Giving Thanks for Our Amazing Dealers
During the Thanksgiving holiday, Columbia Steel is thankful for its hard-working employees who come together from all walks of life to make some of the finest products in the industry. We’re also grateful for our many customers who we serve everyday with pride and gratitude. However, on this Thanksgiving, we’d like to take a moment to express our thankfulness to the dealers who are instrumental in representing Columbia Steel throughout the world. In this post, we’re profiling two dealers who represent the hard work and dedication of our entire team.
Buffalo Industrial Supply: Serving the South
Richard Jacobs got his start in the early ’80s working for an Alabama mining company. A few years later, he was offered a distributor position in Texas. After carefully considering the opportunity, Richard decided he had no choice but to “grab the bull by the horns and start riding.” That’s when Buffalo Industrial Supply was born.
Those first few years were tough as Richard built his business. There were plenty of nights on the road with Richard sleeping in his truck because there wasn’t enough money for a motel room. However, that hard work eventually paid off as Richard grew Buffalo Industrial Supply into a multimillion-dollar business. In 2002, Richard became a Columbia Steel dealer. Since then, his company has promoted and sold our dragline rigging equipment to his mining customers in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia and The Carolinas.
Reliable Equipment Supports Tough Work
Mining is challenging work. Richard’s customers in Florida and The Carolinas mine limestone for cement, rock for road construction and phosphate for fertilizers. Others dig the lignite coal fueling electrical power plants around the country. To be successful in this industry, mining companies need heavy-duty equipment they can rely on day after day. Richard says some of his customers have purchased less expensive products from competitors in the U.S. and China. However, those products don’t match Columbia Steel’s superior quality and strength of material.
Buffalo Industrial Supply offers rebuilding services as a core part of its business. Richard has found that he can rebuild Columbia Steel products three times before they have to be replaced, which adds tremendous value for his customers. Competing products typically hold half the lifetime and they cannot be rebuilt.
Richard proudly says he reps Columbia Steel products as well as anyone in the market. His confidence is backed up by winning our Dealer of the Year award six times. Some of those awards were back-to-back wins, which is something no other dealer has accomplished. We’re so thankful for Richard and the entire team at Buffalo Industrial Supply for their professionalism and commitment to serving our customers.
AMSU de Mexico: Representation in Latin America
Further south, Oscar Sainz Góngora, Founder, Partner and Operations Director of the AMSU de Mexico team, proudly represents Columbia Steel products to clients throughout Mexico and into Central and South America. AMSU is a family-owned business that Oscar started with his father Mauricio in 2003 after a long career in mining. In 2004, Miguel Sainz, the youngest son, joined the project, focusing 100% on developing the North part of the country.
In 2005, AMSU invited Columbia Steel to join the line of brands they represent. Four years later, Columbia Steel recognized AMSU with our Dealer of the Year Award; since then, a story of success and business development in Mexico has been solidly constructed.
AMSU supplies crushing, grinding and screening wear and spare parts to the largest mining companies in Mexico such as: Peñoles, Grupo Mexico, Pan American Silver, Newmont-Goldcorp, just to mention a few, but the list also includes customers in the cement and aggregate industry too.
The Best Cost Per Ton: Columbia’s Outcome
“To sell good products in Mexico, you have to back up all you’re offering,” Oscar says, explaining why AMSU conducts multiple product performance reviews and predicts when customers may need replacement parts. Oscar also approaches his work with transparency for both suppliers and customers. “Everyone knows everyone in this industry. And everyone will know when something goes wrong. Trustworthiness is the best currency for us as a family-owned business is.
“For more than 17 years, we have been supplying real cost-effective solutions for the mining industry. With a Customer Centricity philosophy, a true social commitment and environmental awareness, we develop customized solutions for every operation.
“With high quality products, like Columbia Steel liners and state-of-the-art technology, along with a very professional hard working team, AMSU commits to long term relationships and ‘Trust Circles’ with customers and strategic allies,” Oscar says.
Over the years, AMSU has enjoyed a close relationship with Columbia Steel. Their team keeps us apprised of what’s happening in Mexico with industry trends and competition. They offer design feedback, and we collaborate on business strategy. Oscar says AMSU appreciates having good suppliers who provide great products. Together, that creates opportunities to enhance the customer experience and build partnerships where both our companies can succeed together.
It Takes a Team to Succeed
Of course, Buffalo Industrial Supply and AMSU dé Mexico are only two examples of our dealer family. However, they’re both excellent examples of the diverse talent and experience it takes to distribute our products worldwide successfully.
During this Thanksgiving season, we’d like to extend our sincere gratitude to all of our dealers who help Columbia Steel succeed every day. We would not be the company we are without you.