When you’re the president of a rapidly growing company that serves a widespread customer base, you may sometimes feel as if you’re spinning your wheels, going in several directions simultaneously.
But when you’re the CEO of a much-in-demand, multi-area messenger service, the logistics of your enterprise translates to a literal wheel-spinning, region-racing, daily dose of vertigo — because not only are your customers at opposite ends of the map, so is your staff.
For 20 years, the dizzying pace has been a routine reality for Henry Holtkamp, president and CEO of Quicksilver Inc., the delivery service he launched at 3002 Franklin Blvd. in Ohio City on Dec. 1, 1979.
“It’s been a long hard road, but for better or worse, I stuck with it and it’s turned into a nice little company,” Holtkamp says. “I’m pleased about that.”
So pleased that he’s gearing up for even greater growth for the business, which employs 22 people full-time and 98 independent contractors and boasts $4 million in annual sales. In addition to a 9,500-square-foot facility in the Cleveland area, Holtkamp opened an 1,800-square-foot office at 1826 South Main St. in Akron in August 1997.
And though 75 percent of Quicksilver sales stem from the Cleveland customer base, he says the growth of the Akron/Canton market share warranted the decision to be physically closer to customers here to provide better service.
“Opening an office and hiring people is expensive, and I’m not the kind of business person who will go out and spend that money unless I feel there’s enough business to sustain it,” Holtkamp acknowledges. “But once we had what I felt was a critical mass of business in the Akron area and were at a level I thought would sustain the overhead, I wanted to have an office here, because I felt we could build off that.”
Holtkamp confides that along with the new location came the usual growing pains, but in time, he drove his business to the point where he’s ready to take another plunge — a step he says will cut costs, improve operations and keep everybody happy.
He’s seeking a centralized location between his Cleveland and Akron offices that will enable him to consolidate his two staffs and duplicate the service levels in Akron that he currently provides in Cleveland.
“It’s my primary goal for 1999 to build somewhere halfway between Akron and Cleveland and combine our two offices,” Holtkamp says. “Operationally, it’s important that I overlay the service parameters we can provide in Cleveland out of the Akron market. That alone will allow us to expand in the Akron/Canton area, to say nothing of getting rid of duplicative overhead.”
Holtkamp says he’s zeroing in on possible two-acre plots ranging from the Richfield/Brecksville border down to south of Wheatley Road, and Brecksville sites near Miller Road and I -77.
“We’re probably going to build about a 10,000-square-foot building. That seems to be what we can afford if we can find the land. This building will be one that’s well laid out with plenty of room for everybody that will add to the quality of their working lives and to the image of our company. Richfield also happens to be where I live, and that would certainly add to the quality of my life!” Holtkamp says.
What better way to celebrate a 20th anniversary year, he adds.
“That’s my hope, but I have to get this done this year. If we get into the summer and haven’t been successful at finding a couple of acres we can buy at the right price, I may scrap the whole idea of building new and try and find something existing,” he says.
Holtkamp says he’s finding this kind of expansion “an exceedingly slow process” in juxtaposition with the transaction of purchasing his first building in Cleveland. Back then, he simply spotted a site he liked, talked to the real estate broker, made an offer, and it was a done deal 30 days later.
“But when you’re looking for a piece of real estate to build on, there are tons of issues. Zoning. Size. Terrain. EPA inspections. Things I’m not expert in, and issues that must be dealt with,” he says.
To prevent making mistakes he may later regret, Holtkamp has hired a professional real estate firm — Colliers International in Cleveland (formerly Ostendorf Morris).
Another obstacle Holtkamp says he must overcome is a concern many Cleveland area customers have expressed.
“They say, ‘Well, this means you’re leaving Cleveland and we’re not going to get as good service as we’re used to.’ But believe me, I care about this business because it’s all I’ve got. So, that notion that service won’t be as good — nothing could be further from the truth.”
Holtkamp says it’s a public relations challenge that calls for educating customers about the way his business works.
“The courier industry operates almost exclusively using independent contractors who operate their own vehicles. Our carriers come out of their residences, get into their vehicles, get on the radio and get their first job. So, where our office is physically located has almost nothing to do with how fast we can move a driver to the point of pickup and how fast they can make the delivery,” Holtkamp explains.
Deliveries are made via bikes, cars and trucks, and Holtkamp does employ a few carriers who drive Quicksilver company vehicles in specific applications, such as a daily route job for the same client.
Holtkamp says he’s convinced he can successfully expand his Akron/Canton market share because it’s “an underserved market where consumers are starved for good delivery service.” He says that raising the bar on service will boost business.
“We’ve been able to grow a decent size company for the size of the market pretty quickly here because people are starting to realize, ‘Hey, you get darn good delivery service from this company,’” Holtkamp says.
Despite the hurdles intrinsic in trying to dig deeper into Akron territory, Holtkamp is excited about the impending move.
“The best thing is contemplating a brand new building of our own design. It will look nice, be landscaped, nicely furnished inside, and we’ll be going from sort of a scrubby little back door industry — which the courier business tends to be — to a more professional looking firm that will match the professional kind of service we provide our customers,” Holtkamp says. “We’ll sort of be the whole package now. I like that idea.”
How to reach: Quicksilver Inc. (330) 786-1000 in Akron/Canton; (216) 687-1616 in Cleveland