Q. Starting as an employee at HSS and now as president of HTS, you mentioned you have represented Vortex products for nearly 30 years. In that time, what has it been like to work with Vortex?

A. It has been awesome! When we first started working with Vortex, the company’s Mobile Display Unit (MDU) was merely a white van containing boxes of gates and diverters, touring the USA. Today, nearly all Vortex products are on display in a comfortable, mid-size commercial bus. We truly appreciate how much the Vortex MDU has advanced because now, we can go on-site to customers and better explain Vortex products. Because dry bulk material handling is such a complex and technical process, being able to give applied presentations has increased Vortex brand awareness and has furthered the market’s understanding of Vortex products.

The Vortex people and their sales process are also things that stand out to me.

Over the years, HTS has worked directly with several Vortex Regional Sales Managers (RSMs) and many Inside Sales staff. In each interaction, the Vortex people have been well-trained, are reasonable to work with, and have been very helpful. This ease of process has greatly assisted both companies in meeting our annual goals.

As important is Vortex’s unique sales process. Over the years, many principals have pushed quoting, order entry, data entry, and other sales processes on to the reps to complete. Vortex has not followed this path and I believe it is a big reason for the company’s rapid growth and continued success. Because of the nature of Vortex products, many quotations are processed for lower-dollar amounts, often less than $5,000. In addition, 40 – 50% of Vortex quotes also require some degree of customized design or added accessories. If reps were tasked with processing Vortex’s complex sales procedures, valuable sales time would be spent recording the minute details of every customer order, rather than spending that time in-the-field to promote further sales. Unlike many principals, Vortex keeps sales order processing in-house. This allows Vortex to disseminate valuable information on to their reps – such as quotations, order details and change order data – while allowing the reps more time in-the-field to solicit new business.

Q. Having represented Vortex products for so many years, you have seen many new products evolve and innovations be made. That said, what is your opinion of the products and services offered through Vortex?

A. Now that the Titan Series is a more developed line, the products and services offered through Vortex are top of the line! Previous to having the Titan line, we at HTS were regularly trying to modify Quantum Series products to be adapted for heavy-duty applications. This was a challenge for us because customers questioned if we could provide something that would truly solve their heavy-duty process needs. The Titan Series is a perfect testament to Vortex’s willingness to design new and custom products for unique applications. At HTS, this encourages us to continuously feed back information we hear in-the-field and empowers us to continue pushing the envelope with new applications. Over time, these innovations have created new opportunities for Vortex and for HTS, which has been a win-win situation.

Q. As you have said, Vortex and HTS have enjoyed a long-standing partnership with one another. In that time, what has HTS valued most about their relationship with Vortex?

A. The people and the history! HTS has always felt like we have a personal relationship with Vortex. That feeling started with Lee Young and continues today. It has been especially pleasing to be a part of the growth Vortex has experienced over the years. Knowing how hard we at HTS have worked to support Vortex’s goals, and knowing how hard our colleagues at Vortex have worked to grow the business…it has been fun to witness how much our growth is directly related to one another.

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