Today Adam speaks with Mike Piatcheck of Rocky Mountain Rep Agency. RMRA delivers innovative solutions that address customer needs in the petroleum products market. They cover Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.​ SSDi has been working with Mike and RMRA for almost 6 years now.

During the 2022 NACS Show we hosted an Open House at our facility. We were happy to sit down and chat with Mike for a little while. 

On this episode Mike shares getting started early in the industry, his team, and the companies they represent.

Connect with Mike Piatcheck & Rocky Mountain Rep Agency:

• Website - https://www.rmra.co/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-piatchek-81477b16/

People & Recourses Mentioned:

• Kroger - https://www.kroger.com/
• Town Pump - https://www.townpump.com/
• Jackson Food Stores - https://jacksons.com/
• Maverick - https://www.maverik.com/
• Xerxes - https://www.xerxes.com/
• LSI Lighting - https://www.lsicorp.com/

Listen in as Dean and Bill share their journey in the industry and how the family-owned Petro Energy has grown since its founding in May 1990. They talk about the energy industry as being relationship-driven and why local leadership will always be at its core despite global developments in the space.

They then explain their role as a “manufacturer’s rep” and speak on the product lines that Petro Energy has represented so far.

Finally, Dean and Bill share their thoughts on the future of the Houston market and the elements which make up a gas station convenience store that attracts customers.

Topics Discussed:

• 00:59 The story behind Petro Energy and Dean how and Bill met
• 09:10 Doing business in a relatively small, relationship-driven industry
• 11:35 Changes in the industry over the years, and what has always remained the same
• 17:29 The role of a “manufacturer’s rep”
• 21:27 Product lines that Petro Energy has represented
• 27:39 The future of the Houston market gas station convenience stores
• 36:06 How Petro Energy acquires its customers

Connect with Petro Energy Inc:

• Website - http://www.petro-energy.net/home.html

Connect with SSDi:

• Website - https://ssdilv.com/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ssdilv/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ssdilv
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/ssdilv
• YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNFzcSFmxn3uPnt2hrnpFnA

Key Quotes:

• The industry is changing globally, but geographically, it still shrinks down to small locations. They’re changing but they’re not changing.
• It always goes back to your relationship with the technician and the installer and the customer. What’s really changed in the last 15 years is the amount of growth from mergers and acquisitions.

Connect with Codale Electric Supply: 

• Website - https://www.codale.com/ 

Connect with SSDi: 

• Website - https://ssdilv.com/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ssdilv/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ssdilv
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/ssdilv
• YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNFzcSFmxn3uPnt2hrnpFnA

Listen in as Mike talks about Square D’s suite of products, with a focus on the key differentiators of the company’s smart breaker. He also speaks on Square D’s reliability as a manufacturer of electrical distribution solutions, claiming that “if I get two phone calls a year from somebody saying a product is defective, that’s a lot.”

Finally, Mike discusses the company’s efforts to adapt to and continue to scale in a post-COVID world.

Topics Discussed:

• 01:11 Products offered by Square D by Schneider Electric
• 05:43 What makes Square D’s breakers cutting-edge
• 13:27 What makes Square D reliable
• 19:53 Scaling the company in the new normal

Connect with Mike Razzano

• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-razzano-075b7a15/
• Schneider Electric - https://www.se.com/us/en/
• Square D - https://www.se.com/us/en/brands/squared/

Connect with SSDi:

• Website - https://ssdilv.com/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ssdilv/
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ssdilv
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/ssdilv
• YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNFzcSFmxn3uPnt2hrnpFnA

Key Quotes:

• Square D by Schneider Electric is known for its energy-saving capabilities and products, and our go-green initiatives for our plants and our customers’ plants.
• I like working with Square D by Schneider Electric. I really like this company for a lot of reasons. One of them is reliability: If I get two phone calls a year from somebody saying a product is defective, that’s a lot.

Pushing an E-Stop will instantaneously turn off all power to dispensers into the fueling system. This is important because if there is a fire or spark , the fuel will be shut off and will stop the flow. 

Listen in and learn how to find and identify an E-Stop, what must be done if an E-Stop is switched, and more.

Topics Discussed: 

• 00:23 What are E-Stops?
• 01:27 Where wiring begins and ends with an E-Stop
• 03:28 How to identify an E-Stop
• 05:37 Why the circuit needs to be hardwired into the PLC
• 07:12 The best place to install an E-Stop indoors
• 08:06 What to do once everything has been shut off
• 10:24 The protocol to follow once the E-Stop is switched
• 14:02 What to do when an E-Stop fails
• 15:14 Who checks the E-Stop to ensure they are operational
• 19:12 Types of establishments that need more E-Stops than most

Connect with SSDi:

• Website - https://www.ssdilv.com/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ssdilv/?hl=en
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ssdilv
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/ssdilv
• YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNFzcSFmxn3uPnt2hrnpFnA

Key Quotes:

• An E-Stop or E-Button or E-Switch is a device that turns off all the dispensers. It’s an emergency shut-off switch/button.
• An E-Stop forces you to be in a remote location to reset. You have to physically go look and see why something went wrong.

