U-R-G On the Go
An informative podcast for the United Recyclers Group. Each week we will feature an entertaining guest that will share their knowledge and information with you, providing you with tips and tools to help you become a more profitable business.
U-R-G On the Go
Inside the World of Salvage Supplies with Brock's Supply's Jon Ladd
Step into the world of auto parts and salvage yard essentials with Jon Ladd, the Sales Manager of Brock's Supply. This episode offers an exciting exploration of their recent partnership with URG, and the exclusive benefits aimed to uplift the salvage community and URG yards. You'll gain insider knowledge on Brock's Supply's vast product portfolio, encompassing everything from auto parts to everyday salvage yard supplies.
Promising a fascinating deep-dive into the world of Brock's Supply, this episode delves into the journey of their remarkable business growth. Hear firsthand from Jon on how this Texas-based family-run business has become a crucial supplier, offering free shipping to almost the entire continental US. Learn how their dedication to customer service and passion for providing solutions has helped them rise to the top. Don't forget, this episode also highlights the URG Scholarship Foundation – because as Jon rightly says, you don't want to leave money on the table! Tune in for an episode packed with insights, business acumen, and a touch of Texan charm.
Welcome one and all. You're there, we're here. This is the URG on the go podcast, the true voice of the automotive recycling industry. We do our best each and every episode to bring you new, informative ways, ways to improve your bottom line, ways to improve your business. In this episode is no different. We have Chuck Camp, the producer, in the studio. I'm DJ Harrington, your host, better known as the cardiologist or the doctor, and we have a real great guest for today. Wanted only and I want to say this politely now I've known John a long time. John Ladd from Prox Supply is the sales manager there, a great guy, a great guy for the industry. And, john, I can't thank you enough for being a guest on today's podcast.
Speaker 2:Hey, thanks, dj, I appreciate you having me.
Speaker 1:Well, it was always good to see you. I saw you recently up at ARA. Your booth was packed. You're the first booth that you come into the show. So, everybody had to come by the booth. They had no choice.
Speaker 2:We try to make sure we're front and center at every show. I know we'll be there in St Louis at the URG show, sitting there in booth 52, right when you get off the elevator and right when you come up the stairs.
Speaker 1:Yeah, now John's talking about April 4 through the 6th at the higher regions in St Louis at the Arc 2024. And he is right, he's booth 52. As soon as you come down, you're there and it's great. The reason why John's our guest on today's podcast is recently there was an announcement that Prox Supply and URG had partnered up. So, john, could you tell us a little bit more about that to our listeners?
Speaker 2:Absolutely. We've been there to serve a lot of the salvage community since 1960. This partnership we have with URG is going to give us better access to reach out to the customers. It also gives those URG yards a little step up with having our information showing in all of our parts, all of our inventory, showing up right there for them in their pinnacle feet. Here at Brock we offer 11,000 SKUs. That's everything from a full line of auto parts lights, mirrors, hub assemblies, window regulators, etc. And also a full line of the supplies of salvage yards are used in every day, like the heat pads, the markers, the tags, the torque converter brackets etc.
Speaker 1:Wow, now can I ask you like? This week I got an email blast from you. Can we right up front give our listeners if they would like to get? How often do you send those out? Once a month or once a week?
Speaker 2:But I monthly about once, about twice a month we'll send an email out to everybody on our email list with the featured products for that month. They're usually items that we've seen as very good sellers. With us having a nationwide reach and the number of customers we have, we kind of get a good feel for the market of what's moving at that time. This allows us to feature items that we can push out to the yards so you can buy what your customers are looking for. To get on our mailing list, all you need to do is email us at sales at brocksupplycom. We'll get you right on that mailing list. So twice a month, usually around the first and around the 15th, you'll get an email from us with what's hot on the market right now.
Speaker 1:I got you, so the one that I got the other day. It just just bumped it up and it was sent out at 10 at 11.15 am, and I see just what you're saying. Sales S-A-L-E-S at brocksupplycom. They can sign up right there.
