All In The Family

Yaskawa America, Inc. Interview with Volland Electric Equipment Corporation

Creating an atmosphere of trust based on instilling family-like values into relationships with employees and customers alike was essential to the early success of Yaskawa distributor Volland Electric.

And 80 years later, that approach is more critical than ever.

“It means everything to me and my family. It is the whole reason for our long-standing success,” said CEO Chris Graham. “We are a family business, and I believe people thrive if they are treated with respect, like family, they know we care for them and their families.”

“They, in turn, treat our customers like we treat them. Some of our customers also feel like they are a part of the Volland family, and quite frankly, they are. That started in 1943 and hasn’t changed.”

Volland Electric, headquartered in Buffalo, NY, was established by Chris’ grandfather, Alexander Volland, in 1943 as a motor repair shop. It is now diversified to include industrial control panels, cranes and hoists, and power transmission products. The company is also a Master Distribution Center for many related repair lines. It has roughly 75 employees.

“Being able to service our customers the way we do, with purpose and commitment, it is just so important to great relationships,” CEO Chris Graham said. “That’s why we try to hire the best and the brightest. Our customers look to us to give them the products, services, and attention they need to stay up and running.”

“We truly care about our customers. Everyone focuses on the customer. We get plants up as fast as possible if a plant goes down. That’s part of what makes us different. We try to solve whatever problems our customers have. Anybody can sell a drive, but can they solve a problem.”

As the family lineage continues, Chris, a third-generation company employee, added his son Mason to the team as a sales rep a couple of years ago.

He explained that after his grandfather started the business, his uncle Dick Wagner joined the company, followed by Chris’ parents (NAMES?) – who joined the business in 1975. He and his brother (NAME?) started in 1993.

The family tradition of doing whatever it takes to care for customers is not lost on Mason.

“I’ve grown up hearing about Volland. Driving down the road and seeing who we help. Starting full-time helped me realize the difference we make in the community, from schools to hospitals. Making an impact on schools and hospitals,” Mason said.

“When things go bad in the middle of the night, we are the first ones they call in the most critical moments. Customers have a level of trust in us to come through.”

Mason said trust is stronger because of the company’s relationship with Yaskawa.

“A lot of the trust customers have in us is enforced by the trust they have in the Yaskawa products we sell them,” Mason said. “Sometimes that makes us the only guys the customer considers.”

His dad backed that up.

“Yaskawa is one of our longest-tenured suppliers. Part of the reason we are who we are is we align with the highest quality manufacturers. Yaskawa is certainly up there, especially regarding quality and service,” Chris said.

Inside Sales Manager Tina Hetzendorfer said Yaskawa customer support is a significant advantage.

“Deals often come down to the ease of doing business with somebody,” she said. We enjoy working with the inside sales support team at Yaskawa. We know we will get a quick response in an emergency.”

Panel Shop Manager Bob Wilemski explained that Volland has been integrating “a lot of duplex Yaskawa pump panels for cooling applications,” which has led to great opportunities in applications such as cooling centers.

“We have great opportunities in this area,” he said. “Major companies need more and more cooling centers. Having access to Yaskawa quality and customer service has helped lead to tremendous growth.”

According to electrical engineer and Certified Yaskawa Start-Up and Service Provider Craig Langlotz, the Yaskawa tagline ‘It’s Personal’ also applies to Volland Electric.

“We do take our customers’ problems personally,” he said. “Whether on drives or motors, support after the sale – Yaskawa is always available 24/7/365. I’ve used them the day after Christmas and New Year’s Eve. They’ve always been there to support us. That’s how we think and operate, too.”