It is hard to believe that half of 2020 is in the books. I know many of us wish 2020 was all the way behind us, but we still have six months to go.

Even with all the challenges and changes that have taken place and continue, as an Area Contractor group, we are producing solid results as noted below. I can’t thank each one of you enough for your perseverance and the business you share.

With the recent increase of COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin and our surrounding counites, we have decided to postpone our office return to work until after Labor Day to ensure not only our workers safety, but also to not disrupt what is working to sustain our business. I can assure you we are not taking our foot off the gas and you can expect a couple product refreshes in the coming months, as well as our teams continuing to drive our strategic initiatives. We remain 100% FOCUSED.

As mentioned last month, we start our strategic planning this week with timely scenario planning and SWOT updates to start effectively planning for 2021. There are several dynamics to consider, but with the right plans, focus and people, we are confident in our collective future.

Together let’s continue to fight the good fight!

Mark Haubenschild | President/CEO

Spacesaver Scorecard

Don’t look now, and don’t jinx it, but we will soon be seeing real live sports again – even if it is only on TV and without fans in the stands (cardboard cutouts don’t count as real fans). Still, this is a clear sign that the country may be getting closer to reopening, providing us with much-needed reprieve from COVID-19 isolation. It will be quite unique to see baseball, basketball, hockey and football… all being played at the same time. I am sure there will be hurdles to overcome for all leagues, but I have confidence that we will rise to the challenge and defeat this opponent. Let’s play ball!

June came and went like a flash, but not before the Spacesaver Group continued the consistent performance to push us ahead. We had 12 Area Contractors exceed their June incoming order quota for the month, helping us hit 86.2 percent of quota. This led to 11 Area Contractors hitting year-to-date quota, with an overall Spacesaver Group total of 88.3 percent. We now have six teams exceeding their full year quota, including HBI Office Plus, Dexion Australia, Motus Space Solutions, Girard, Ergo Office Plus, and Spacesaver Specialists.

For shipments, we had 13 Area Contractors hit quota with Spacesaver Systems MD leading the way – exceeding $1M net (406% of quota). In total, the Spacesaver Group improved our year-to-date shipment of quota (85.1 percent) by hitting 90.4 percent in June. We have 11 teams exceeding their year-to-date quota halfway through the year and six of those are already over their full annual quota, including HBI Office Plus, Girard, Systems & Space, Spacesaver Specialists, Ergo Office Plus, and Motus Space Solutions.

With the challenges we have faced this year, it is remarkable how well this team has come together and adapted to the environment, providing consistent sales by working with our customers to provide solutions that help them succeed. We are proving, yet again, why the Spacesaver Group is the industry powerhouse and continues to set the standard of excellence.

Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors. – African Proverb

When determining what to cover for our FOCUS 2020 rally cry this month, collaboration immediately came to mind – specifically related to our channel development efforts. You have likely heard some buzz around our channel outreach activity, whether from a teammate, on a monthly call with one of our Vertical Market Managers, or directly from Laura Parker, our Market Development Manager.

Laura’s primary focus is building Spacesaver brand awareness with the AEC (architecture, engineering and construction) community. She has developed a comprehensive strategy that supports our prioritized vertical markets, connects with industry organizations, drives push-pull through a multi-faceted marketing campaign, and, most importantly, engages with our Area Contractors.

Collaboration with our distribution is at an all-time high as we join forces on program development and American Institute of Architects (AIA) presentations. These presentations continue to be a valuable tool to reach the AEC community, helping us stay in front of them especially in this remote work environment, and proving the value of our solutions and local teams.

In conjunction with several Area Contractors, Laura has given nearly 25 AIA presentations since mid-April. For now, gone are the days of traditional “lunch and learns.” Instead, she’s holding virtual meetings at the most convenient time for the participants in the comfort of their home offices. These presentations are a great opportunity to ask questions, learn market intel, and uncover projects in development. Together, we have been able to open doors, start or renew relationships, and work towards the next impact project.

