August 2006 - Maintenance Sales News: O'Dell Increases Marketing Presence
As published in Maintenance Sales News, July/August 2006
For The O'Dell Corporation, a manufacturer of floorcare cleaning products, it's a time of change and transition. For the past 62 years, O'Dell kept a low profile while remaining a privately-owned company in Ware Shoals, SC. The company did not exhibit at trade shows and stayed away from advertising. A new philosophy, however, has taken shape at O'Dell, leading to the company's increasing presence in advertising and marketing.
"We are trying to gain more recognition without changing our company culture," said O'Dell Corporation Vice President of Sales Tim Hodges. "O'Dell is a private-label company, so very rarely do people ever see our name. Instead, they see our customers' names on the products we make. This tactic has worked well for us and as a result our growth rate has out paced that of the industry for the past
16 years."
In an effort to seek out new customers and add value through consolidation, O'Dell is featuring new product offerings, technological improvements, and advertising.
"We at O'Dell always feel that if given the opportunity, we can prove ourselves and win favor. This has happened for us before by going the extra mile, and doing things that our competitors just aren't willing to do," Hodges said. "Where we're given consideration, generally its turns into a long-term business relationship."
The O'Dell Corporation manufactures various janitorial products, primarily associated with floorcare. Its core products include deck mops, cut-end and looped-end wet mops, dust mops and carpet bonnets.
The company only sells through distribution. Primarily, jan/san distributors represent its largest customer base. Other customers include those found in foodservice and commercial laundry distribution.
"We also do some business with master distributors, directed, for the most part, toward the jan/san industry," Hodges said. As part of its effort to become better known throughout the cleaning industry, O'Dell has introduced two new products centered around microfiber.
They are called PowerCore wet mops and the MicroCling dust mop series.
PowerCore wet mops are manufactured using a uniquely engineered yarn that features a micro denier filament core, surrounded by traditional synthetic fibers. This yarn construction protects delicate microfilaments from abrasion, while taking advantage of microfiber's inherent wicking ability, and channeling it to produce a superior product.
Benefits of PowerCore wet mops include: reduced drying times by as much as one half; wet pick-up performance that is increased by as much as 50 percent; immediate capillary absorption; reduced shrinkage; improved tensile strength that extends product life; and is available with 5, 7, and 9 inch headbands in either vinyl mesh or polyester fabric.
"This mop will clean as well as any synthetic mop head that we currently produce, but the microfiber core gives it more tensile strength. There is a faster degree of wicking involved, so the mop absorbs more quickly and also dries faster," Hodges said.
Regarding the MicroCling dust mop, its main feature is an integrated yarn. Microfiber is actually blended throughout the yarn. The dust mop offers the combined advantages of both traditional construction and the advancements in microfiber yarn engineering.
Advantages of the MicroCling dust mop include: reduced drying times, increased yarn fiber surface area, static attraction which eliminates the need for treatment, improved fine particulate capture, large debris pick-up capability, the ability to work with traditional hardware and reduced shrinkage.
"The MicroCling dust mop will pick up fine particles. At the same time, it will capture and hold larger bits of debris that the user is accustomed to getting with traditional dust mops," Hodges said. "The MicroCling works under the same method of use that most people are accustomed to, regarding standard dust mops. It's a big leap for a lot of people when they go from a regular dust mop to a woven or knitted microfiber flat mopping product. We refer to the MicroCling dust mop as a hybrid product. It takes the best of the old and new, and puts it
all together."
Hodges said O'Dell has plans to release other new products in the near future as the company expands its product line. Adding new products is not new for O'Dell. Over recent years, new push broom, street broom, counter duster and brush products have been introduced to satisfy customer needs. Other new offerings have included wet floor signs, synthetic overhead dusters and automotive and flat glass window squeegees.
"We have done this to offer consolidation, so when people come to us and need more than just mops, we can deliver," Hodges said.
"It makes it easier for people to come to us and get things that are associated, to some degree, with floorcare. We will continue to expand in this fashion."
In addition to product expansion, O'Dell has updated its Web site with a cleaner look, features an attractive catalog and freshened up
its logo.
"As we launched our advertising campaign, we wanted to look good," Hodges said. "Before these improvements were made, we also underwent an extensive computer systems upgrade, which will allow us to take full advantage of e-commerce efficiencies today and in the future. We have seen a huge benefit to having the capabilities that this new system provides."
Despite all of the changes taking place at O'Dell, Hodges said the company doesn't want to lose focus concerning the core of its business, which has always been centered around service.
"We have been told by customers that doing business with O'Dell is different than doing business with other industry manufacturers. As we grow and make changes, we don't want to forget about the things that have made us unique."
Hodges said the company will continue to focus on what it does best, providing quality products and customer service.
"O'Dell is a 62-year-old company, but its management team is relatively young. The majority of our principal management is under 40."
The O'Dell Corporation was started by William O'Dell in the late 1940's and continued operations under the leadership of his son Billy O'Dell into the mid 1990's. Today the company is lead by John Stroud, Chip O'Dell and Michelle Harrison.
"Most of our employees have been here for a very long time. Bobby Morgan, who started when he was a teenager, is now our plant manager. Paul O'Dell also started here as a teenager and has worked his way to the position of a company executive," Hodges said. "
When it comes to our team, we work well together."
O'Dell officials will continue to look for ways to keep a competitive edge. "We want to hold on to our roots and provide all of the things that have positioned us where we are today. At the same time, we want to take full advantage of the benefits associated with foreign trade," Hodges said. "The most important thing is stability. In the wake of turbulence experienced in the mop and boom manufacturing industry
over the past 10 years, O'Dell has been consistent and stable. We have grown at a good pace and will continue to do the things we feel
are right."
For More information contact The O'Dell Corporation at 1.800.342.2843.