Professional Distributor - 38

All in this together

After a tragic fire, independent tool distributor Sjoerd Royenga was able
to get back on his feet with the help of his suppliers and loyal customers.

S
BY EMILY MARKHAM,
ASSISTANT EDITOR

920-234-6359
Emily@VehicleServicePros.com

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pring Hill, Florida, independent tool
distributor Sjoerd Royenga ended 2019
with a rather unfortunate incident - a
downed power line near his home caused a
fire that destroyed his tool truck and all the tools
inside. Though it was a great tragedy, Royenga
was able to recover quickly with the help of not
only his suppliers, but his customers too.
"The suppliers, especially Ace Tools, which is
my main supplier, really stepped it up and helped
me out tremendously," Royenga says.
Even more aid came from his customers. Wanting to help Royenga in his time of need, customers
began paying more with every purchase.
Royenga says being a multi-route owner was his
saving grace during this time. With three trucks,
plus a back-up trailer from one of his drivers, he
wasn't out for too long. And after about eight weeks,
Royenga received his new truck, a Freightliner M55.
One benefit of purchasing a new truck, Royenga
notes, is that because it's empty, he had the ability to "add some options that normally don't come
with [the truck]." For example, where the three-bay
toolbox usually goes, he had removable shelving put
in, making the space more versatile.
Royenga began his career as a tool distributor
about eight and a half years ago. While out looking
for a new job in a management position, he found
an ad for one of the mobile tool flag brands.
"At that point, [the flag] was advertising that
[being a tool distributor] was like a management
position, so I applied for it not really realizing what
it was," Royenga says. "Then they called me explaining [the job], ran me through the process, and I was
approved to become a distributor."
After operating for about six years under the
flag, Royenga decided to go off on his own, becoming
an independent distributor. He says the switch had
an interesting effect on his customers.
One of the biggest challenges Royenga had faced
as a distributor was collecting money from his customers. Once he became an independent, though,
Royenga was upfront with his customers, saying
"I do this to make an honest living for me and my

38 Professional Distributor I May 2020 I VehicleServicePros.com

Sjoerd Royenga, an independent distributor operating
out of Spring Hill, Florida, standing beside his new truck: a
Freightliner M55.

family, and I don't work for a big corporation, so
if [you] don't pay, [you're] taking away money for
my family."
This is something Royenga believes all distributors need to explain to their customers. Whether
they are independent distributors or not, they are
a small business, and not getting paid is never okay.
Letting his customers know that they are all in
this together really helped, as did Royenga's affordability and warranty policy.
"After the switch, people started buying more
tools from me," Royenga says. "I actually asked them,
'What's the difference?' 'Why are you buying from
me now?' And the answer was, 'I can afford you,
and the warranty is still the same.'"
Royenga doesn't feel he does anything special
to make himself stand out as a tool distributor; he
just takes care of his customers, whether they buy
from him or not, and that seems to work for him.
As for the future, Royenga plans on being a distributor for another 20 years.
"Hopefully," he says, "with the same truck."

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