Because Holiday House clearly understood the notion of providing quality OCS products at affordable prices, the company ventured into the development of private label products. Selecting products that met existing and emerging customer needs was a skill that further differentiated Holiday House from other OCS operators. The result was repeat business, a growing number of annual contracts and a reputation for innovation based on a simple premise – listen closely to the customers and let them determine the most important features and benefits, and product development priorities. It was a habit we developed early and practiced often.
Within eight short years, Butch and Lynn grew the company to 10 times its original size, and Holiday House became the go-to supplier for many of the area’s largest institutions.
From Operator to Supplier:A Logical Step with Remarkable Results
As the popularity of coffee, coffee products and equipment continued to explode in the 1990s, the demands upon OCS operators were making it difficult for them to run down individual parts and fittings at local hardware, electrical and supply outlets. Such practices were time consuming and expensive, and very often the consistent availability of parts and products was unreliable.
Again, Butch and Lynn watched, listened and responded to the industry…and Holiday House Distributing was born! HHD began operating from the Winklers’ attic. Orders were filled in the basement and pushed through the basement window to the UPS truck. From this humble beginning, HHD grew into a one-stop shop for OCS operators, offering many standard and hard-to-find plumbing parts needed to install and maintain the newest models of coffee brewing equipment and water dispensers. The company began by purchasing coffee brewer parts from many major manufacturers, water cooler parts, water filtration products, plumbing supplies and electrical products, as well as tools for the trade.
Given our legacy of listening and acting on our customers’ needs, in 2005 HHD again took the bold step toward designing and producing our own line of products. While Butch met with the customers to keep up with their needs, Lynn designed the warehouse layout, created inventory control systems, order processing, accounting and finance programs. Lynn worked with UPS to help develop the link that is still used today in World Ship. Today, we have a full line of the most popular OCS items such as brewer parts, airpots, thermal gravity dispensers, coffee decanters, condiment caddies, racks, and cup dispensers just to name a few. All priced to provide unbeatable savings and maximize our customers’ margins.