Speaker 2:Yes, sir, send us an email and we're happy to get you taken care of.
Speaker 1:Well, it's worth it and it kind of reminds you of all the things that you have, you know from a 2007,. 2014 GM truck power mirrors, heated cell stoppings. It really is. It really spells everything out for you and then tells you all the other stuff it does.
Speaker 2:It does, lord, yeah, and we're always available to be reached by on the phone. We've got a small sales team here of six people, but we've got over 90 years experience here in Brock supply. Our most tenured sales person's actually been with Brock for 38 years. So when you're talking to us you're talking to somebody that's been around the industry and been helping yards like yourself forever.
Speaker 1:Right, I've physically been there and it's gigantic. It's one of these things. All right, before we take our break, do me one favor. We're going to take a break, give the phone number. Are you allowed to give your extension number out? And all that in case somebody wants to talk to you personally.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. The phone number here at Brock is 800-528-4400. If you hit option one, you'll get anybody in our sales department. If you need me, I'm the sales manager and I also run the customer service department. My direct extension is 456.
Speaker 1:Perfect, all right listeners. We're going to take a fast break when we come back. I want to continue the conversation with John Ladd, the sales manager at Brock Supply. A great guy for our industry and a great guy to know We'll be right back.
Speaker 3:URG can help you streamline your business for maximum efficiency and increased profits. Access powerful software and unique tools. Receive top level training with industry experts. Work with hundreds of recyclers. Employee e-commerce solutions to boost business. Receive support, resources and discounts Starting at just $150 a month. The smartest investment you will make for your business this year Go to u-r-gcom and click on become a member. Your path to a profitable future is just to click away. That's u-r-gcom.
Speaker 1:Welcome back listeners. I want all of you to know we're available. First of all, this is URG on the go podcast. Each and every week we do our best to bring you informative episodes like this one with John Ladd from Brock. Remember, we're available on Spotify, itunes, adora, google Play, stitcher, iheart Media, amazon or wherever you get your podcast. I can't thank you. I told John before we got on the air. I said we have 368 listeners just in the European market, not counting all the people here in the United States and in Canada that listen on a regular basis. I want to thank all of you for doing that. Can I ask you I know how busy you were at the booth just recently at ARA and you're going to be at booth 52 up in St Louis what are some of the things that people come by the booth and they're stunned that they didn't know you even carried these things and you really do have a tremendous selection.
Speaker 2:Yes, we do. It's kind of interesting because I think a lot of people get stuck on us and they buy their lights from us, they buy their mirrors from us, they know our markers, they have our name on the side and then the heat tabs that we've sold for 50 years. I think some of the things they don't realize we're doing is we're going to sell a million solblades this year, the reciprocating solblades. We are the number one source for you to go pick those up from Torque converter brackets. We were one of the early people to carry the torque converter brackets to hold the torque converter to the transmission so you don't have them falling out and getting damaged in shipping. Also, on the auto parts side we carry a lot of suspension pieces like hub assemblies, control arms. We're doing a lot of the reservoirs for the windshield, washer reservoirs, those types of things.
Speaker 2:Another thing I know in our current ad we're running right now we've got the jounce bumper in there. A lot of people are from whom it bumps stops Little things that a lot of people aren't even realizing that we're carrying. Another big thing I know a lot of the cellist injuries like to stock up on is the door handles. We've got all the door handles, tailgate handles inside and outside of those door handles. A lot of that stuff is the things that people don't necessarily associate with us every day, but we're selling tons of them all the time.
