Press

Palko Services Brings In New CEO

Published:

Publisher: WholeFoods Magazine (full article link)

Author: WholeFoods Magazine Staff

Michigan City, IN—Tom Grillea is joining Palko Services as the distributor’s new CEO, according to a press release from the company. He will begin on November 2.

Grillea brings over 25 years of experience from other distributors, as well as retail experience from his time at Vitamin Shoppe.

Grillea said in the press release: For years, I’ve been an admirer of the Palko family business, and I’m beyond excited to finally join this wonderful organization. They have built a tremendous industry reputation that has always displayed strong relationships with vendors and customers that is based on integrity. Together, we will increase our portfolio of brands bringing in new and exciting business to grow brick & mortar retail, natural product chain stores and ethical e-commerce. My objective is to create growth for our brands, our customers, and for the Palko organization as a whole. I’m eager to show the industry what Palko can do and take us to new heights.

Steve Palko, President, added: We are excited to bring in Tom Grillea to contribute to the success of our family business. We pride ourselves on who we are and believe Tom fits in perfectly with our core values. Our quest is to become the best independent distributor through excellent service and strong personal relationships with our stores and our brands. We are certain Tom can help us achieve this goal and look forward to the many positive changes he will accomplish as our new CEO.

Paul Penders Brand Relaunches in U.S.

Published:

Publisher: Vitamin Retailer (full article link)

Author: Nicolas Saraceno

Just like its collection of skin and hair care products, the natural brand Paul Penders (Florida) is rejuvenating its presence in the U.S. with new products, a new team, and new distributor and sales network.

Indiana-based Palko Services is the distributor, while Gary Gobeli of Alternative Sales (Kentucky) is the sales network. New color cosmetics products are scheduled to be launched at a later date.

The roots of Paul Penders International began in 1903 in Holland where Paul Penders' grandmother developed an organic botanical formula for skin-she called it LevensEssentie, or Essence of Life in Dutch. LevensESSENTIE Gold serves as the base for the company's 40 natural, organic beauty and skin rejuvenation formulas, including skin and hair care products for babies and men, as well as perfumes.

After learning hands on in his parents' beauty salons and with Parisian society hairdresser Alexandre Albert Raimon, Paul Penders devoted himself and his company to truly natural products not tested on animals.

In 1980, the Dutch government issued an ultimatum to the company-test on animals or close the manufacturing facilities. Penders relocated to the U.S. In 1982, he led the cruelty free consumer education initiative after the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) permitted the company to produce formulas not tested on animals. In 1985, after reading reports about serious health concerns stemming from chemical FD&C colors in lipsticks, Penders removed all chemical colors from its color cosmetics, and was the first cosmetics company to do so.

Since then, Penders and his son Bastiaan, who now serves as the director of U.S. and Singapore operations of Paul Penders International, have launched new products containing botanical ingredients from around the globe. In 2003, the company relocated its R&D facility to Langkawi Geopark in the rainforests of Langkawi Island, in the Andaman Sea.

Last year, Paul Penders International launched a manufacturing facility in the Himalayas, where products are now being made under a World Health Organization-GMP (good manufacturing practice) license. The first product, Holistic Dynamic Hydrating Day Starter features 100 percent pure mineralized snow melt water filtered down for more than 20 years from Mount Everest. Later this year, the company will launch a new vegan color cosmetics line made with the Himalayan mountain water. All Paul Penders' products are certified vegan, kosher, halal and Environmental Working Group verified.

For more information, visit www.paulpenders.com.

Natural Products Pedigree

Why family-owned businesses thrive, and why they matter.

Published:

Publisher: Whole Foods Magazine (full article link)

Author: Tim Person

Excerpt(s)

Imagine owning and operating a company along with those closest to you.

No, not that guy sitting to your left. Your family! Many out there, including store owners, may not need to imagine it, because they already live it. But for the rest of us, the dynamic can be interesting to ponder.

Husbands, wives, sons, daughters, brothers, grandparents and all manner of kin can be involved when a family owns a business. Those relationships, for better or for worse, are embedded in the company's ethos, and sometimes determine its direction. The occasional tension and conflict that all families endure can be detrimental to a business, but just the same, the bonds of family and the clarity of purpose that such likeminded people can achieve may make all the difference between failure and success. Not to mention that family-owned businesses tend to be high on integrity. Family owners are often aware that their company's reputation may reflect back onto them, and they work hard to make sure this reflection is a positive one.

Throw in the natural products industry's special brand of idealism and its unique perspectives, and the stories of these family-owned businesses become both fascinating and instructive. In the midst of these insights and company histories lie important lessons about both business and family ties.Beyond covering the industry in which they work, WholeFoods Magazine shares another connection with these companies. Our very own Heather and Howard Wainer know what it is to combine business and family, a task in which Heather's mother and Howard's wife Sandra Wainer joined them for many years. So, we commend these fellow family businesses, along with all of the others within the industry which we weren't able to cover here, and hope they continue to flourish.

Palko Services

“Large Enough to Serve,
Small Enough to Care”

Much of the “feel-good” halo surrounding family businesses is due to the perceived distinction between this model and the corporate one, says Steve Palko, CFO of Palko Services, Michigan City, IN. He believes “corporate” entities are sometimes associated with largeness and an unforgiving rigidity, while family-run businesses are often viewed as small, flexible, hard-working, ethical and caring.

Palko Family Image
Sally Jo Reagor, national sales manager; Jim Palko, CEO/owner; Debbie Palko, sales rep and company mom; Steve Palko, CFO

Whatever the broad differences may be, treating customers, suppliers and employees as people instead of numbers, Palko says, is what allows his family business to grow. “We at Palko are constantly promoting a win-win-win philosophy, where every member in the supply chain benefits from the transaction (the manufacturer, the distributor, the retailer and even the consumer),” he says.

These transactions can be traced back to Steve’s father, Jim, who Steve says was born to sell. He sold everything from insurance to batteries, before setting out on his own and founding Palko Services in 1984. After humble beginnings, with just one product line sold in five states, Jim built his new company into a nationwide distributor of leading natural products. Work-ethic was fundamental to this success, as Steve details: “If you ask him how to run a family business, he would say, ‘You only have to work a half day, and it doesn’t matter which 12 hours you work.’” From day one, he says, the company adhered to a simple motto: “Large Enough to Serve, Small Enough to Care.”

Currently, the company employs Jim, his wife, Debbie, their daughter, Sally Jo as sales manager, Steve as CFO and Steve’s wife, Michelle, in HR. But the family ties extend further, as Michelle’s sister, Natasha, is a Palko sales rep, and her husband, Austin, is an assistant warehouse manager. Austin’s father and brother are also with the company. “We also have two sets of sisters who work for us and numerous friends we consider to be part of the family. We like to think of our stores as part of the family as well.  With so many family members, Palko plans on being family owned for generations to come,” Palko says.

Though seemingly every day brings another buyout of a family-owned or independent business, Palko sees reason to hope for the continued existence of the model, and believes in its importance. “Our industry needs those independent businesses that have a genuine concern for their customers’ health and well-being,” he says.


Palko Logo Large Enough To Serve, Small Enough To Care.

retailer
Hint: Enclose multiple word phrases like: wild cherry in double quotes (eg. "wild cherry") to limit search results to those that only contain the exact phrase.