W REACHING Local CEOs

BY MARY KLEST | PHOTOGRAPHY BY SUSAN MCCONNELL
Local CEOs
REACHINGGlobal Markets
W
What do Power Base Selling ®, Fresh Wave ® odor neutralizers, RELEEV ®
cold sore treatment, and cocoa powder from Barcelona have in common?
These products are being delivered to markets around the world from
companies by local CEOs with headquarters located in the Barrington area.
ttt
These CEOs know what it takes to create change. They have introduced and
sold their products and services to major companies in international markets.
They share more in common than a 60010 zip code. Each labored to create an
in-depth knowledge of products, people, and markets. None come from wealthy
families. They did not attend Ivy League schools. ttt
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They are strategic.
Being able to develop new concepts and connect ideas eventually led them from
employee status to entrepreneurial company leader. Locating their international
company headquarters in the Barrington area just steps or minutes from where they
live allows them quick access to O’Hare International Airport and provides them a
quality lifestyle.
They imagined something beyond the status quo.
Jim Holden and his wife, Chris, are co-founders of Holden International, a leading sales
performance company. Both grew up in the Northeast. They came to the Chicago area in
1975 when Jim was assigned to lead a sales team for a Boston-based high tech firm. “The
plan was to stay two years. But we grew to love it here,” he says. Jim pioneered a new sales
methodology called Power Base Selling, which positioned his company as innovative
JIM HOLDEN
thought leaders.
They know their strengths.
Phil Coffey heads OMI Industries, a manufacturer and distributor of odor neutralizing
products. He expanded the business from serving a niche industrial market to include
Fresh Wave consumer products. About business negotiations, he says, “A lot of people
don’t like the confrontational aspect of business, but I like it. I offer a fair deal and people
appreciate that.”
They know how to meet challenges.
Meryl Squires founded Merix Pharmaceutical Corp., maker of RELEEV cold sore
treatment, believing that her product was better than the rest. She touted its effectiveness
P HIL C OFFEY
at trade shows, on the Internet, and door-to-door. “When I got an order for 10,000 units
and delivered it in 10 days, I knew I was on my way,” she says.
They are relationship builders.
Henk Damen is an insider’s insider within the cocoa community. Born in the Netherlands,
he leads Indcresa (USA), LLC, a distributor of cocoa powder bought by U.S. food
manufacturers to make chocolate. “I wanted to build different kinds of relationships and
think creatively,” he says after spending years making influential contacts in the corporate
agribusiness industry.
They are good listeners.
When they don’t know something, they ask someone who does. They listen carefully to
their customers. They are quick to offer a smile or a story. They’re optimistic. Through their
MERY L S QUIR ES
companies, local CEOs provide hundreds of jobs and income to employees, consultants,
suppliers, and vendors. Each of them talked about their business, their personal journey,
and what it’s like doing business in foreign markets. They all agreed that the world seems
smaller than it did just a few decades ago.
Mary Klest is a writer
and writing coach who lives in
Barrington. Visit her Web site at
www.maryklest.com
HENK DAMEN
T H E I R ST OR I E S C ON T I N U E ON PAG E 1 1 2
PHOTO: SUSAN MCCONNELL
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J
IM HOLDEN REMEMBERS the original
inquiry that moved him to founding
Holden International, a privately owned
sales performance company now operating
in 25 countries. “When I first started out in sales,
I would win some accounts and lose others. I
needed to know what made the difference.” His
need to know drove him to document the details
of each sales campaign. He analyzed his results. It
became clear to him there was a process.
“Product, price, and company reputation
weren’t the key factors,” he says. He created a
pioneering methodology called Power Base Selling
that looks beyond current practices toward the
intangible aspects of selling. His focus switched
from what he was selling to how he was selling
and to whom. He asked who in the organization
has the most influence, not who has the highest
authority. Jim refers to this person as the “fox.” His
sales increased dramatically.
He believes that sales proficiency can be based
on skill and knowledge, not just innate ability. “I
was looking at it as a science,” says Jim, who has a
JIM HOLDEN, Holden International
degree in electrical engineering.
In 1977 he resigned from a technology firm to
start a local rep firm. For two years, he applied his
Continuing to position the company as
new thinking to sales on a 100 percent commission
thought leaders, Jim hired Ryan Kubacki from
basis. With success, Jim, along with his wife, Chris,
Microsoft Corporation to serve as president
founded Holden International. “Some family
of Holden International and Paul Dillon as
members said, ‘Don’t do it. You’re young, don’t put
senior vice president of business development.
everything at risk.’ But I knew we could impact
Both are Barrington High School graduates
the lives of a lot of people. It was worth taking the
with MBAs from Harvard and Northwestern,
risk.” Since then, hundreds of thousands of people
respectively. Chris serves as the company’s chief
have been trained in Power Base Selling.
financial officer.