Speaker 1:I know when we were at URG I was across the hall from you and Eagle Auto Parts out of West Virginia was with me. A dear friend of ours and I walked over with Doug Williams and of course you knew him and he knew you from the phone conversations back and forth. When he looked down and saw your saw blades he was oh my lord, we could have been ordering saw blades from you all this time. And he himself there he has been a general manager at Eagle for a long, many, many years he didn't even realize you had saw blades. So that was a good introduction. At least you had known each other over the phone. But it was nice that you met each other face to face.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. It's great. We always feel like we're seeing old friends whenever we go to ARA or URG, being that we are a family owned business, with Mr Brock starting the company back in 1960, and his daughter Kirsten's the CEO and his son Brian's the executive vice president. We really are a family business that has known our customers forever. So when we go to these shows we're not really seeing customers, we're seeing people we've been friends with forever, even though it's more of a long distance relationship over the phone.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I always reminisce back when we were starting ARA University and we were looking for our first check. Mr Brock I want all listeners know this Mr Brock wrote the first check. So we started ARA University and when I got to the top of the escalator, here's Roger Schroeder holding out his check, and it said we wanted to be the first. I said, well, you're here number two now, because Mr Brock was number one, he handed it to me out to the bottom of the escalator and you think, about years later, ara University has grown and blossomed because of the generosity of Brock and, of course, this world of family.
Speaker 1:But this is something that happens and I wanted you to know if there's people that are looking and listening to the podcast. They need to get on the mailing list, they need to get a hold of you guys, and there are so many things. I'm looking at the email that just came up. There's so many items that are available. So what I wanted to ask is there anything that people ask to have shocked you that they didn't realize you carried?
Speaker 2:One of the most shocking things for me, and it happened at the URG show last year. I had a couple of yards come up to me, not even knowing what a heat tab was. It's the small piece that goes on an engine. It melts out at 270 degrees. The center will melt out of it. It's something that we stole 25 million of them over the history of Brock's supply and I've had people ask me what are those? And then you explain it to them and they end up ordering a case of them, right.
Speaker 1:Well, I know Mr Brock used to tease me when he had that it looked like a bedroom stand, I think at 16, that ain't a bit of a classic. And well, that's what it looks like, mr Brock and he laughed. But you guys carry so many products and you started back in 1960, huh.
Speaker 2:Yes, sir, yeah, started in 1960. We were a salvage yard for a long time. I think we finally closed the salvage yard of the business there around 1980. We've actually been here in Tempe in the same neighborhood since 1960 and on this exact piece of land that I'm setting on today since 1971. We do have three distribution centers. We also have one in Texas, one in Virginia, so we can reach 98% of the continental United States in less than two days with standard shipping. Any order that somebody places with us of $50 or more we'll get free shipping and we do ship stuff all over the world. We have large customers in Canada, in Europe, south Africa, australia.
Speaker 1:We've got customers everywhere, holy moly, I've been to your center in Virginia. Where's your center in Texas?
Speaker 2:It's in Terrell, Texas, just outside of Dallas. It's actually our largest warehouse. It was recently expanded to 120,000 square feet.
Speaker 1:Well, the one in Virginia is pretty big and, of course, the one in Tempe, arizona, is gigantic. I mean, that's the headquarters, but it's a gigantic place. All right, we're going to take our final break. When we come back, we're going to have the parting shop with John Lash from ProctorFly. Hang with us, folks, we'll be ready and we'll be right back.
Speaker 3:The URG Scholarship Foundation was founded in 2014 in honor of individuals who give their talent, time and, very often, their own finances to ensure the growth and success of the automotive recycling industry. We understand college is not for everyone, so each year the foundation offers substantial financial scholarships to auto recycling employees and the children of employees that are attending four year and technical or trade schools, to assist with their education. Don't leave money on the table. If you have a child or if you're interested in attending continuing education, this money is available to you. Go to u-or-gcom and click on the Scholarship Foundation tab. Urg keeping our industry strong through education.
Speaker 1:Welcome back listeners. You're listening to the URG On the Go podcast. Our guest today is John Ladd from ProctorFly, the sales manager there, a good friend of the industry. Remember to like and review and share everywhere. We're always available and we welcome you to leave a message. If you want to hear another industry expert like John Ladd from Brock, just dial the hotline number here in the podcast center, 706-409-5603, and let us know and we'll be happy to get them on or get that person on from the industry and talk a little bit more about the industry itself and how we're all working together. Just like the URG is teaming up with PRP, so there's two groups together having one conference. So save the date April 4th through the 6th at the Hyatt Regency in St Louis at the Ock in 2024. It's the URG premier training event of the year and, of course, with PRP and URG together doing it. It is brilliant. It was brilliant thinking that way Like an exhibitor.