Interested in collaborating with Laura and amplifying your exposure to the AEC community? Don’t hesitate to drop her an email and put a joint plan in place. You can also request her monthly “Channel 1450” emails to stay up-to-date on Spacesaver’s efforts and inspire your own marketing plans.

Vertical Market Updates

Agriculture

As indoor grows become more sophisticated, we want architects and designers to keep Spacesaver top of mind. We’re collaborating with Area Contractors to capture the insights they’ve gained from working with these professionals, and these insights are invaluable as we work on new sales tools targeted to the AEC community. The first of these tools is a new GROW product presentation.

We’re also casting a wider net by investing in a comprehensive advertising campaign. You will find our brand in several different outlets within the cannabis industry, including print and e-newsletter ads in Cannabis Business Times, website ads on mjbizdaily.com, and Spacesaver content throughout the National Cannabis Industry Association’s social media channels. We are already seeing brand lift and increased website activity from these investments.

Behind the scenes, we’re developing new tools to help you close deals. Recently we created a GROW White Paint Tech Data that walks through all the benefits of our GROW White paint from durability, reflectivity and antimicrobial properties. Also look for a “canopy calculator” in the Configura update that’s rolling out later this month. This tool will allow you to instantly calculate the canopy area of the GROW Mobile Systems you draw in Configura.

As always, Greg Sayre is here to answer your questions and help throughout the sales process.

Hawthorne Collaboration for the Win

Congratulations to Randy Hacker and Gatehouse on closing their first deal through the Hawthorne partnership! Randy worked with the local Hawthorne representative to close the sale against our largest competitor in this market. They leveraged the integration of our system and Hawthorne equipment along with the superior quality of our products and local support. When completed, the system will be outfitted with trays, lights, irrigation, and in-rack air circulation systems. Great work!

Museum

Spacesaver is truly a complete solutions provider for museum products. From the most fragile vase to the largest fossil, we can help your clients protect and store absolutely anything. To help your clients gain a better understanding of the scope of our product offerings, we have updated our Museum Lookbook. Check it out and let us know what you think!

Don’t forget about these other museum market resources:

• Museum-focused online forum
• On-demand educational series, “Museum Solutions”
  01: Introduction / Collections Care Challenges
  02: Viking Museum Cabinets
  03: Drawers and Trays in 4-Post (coming 7/14)

Contact Ben Adamitus with any questions or concerns.

Grant Assistance

Kudos to Jeff Rosaasen at Southwest Solutions Group, who helped a long-time client acquire grant funding to purchase much-needed Viking 920 cabinets. The client was storing objects on pallet racking, which resulted in wasted space and unnecessary handling. About a year ago, Jeff provided the client with drawings, descriptions, and cut sheets for a grant proposal, showing how the 920 cabinets would protect collections, optimize space, and provide better accessibility to stored items. After a long wait, the museum won the grant and placed the order last month. Way to go, Jeff!

Marketing Minute

Being able to offer all procurement options to our customers could help you win the sale. Spacesaver is proud to announce that we have been awarded an Industrial and Workplace Storage Systems cooperative purchasing contract from Sourcewell. Sourcewell is a government organization that solicits bids from reputable suppliers, evaluates products for quality and durability, then offers the best pricing to government, education, and nonprofit entities to empower community success. Here are the sales tools for this new contract.

One of our go-to-market strategies for 2020 is to get our entire Spacesaver Group more involved in our target vertical markets. In order to do so we started developing “Lookbooks,” an overview of the coolest applications in each of our markets. This will allow you to be more familiar with the solutions and current projects and share with your customers. Check out our latest Lookbooks: Military and Museum.

If you have questions about any of these materials, don’t hesitate to contact Carla Chase.

Save the Date

Below are some dates to put on your calendars. You can also refer to our 2020 tradeshow calendar for the latest updates related to tradeshows for the remainder of the year.