Phil Smitherman, president and founder of Aux Mechanical in Birmingham, Ala., knows what he wants in a supply house partner providing his company with products to serve customers. Phil, who says he’s been an entrepreneur since he was a kid, began learning that when he got a job at 11 years old “toting” masonry blocks for a construction company building masonry walls.

“I negotiated a rate per block, and I could tote more blocks than most, so I made more money. I thought, ‘I like this idea,’” Phil said.

"Our relationship with Noland was partnered up with Barry. He understands our needs, and he’s a partner. You definitely have to have a relationship with your suppliers.”

Phil Smitherman, Aux Mechanical

Aux Mechanical: a provider of different services

Fast forward to adulthood. After eight years in the U.S. Navy, Phil drew on his military discipline, structured environment and setting goals to start Aux Mechanical in 1987. “We wanted to be more than just a heating and air company; we wanted to be a service provider in an array of different services,” Phil recalled.

Today, Aux Mechanical has 55 employees, a fleet of 33 service trucks and covers Alabama’s Jefferson and Shelby Counties – an area with 1.1 million people. The company provides customers with plumbing, HVAC and electrical service. The customer base is 85 percent residential and 15 percent commercial, Phil said.

Along the way, several years ago Phil started doing business with Barry Lee, the manager of Noland Company’s Birmingham location. Barry has been with Noland since 2010, and when he met Phil he worked for another supplier. Barry understood what customers such as Phil required to earn and keep their business.

Reliability of service is the key for Phil

“The biggest thing is the reliability of the service and knowing they (a supplier) are going to stock what we need, or at least have a backup plan, if need be,” Phil said. “That’s what keeps up coming back. We build relationships. Our relationship with Noland was partnered up with Barry. He understands our needs, and he’s a partner. You definitely have to have a relationship with your suppliers.”

Putting it another way, Phil says, “If you can’t trust your supplier, you don’t need them.”

Barry attributes his customer service philosophy to “my personal way of dealing with people,” he said. After he graduated from college he went to work for a competitor and has been in the industry ever since, working at a couple of companies.

The deal maker (or breaker)

If there’s a deal maker for Aux Mechanical in doing business with a supplier, it’s the ability to get them what they need when they need it.  “Believe it or not, there are still vendors out there who do not do on-time delivery (with a truck). We would never even consider them. That’s the one thing that steps up the level of service to us – the ability to get us what we need when we need it,” Phil said.

Noland delivers about 75 percent of Aux Mechanical’s orders to them, Barry said.

Aux Mechanical works on the premise that they can get products anyplace; a box is a box, Phil likes to say, and don’t take the customer for granted he cautions suppliers. “I can get that box you have at 400 other suppliers. That’s the reality. The single element that separates Noland is the service and commitment they give our company,” he emphasized.

Phil says Aux Mechanical uses Noland more often than not for anything purchased for inventory or point of purchase for the service department for plumbing and HVAC products.

Supplier partnership a “total experience”

There’s more to the business partnership than getting them what they need when they need it, Phil said – although that tops the list. For example, correct order fulfillment and invoicing, consistent pricing, Web ordering and no back ordered material matter too.

When Phil talks about his customers he talks about delivering an experience. “Our service needs to be an experience. Customers don’t care about the box. They want a solution,” he says.

Applying that thought to suppliers, it’s a total package, or experience, he’s looking for in a supplier relationship, he said. “Service is a full circle (of order actions), and the circle has to be completed for every transaction,” Phil said.