What are lighting controls? How do they make my life as a business owner easier? Are they reliable? What’s the scope of SSDi’s service for these controls?

Listen in as we answer these questions and more!

Topics Discussed:

• 00:26 What exactly are lighting controls?
• 01:06 Who uses lighting controls?
• 01:51 How do lighting controls adjust to weather changes?
• 03:21 Do I need separate cabinets for interior and exterior lights?
• 03:47 What are the failure rates?
• 04:34 What is the scope of our services for lighting controls?
• 07:30 So, the operator doesn’t have to be an expert in programming the PLC?
• 07:58 It sounds pretty easy!
• 09:05 Larry’s closing thoughts

Connect with SSDi:

• Website - https://www.ssdilv.com/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ssdilv/?hl=en
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ssdilv
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/ssdilv
• YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNFzcSFmxn3uPnt2hrnpFnA

Key Quotes:

• A lighting control is a larger (though not necessarily more complicated), automated way to control lighting, to give the user more capability of control of his lights over regularly turning them on and off.
• You don’t even necessarily have to think about your lighting controls working. It just does it for you. We’re trying to achieve seamless integration with constant connectivity.
• It can be as easy as turning on a light switch and it can be as complicated as having certain light fixtures turn on on certain days or at certain times or at certain light levels.

Then, after giving a brief history of W. A. Brown and how they eventually became associated with SSDi, Paul expresses excitement at the potential for future growth and innovation that typically comes with a small and flexible team like ours.

Paul goes on to speak on his keys to success as a salesman and decades-long business owner, which include empathy, service, curiosity, and creativity.

Topics Discussed: 

• 00:38 An introduction to Paul Brown
• 02:33 About W. A. Brown & Son, INC.
• 06:40 How SSDi came to improve upon the brown box
• 11:25 SSDi’s curious and service-oriented culture towards its employees and customers
• 14:46 Paul’s background in the industry
• 21:46 Having SSDi’s system put into a competitor’s box
• 23:55 Innovation through curiosity
• 28:15 Inspiring creativity
• 32:46 Why Paul transitioned from walk-in coolers into electrical panels

Connect with SSDi:

• Website - https://www.ssdilv.com/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ssdilv/?hl=en
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ssdilv
• Twitter - https://twitter.com/ssdilv
• YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNFzcSFmxn3uPnt2hrnpFnA

Key Quotes by Paul:

• The biggest benefit I see is being affiliated with a small organization at this point in time that actually listens to ideas and has an interest not only in how improvements can be made, but in their employees’ well-being.
• Customers pay the bills. Employees are the biggest asset you’re ever going to have.
• There’s no reason to recreate the wheel if somebody has a product that you can make better.
• The money is not made in the back room. And the money is not typically fully made out at the dispensers. It is made inside the store.
• Creativity is brought about by going out and being hands-on with the product and the people.

Depending on the customer, the cabinet’s layout can have as many as eight large doors with small access doors into the breakers, wiring, and other components within it. Lockable handles keep out unwanted personnel. One can also join cabinets via raceways between each if circuits need to be added.

The functions of the cabinet’s buttons range from lighting overrides to an estop and a reset for the fueling control system. Lights on the front of the panel easily signal whether or not an override is needed.

If needed, one can mount conduits, voltage controls, gutters and other features that cover their specific situation.

Topics Discussed: 

• 00:30 A general overview of the cabinet
• 04:14 How the cabinet’s size was determined
• 05:38 Transporting the cabinet with ease
• 06:45 Choosing a color
• 09:29 How lights on the front of the panel increases convenience
• 10:19 Mounting additional controls on top of the cabinet
• 11:00 The main distribution panel that supplies power to the cabinet
• 12:19 Troubleshooting tips
• 14:30 Other things to note about the cabinet’s exterior
• 17:38 Moving the cabinet around if needed

Connect with SSDi:

• Website
• Instagram 
• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube

Key Quotes:

• We’ve had customers who put their stuff on the second floor and they had to have the cabinet onsite before the roof went on. Well, that’s so premature, but they didn’t have a choice because they couldn’t get it up there any other way than by crane. Whereas, with ours, you can carry them up the stairs.
• We want the customer to fully understand what they’re getting and also realize that we’re not going anywhere. It could be two, three years from now when they give us a call, and we’ll still pick up the phone and help them troubleshoot [their cabinet].