 Tony
De Vos, President of Cardinal Laboratories, Inc
Groomed For Success
Tony De Vos describes the day he became president of Cardinal Laboratories
Inc. as "one of the worst days of my life. "On that day Larry Sica," the
man he calls "my mentor, my father-in-law, and one of my dearest friends,"
passed away, leaving leadership of the company, which manufactures pet
grooming and health care products, in De Vos's hands. He might have felt
unprepared and bereft on becoming the head of the company, but he mapped
out a strategy that has helped the firm develop into a major international
player in the pet care industry.
Cardinal Laboratories
Inc. was established in 1948 in Los Angeles, California. Today it has a
33,000 square foot manufacturing plant, a brand-new state-of-the-art
38,000 square foot distribution center, and two additional warehouses
(30,000 square feet and 10,000 square feet), as well as a large yard and
office building adjacent to the manufacturing facility.
Starting From Scratch
De Vos knew nothing at
all about the pet industry or running a manufacturing plant when Larry
Sica hired him. Born in Eindhoven, Holland in 1948, De Vos emigrated to
the United States at the age of 13. After graduating from La Salle High
School in Sierra Madre, California, he earned a degree in business
administration and information systems from California State University in
Los Angeles.
Cardinal Laboratories
had somewhere between eight and ten employees when De Vos joined the
company, following stints at several other firms, including the Bank of
America.
Adversity and Triumph
When Cardinal
Laboratories lost its founder and guide, Larry Sica in 1981, De Vos had to
pull himself together to keep the company going. He devised a plan and
worked out a strategy to grow the firm into its present success.
He started with some
advice he'd gotten from Sica, who once told him that "We never make a
mistake until it goes out the door." That emphasis on quality control and
having systems in place to catch mistakes before they're shipped out is
still the foundation of Cardinal's relationship with its customers.
Chief among those
customers, particularly in the early days of the company, were the
groomers. They relied on Cardinal to provide the products they needed and
quality they could depend on. De Vos has never forgotten the support he
received from those groomers, which is why the company sponsors the
Cardinal Crystal Grooming Achievement Awards, presented each year at
Intergroom, the largest international dog grooming show in the world. It's
also one of the reasons De Vos is so active in industry trade
associations. He's a two-time President of WWPSA. He wants to give back
something to the people who helped him out when he needed it.
He believes that
service to the customers is paramount, "Even if they (customers) order
today and need it shipped today, which would be considered above and
beyond the normal routine, we do our best to help them out. That's the
only way we can all survive today -helping each other out."
People are Paramount
De Vos also attributes
much of the company's success to the people who work there. "I want to
give credit where credit is due. My management team and all my employees
are qualified to do their jobs and they do them well. I feel confident
that my people are watching out after their company. It's important to
them too."
Employees at the
company say similar things about De Vos. They clearly admire and respect
him, enjoy his sense of humor and appreciate his warmth. Comments they've
made about their boss include, "He always has a smile; he's always glad to
see you," and "Tony's had some days when I thought, if it were me, I'd go
bury my head in the sand. But Tony always faced his problems. He's always
here. He's persistent and he sticks to something until it's resolved. I've
really learned something just by being around Tony every day."
Growth
With that kind of
devotion and mutual admiration fueling it, it's no wonder that Cardinal
Laboratories has grown and prospered. The number of employees has
increased to more than one hundred. Sales have risen at a steady rate,
actually doubling in some years. More than just luck and love brought
about that result.
Taking a leadership
role in trade associations has made Cardinal Laboratories highly visible
in the industry and contributed to its growth. De Vos is a past president
of the World Wide Pet Supply Association; he's a past president of the
American Family Pet Society; and he has held leadership roles in the
American Pet Products Manufacturers Association and The Pet Care Trust.
He is also constantly
looking to "improve our products and keep up with the world in terms of
technology. We were one of the first companies in the pet industry to be
on-line with EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), we are up on the web,
although we are still building and adding to the site. We do everything we
can to grow with the times and to keep abreast."
By taking on personal
responsibility for the International Sales division, De Vos has more than
doubled international sales over the last two years. He expects the growth
to continue at a rate of 25 to 30 percent over the next five years.
What's Really Important?
Despite all this
success, when asked to point to his proudest achievement De Vos says, "my
families are all there is in the world. By that I mean my own family and
my Cardinal family. Linda and I have been together more than 30 years. (We
celebrated our Silver Anniversary with my parents. It was their Golden
Wedding Anniversary, 50 years, imagine that!) We have two wonderful sons,
Jason and Michael. I'm also the proud grandfather of Justin, and enjoying
every minute of it. What more can I say?"
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