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Making the world a better place isn’t just a snappy slogan to put on their marketing collateral for Southern California-based distributor Stellar Technical Products. CEO Mike Min is looking for partners that want to optimize their bottom line, increase their resilience, and create a more sustainable planet. It’s the mission statement for the company, and Mike is working diligently to take that message forward. In this interview he shares the qualities that make Stellar Technical unique.
Nolan Johnson: Mike, tell me about Stellar Technical Products.
Mike Min: The company was started 33 years ago by Alan Sherry. We're a distributor of some durable products, but mostly consumables for OEM and MRO in the electronics industry, as well as automotive, aerospace, and industrial, such as roofing and construction.
Johnson: What’s your background and how long have you been leading Stellar?
Min: I served in the military and then spent 25 years in technology. I joined Stellar about a year ago. It was very apparent that for the past 30 years, Stellar Technical Products was primarily a specialized distributor, with a focus on a kind of concierge, white glove service. Sure, we’re a distributor in traditional form, we get supplies that manufacturers need quickly and competitively priced, but we’re best working with customers we have deep, consistent relationships with.
Johnson: What does that look like when customers develop a closer relationship with you?
Min: We shine with our specialized concierge-style customer experience. Primarily, we are seeing that procurement is broken from both a strategic and tactical perspective: Procurement folks are resource-constrained and time-pressed, so they aren’t able to optimize and plan things out before there’s a problem. So, when procurement acts in a price-myopic manner, it opens the door for risk in the supply chain. Cost avoidance issues are ignored, and those short-sighted attempts at cost cutting can take the whole operation down. The worst thing that can happen to a company is when production goes down. It’s strategically stepping over dollars to save pennies.
Johnson: Does it move the relationship from reactionary to proactive when you connect with your customers as a concierge?
Min: Yes, that's very much what I mean by concierge. Once a customer-partner gets to the place of being open-minded, they might say, “Can you help us fix this procurement problem?” There's obviously a trust element there that allows us to say, “Let's look at your particular situation and see how we can continually improve and optimize, but also get organized so you are more resilient and have less fragility.” It can’t be one size fits all, and it can’t be one-off. Generally, this helps to have a proactive approach because a partner is constantly and reliably keeping their eyes on the ball to make sure things aren't dropped.
To continue reading this interview, which originally appeared in the December 2024 SMT007 Magazine, click here.