Speaker 1:They don't have to go to two shows, they just have to go to the one and an attendee that wants to go to both. And the nice thing, I get more people. And I'm talking with John Ladd about it. It's amazing. I know people say well. Do you have to be a member of URG or PRP to come to it? No, you don't. You do not have to be a member. This is open to anyone that's in the recycling industry. By all means. April 4th through the 6th in St Louis, and of course, brock's going to get through 52. So let me go back over to you, john. Tell us some more information about Brock and I know there's this Because I sat with you and Brian at URG for about 20 minutes. I could not believe that.
Speaker 2:People came over to ask all sorts of questions and they were stunned that you had the answers yeah one of the things I love about working here is not only a small business, so we're all kind of empowered Everybody in Managers' is empowered to make decisions and try to push the company forward and we're also small enough to where we can change and adapt and push forward and make changes in the industry.
Speaker 2:Like one of the big things that happened a few years ago all the Chevy vehicles they had a little pull handle that if you broke it and it broke all the time, of course, and if somebody was to break one they'd go into a Chevy dealer and get told they needed to pay $500 to replace an entire door panel.
Speaker 2:Well, our Research and Development team here heard this, found out about it and we went and found a solution to be able to replace a small piece of the handle and be able to sell it to our salvage customers for about $15 a piece. So then their customers are coming in looking for a $300 door panel and they're taking this handle that they can. They've got $15 in and re-selling it to the customer for $50. Not only making their customer happy, but also making a nice little profit for themselves. And the number of times over the years that we found small things like this that we could design for a customer that comes in with an issue, and being able to go create a solution for them is one of the better feelings that we have here.
Speaker 1:Well, you guys are a real gift to the industry. I wanted to ask some of the stuff that you have. Have you ever had somebody come over and start talking to you and all of us said, just like what Doug Williams did about the saw blades but is there something that we think talk about that we should? I Mean, you got everything. I'm looking here. I had your head lights.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think sometimes people remember us being you know around forever and everybody thinks of us as a small business which we are but they don't realize that we've got 11,000 skews. We carry a little bit of everything. Anybody that wants one, we're very happy to send out a line card to them if they just reach out to us and let us know, because it's hard to list everything that we carry in a in a short conversation with them on the phone. We should about two to three thousand packages a day.
Speaker 2:So we are Very busy in the industry and we do have a good feel for what's selling in the industry and what the industry needs. And if there ever is a product that someone's looking for or sees a need in, we're happy to go research it, figure it out and find that solution for them. We recently had a customer come to us and tell us about a hub assembly that wasn't available from GM. We've already gotten started down the path of looking to get that hub assembly made for them, and this was less than four weeks ago. I was out visiting the shard and they were telling me about this issue that popped up. So anytime anybody's looking for anything, we're always sitting there looking for a way to have a solution for them.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm looking here.
Speaker 1:You've got everything for these power windows of valor mirrors I mean, and you guys do you have gloves? And Because you already talked about the engine heat tabs, so blades, light bulbs and you got yeah, we can what searches, supplies even.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. We got a little bit of everything in the mirror stuff. We even have a lot of the like performance stuff. You get the guys that driving the trucks and they want to get the big Toe mirrors. We have a tow mirror for pretty much every pickup truck they make. So you get those customers in there that are, you know, have the little standard mirrors and they're towing and they want the bigger, fancier Mirrors on it. There's probably a solution from Brock on the on that vehicle.
