelf as well.  

"It's organized so it looks and displays like a store," Indeck says. "My previous truck had a lot of inventory on it, but when I got this truck and set it up, I had guys coming out that wouldn't come out before, and I'd sit at my desk and watch them, not saying anything. They were walking down the aisle and looking at the stuff on the shelf, and it wasn't like, 'Oh, this is a disaster, I can't tell where stuff is.' They were able to actually look." 

Organization is a never-ending battle in this industry, with new stock coming in and customers and other visitors moving things around. 

"My two-and-a-half-year-old runs down the aisle, rips stuff off the shelves. It's just this ongoing thing," Indeck says. “I do my absolute best to keep the truck as organized as I can." 

Indeck has his work area on the passenger side of the truck. The space features dual monitors on top and bottom, and a tablet to control the music that plays throughout the day. His monitor is set up in such a way that he has full view of the entire aisle, ready to jump in if a customer has a question or needs help finding something. 

Love what you do

With a decade of history in this industry, Indeck has learned that there's no right way to run your business. He tries to lead with compassion and understanding, willing to be there for his customers even when he's driven off. 

"I enjoy what I do," Indeck says. "This career isn't for everyone, but as long as you enjoy what you're doing it's endless. There's no book on how to run this business; you move forward every day with it, and you go out and sell tools. Everything else just kind of falls into place."