The company was recognized as innovators in
Holden International is introducing new
the field. “A direct correlation between our work
products using Internet technology to bring
and results fueled our growth, particularly in
live, instructor-led, custom classes to locations
the high tech industry,” Jim says. Soon they were
around the world. On the current economy, he
winning contracts from Fortune 100 companies,
says, “During good times it’s hard to disturb
all of which were doing business globally.
the hierarchy of companies within an industry,
It was a natural progression for the company
based on market share. During slowdowns
to move with its clients into international markets.
there’s an opportunity to alter the balance
“We needed to understand what the issues were.
of power through unconventional thinking
You can never plug an American program into a
providing customers with unexpected value.”
foreign country.” While speaking at a conference
He cites IT services in India, which are
in New Delhi, Jim’s audience looked perplexed
currently dominated by a few large companies.
as he introduced his fox concept. “It wasn’t until
“We introduce new ways to provide value. This
I used the word jackal that signs of recognition
economy is the domain of the progressive.”
crossed their faces.”
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schools, and nursing homes. Products are also
sold through the company’s Web site.
Phil loves data. He tracks sales on his
computer, always wanting to know what the
customer is thinking. He prefers selling his
consumer products through stores such as
Whole Foods and Ace Hardware. “The store
owners are enthusiastic and fun. They take a
hands-on approach to serving customers by
being knowledgeable about their products.
They’re excited about working together.”
His current success may seem unlikely to
former managers who repeatedly fired him in
spite of his high sales performance. “I was cocky
and arrogant then,” he says. “My real success
started when I came to understand that I was
not smarter than anyone else, whether it be a
doorman or the CEO. When you feel that way,
you treat everyone with the respect they deserve
as equals.”
His previous sales work with companies
serving international markets allowed him
to travel throughout the world. A history
major in college, visiting foreign cities and
PHIL COFFEY, OMI Industries
T
different cultures fascinated him. He cultivated
worldliness — learning what kinds of gifts to
OMI
Industries products are different from
competitors, Phil Coffey picks up a spray
bottle, aims it at his face, and releases the
contents without blinking. The container
holds a proprietary formula of natural plant oils that
absorb and eliminate odors. “The secret is not what’s
in it,” he says. “It’s how we blend it.”
give, how to sit, and ways of dining depending
Phil started working for Odor Management as
what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
O
DEMONSTRATE
HOW
a consultant, then as president, and now as owner
of renamed OMI Industries. The company appeals
to him for three reasons: it serves multiple markets,
has a high margin, and can be operated with a
limited number of employees.
Through savvy marketing and a worldwide
distribution system, Phil expanded the business
from serving paper mills, refineries, and chemical
companies to a consumer product sold in specialty
stores under the Fresh Wave brand name. Most
recently he has added a commercial division that
sells odor neutralizers to Hertz Car Rental, hotels,
Reprinted With Permission - Quintessential Barrington Magazine - Copyright © 2009
on what country he was in. His business card
reads “Managing Director,” a title he observed
used by many company leaders abroad.
Selling in an international market has its
challenges. They must meet an array of product
standards established by the country they are
selling in. “Middle Eastern countries don’t care
standards are,” he says. Marketing materials
must be translated and content checked for
cultural nuisances.
He’s being strategic about growth. The
company has two manufacturing facilities in the
United States and one on-site plant in Austria.
He’s launched consumer products in Japan and
Hong Kong but thinks it’s the wrong time for
Europe. “We need to stay focused.”
Phil is obvious about enjoying his work. Yet,
sometimes he wonders how long will it last? Then
he answers himself, “Every day is a new day.”
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she worked as a waitress, then a model, and later
as a flight attendant. She experienced her first cold
sore at the age of 36.
She went to Harper College for biology and
psychology from 1987 to 1989. In 1990, she
became a professional speaker and formed her
consulting firm. She used the revenue from that
business venture to build her pharmaceutical
company. In 1995, Meryl’s daughters, now
grown, and her marriage long ended, she sold
the consulting company to launch her product.
“I had no training in pharmaceuticals or OTC
products. I had to learn every step of the way,”
she says. “I believed in the product. I knew
how well it worked on cold sores. I never had
a doubt.”
Legal bills started mounting as she forged
ahead. In 1998, Meryl met her future husband,
Richard Cannon, at a charity function. Being a
patent litigator, he encouraged and assisted her in
obtaining worldwide patents.