Speaker 1:Yeah, betty, you know you make it sounds. It's nice because you're small enough to care about the customer, but you're large enough to have so many, so many items.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. We feel like we're kind of the perfect size business. You know, we do enough business to where we have a good pulse on what's going on with the industry and we can make sure we have Good stock of what everybody needs. But we're small enough to where we still have that personal connection with not only all of our employees but all of our customers.
Speaker 1:So, john, do me a favor, before we get off the line together here, tell us a little bit, give us your email address again and give us how do we get on the mailing list and how do we get a hold of you and the numbers and that kind of stuff.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. To reach Brock supply. The easiest way is going to be either to email us at sales at Brock supply comm, or contact us at 800-528-4400. Extension option one get you to sales. Option two get you to customer service. If anybody needs to reach me directly, I am the sales manager here. You can reach me at johnjln there's not an H in it at broxtheplycom, or you can call me at the same 800 number, 800-528-4400. My direct extension is 456.
Speaker 1:That is perfect. Now I know you're in booth 52 at the next year's conference of URG and Team PRP together, which is gonna be a great one. But before I get off the phone, I wanted to ask you how have you felt about the URGs in the past, Because I know you had a bunch of people at the ARA booth, but you also had a bunch of URGs when we were in Orlando together.
Speaker 2:We love the conventions. I think the URG convention last year in Orlando was probably the most fun I've had at the convention ever. Just the level of people you get from the industry and the knowledge that you get there and how passionate everybody is about the industry it's just a great environment. I probably learned more in 48 hours there and I can learn in five years of sitting here in the office.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you and Brian. It was so nice Because I, even when you were over, two of the keynote speakers were over there talking to us Rocky Blyre and Dalen Zartman, and they were the keynote speakers. And then we had the guy who's the head of worldwide equipment and I brought him by your booth and all of a sudden now they start talking together and worldwide. Never knew you carried all those items and so then worldwide became a customer. But it was nice that when I brought people by, like a Doug Williams from Eagle, and all of a sudden all I said was this guy's, Doug Woods, Are you from Eagle? Yeah, I talk to you all the time over the phone and then you meet the people face to face, like you're gonna do in St Louis. You meet people face to face.
Speaker 1:And I wanna tell all our listeners this when you team, you get URG and team PRP together, of course you're gonna have a large group of people coming, because they already have a set environment, they know. So, attendance wise, you need to get involved and by all means just reach out to you-r-gcom and learn more about the conference and then go buy in VISTA, Booth 52. And John will be there. Maybe one of the Brock's will be there, whether Kirsten or her brother Brian, It'll be nice. It was good seeing her up at ARA too.
Speaker 2:It was yeah, they're just good about one of them coming through and I'll tell you, I always love hearing all the old stories. You know, mr Brock's still in the office. He's still in the office pretty much every day and it's always great to hear. When we go to these conferences everybody's always asking about him. He's doing great.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's good and he's such a wonderful guy he is, and it's kind of funny, because of his faith. We had to do a convention, an ARA convention, together and they wanted him to be a bartender. Mr Brock does not drink, it's not part of his faith, it's just not to him. And he turns to me and he goes well, dj, you were brought up a Catholic, you know about drinking, so why don't you be the bartender for me and I'll pay you for it? But Mr Brock is just a wonderful guy, that's that.
Speaker 2:He is.
Speaker 1:And he's given a lot to the industry. And I want to tell everyone, before we get off there, make sure you support the people who support you. Here's Brock Industries, always involved in helping the industry, and I, in turn, think, if you're looking for gloves or you're looking for something, anything first go to people who come to the conferences and help support the conference, because it supports the industry, and help those people, because those are the people that are helping you. So, john, as always, I can't thank you enough for being on the podcast today with you, our two people, and tell Mr Brock I said hi and my dear friends, I appreciate you very, very much and I'll see you in St Louis.
Speaker 2:Hey, thanks so much, DJ. Can't wait to see you in St Louis.
Speaker 1:You got it, buddy. Be good and thank you. Thanks, Distinguishments. Thanks a lot. We'll see you next time on the URG On the Go podcast. We'll see you then. Modified technical conversation.