Nov 15, 2019
Pat Grillo shares how a vendor decision cost his 35 year company over 10 million dollars in sales and how it changed his business and life for the better.
Did that get your attention? It can happen to any entrepreneur. You choose a vendor partner that has products that your clients can use and you enter into a relationship with them that allows you to provide better pricing to your clients and higher margins to you. Over the years you build trust together and you have an increasing amount of your business that is built off that stream of revenue.
But what happens when that vendor you trusted for years cuts you out of the picture and starts selling directly to the client at a lower price and then cancels your relationship with you so you can no longer sell their product?
Think this is a rare occurrence in the world of business? It is not.
Take a listen and learn what Pat Grillo and his team learned and did and what they had in place before the floor fell out that has enabled them to grow their business to a different level.
Pat Grillo is the founder and CEO of Atrion Communication Resources, Inc (Atrion). Atrion was incorporated in June 1985 as a reseller and integrator of state-of-the-art data communications equipment and services.
Pat is a pioneer in the computer networking, cyber security and advanced technology industries. He was particularly instrumental in the creation of the value-added reseller (VAR) channel model that now forms the backbone of high-tech industry sales and service worldwide. Under Pat’s leadership over the past 35 years, Atrion has evolved into an information technology industry leader.
Prior to founding Atrion, Pat gained more than 10 years of experience in sales and management for several high-tech companies, leveraging that experience and knowledge to further Atrion’s success every year since its founding.
Pat’s experience and deep commitment to total customer satisfaction allows Atrion to specialize in working with Fortune 1000 companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Air Products, Armstrong World Industries, Dun & Bradstreet and Merck Pharmaceuticals. He also established vendor-partnering agreements with a number of the leading pharmaceutical and financial companies in the New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania region.
Additional career highlights include the co-founding of Atrion Networking Corp in 1988 and 1NService Corporation in 1997. He served for two years as 1NService Board Chairman. Pat is currently a member of numerous manufacturer executive advisory councils, member of CMP’s BoB Conference Advisory Board, Secure World Expo Advisory Board, Ingram Micro Security Advisory Board and ICS Board of Directors.
Pat served four years in the United States Marines Corps and is a Vietnam Veteran. Pat is committed to supporting Veteran and First Responder causes and has raised more than $50,000 for charities like Folds of Honor, NY Run for The Fallen, Wounded Warrior Foundation, NPower, Operation Shoe Box and several police & fire organizations. . In September 2019, Pat started the Atrion Charitable Foundation. The foundation will allow Pat to grow the company’s and Pat’s philanthropic endeavors.