The first 5,000 bottles of RELEEV were stored
and shipped from her basement. Sales were
exclusively through the Internet. Two of her
daughters came to work at Merix and in 2002 she
MERYL SQUIRES
hired a national sales company to get the product
Merix Pharmaceutical Corp.
distributed through major drug store chains and
other mass markets. Every scanned item sold
was recorded on reports. She used the data from
T WAS PAIN THAT LEAD Meryl Squires to
apply her interest in microbiology and phytopharmacology in search of an effective, natural
cold sore remedy. “My cold sore outbreaks
were devastating to me. Every month my face
would swell. The pain was so severe it was hard
to eat,” Meryl said. She didn’t like the products
currently being sold. Her research and testing
of dozens of formulas derived from botanicals
eventually led to one that worked for her.
With the formula she launched Merix
Pharmaceutical Corp., the manufacturer of
RELEEV cold sore treatment. Since then, her
products have gained placement in more than
30,000 stores including Walgreens, Wal-Mart,
Meijer, Rite Aid, and CVS drug stores.
Meryl started working full time at the age
of 13 in a restaurant near her home on the west
side of Chicago. Married at 18, she became the
mother of three daughters. To make ends meet
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those reports to build momentum and sell to
other retailers.
Merix
Pharmaceutical
Corp.’s
RELEEV
products are contract manufactured at a nearby
plant in Addison. They ship to international outlets
in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Brazil.
Meryl thinks the United States will lead the
world out of the recession. “There is a perceived
premium on health products made in the United
States.” Wherever she travels she finds a common
bond with people and says simply, “People are
people. We are all looking for effective products.”
Merix Pharmaceutical Corp. now has four
divisions:
pharmaceutical,
consumer
goods,
dental, and veterinary. She’s expanded the RELEEV
product line to include a treatment for shingles.
She and her husband also own Horizon Farms in
Barrington Hills. Taking another step forward,
Meryl was approached by WGN and is now host of
her own radio segment “Healthy Product Tips” on
Monday and Wednesday mornings.
Reprinted With Permission - Quintessential Barrington Magazine - Copyright © 2009
initiate and introduce Indcresa’s cocoa powder
HENK DAMEN
to the United States market.”
Indcresa (USA), LLC
Henk became president of Indcresa (USA),
LLC, a company owned by Indcresa Spain but
operated by him. “On my own I’m close to the
N 1990 HENK DAMEN transferred from his
decision making,” he says. “I have no third
native Netherlands to the United States, the
world’s largest cocoa market. Within a few
years he became manager of Cargill’s sales
office for cocoa products. Riding the winds of
change, Henk joined Archer Daniels Midland’s
(ADM) cocoa division management team. In
2001 he grew tired of the corporate structure and
followed his entrepreneurial spirit. Equipped with
a vast knowledge of the cocoa industry, a solid
reputation as an expert in the field, and influential
contacts, he found a way to be a player on his
own terms.
party shareholders to answer to.” His wife,
businessman was presenting a talk on McDonald’s
Sue, retired from her corporate management
business model. A Frenchman in the audience
position at Cargill Inc. investor services to help
leaned over and said to him: “I understand the
run the newly created Indcresa (USA). She set
model, but tell me, what is a hamburger?”
He aligned with Indcresa, a leading cocoa
up trading and operating systems to oversee
Indcresa (USA) relies on industrial sales to
the accounting, quality assurance, importation,
food manufacturers, not to consumers. It takes
warehousing, and transportation of nearly 25
18 months from the time a cocoa bean is picked
million pounds of cocoa annually.
to selling it as a candy bar or milkshake. Henk
The Damens manage one quarter of the
negotiates contracts with customers six to 12
total volume produced by the factory in Spain
months in advance of receiving the product. Cocoa
from a rooftop office in their Barrington-area
beans are sold as a bulk commodity, so he must be
home. The house is divided into business
kept informed of world market prices and currency
space and family living areas. Following an
values before advising customers on when to buy.
in
international time schedule, they begin work
Henk is planning to double the size of the
Barcelona, Spain. The Crehuet Family just built
at 4 a.m., which leaves time at the end of the
business in the next three years. “What I do is
a high capacity, ultra modern factory but were
day to volunteer at their two sons’ school and
not money or status driven. It’s fun — the most
not exporting cocoa to the U.S. market yet. Henk
coach sports teams.
important ingredient to being successful.” Sue nods
powder
manufacturing
company
based
saw an opportunity. “It was a mutually beneficial
Henk travels extensively and speaks five
arrangement that coincided with me resigning
languages fluently. He recalls attending a
from ADM. I found trading partners to help
conference in France where an American
Reprinted With Permission - Quintessential Barrington Magazine - Copyright © 2009
in agreement and says, “We knew we could do it
better than anyone else.”
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