| Modern technologies like the Internet have | | | | She bought out her siblings, and now runs the |
| revolutionized the way many of us do business, | | | | Nathan Kimmel Company out of a rapidly |
| and have opened up many opportunities for new | | | | expanding warehouse space in Los Angeles.Under |
| enterprise.And yet, all of these innovations pale in | | | | Carol's guidance, the company has extended its |
| comparison with the "old-fashioned" values of hard | | | | reach, both in the bricks-and-mortar world and in |
| work, fair business, and sheer strength | | | | cyberspace.They've augmented their physical |
| personality.The Nathan Kimmel Company, started | | | | growth with a growing Internet presence. Their |
| by Nathan Kimmel in 1956, is an prime example of | | | | initial brochure site has expanded to fit their focus |
| how one family's hard work, lead by a memorable | | | | on a variety of niches. As with many |
| man with an unwavering philosophy of how to do | | | | e-commerce sites, search engine ranking is a |
| business, laid the foundation for a company that | | | | crucial part of their strategy.Although Carol |
| continues to thrive a half century later.From the | | | | champions her fathers "old school" business |
| garage of the family home, with a bundle of | | | | techniques and sales philosophies, she believes |
| surplus parachutes purchased from Douglas | | | | that Internet technology will only help her business |
| Aircraft to one of the largest women owned | | | | to grow. Her father, she concedes, might not |
| companies in southern California, Nathan's | | | | have agreed."When you get to a certain age, you |
| daughter Carol Kimmel Schary, now president of | | | | are so happy that you've accomplished your goals |
| the company, recalls how it all began."This little | | | | that you don't want to move to the next step. |
| mom and pop industry started out of our garage. | | | | The older people were afraid of computers and |
| He bought a 'lot' (a sealed container) of surplus | | | | felt that we were already doing very well. They |
| military parachutes, and he decided he was going | | | | were not able to step outside of the box, which |
| to take the webbing from them and resell it.We | | | | I've been fortunate to be able to do."And stepping |
| would come home from school and we'd take out | | | | out of the box has meant that her sales now |
| the webbing, and my parents would go to the | | | | reach much farther than the Los Angeles |
| Laundromat at night and wash it, and then he'd | | | | environs. 60% of her sales are out-of-state. She |
| sell it. He could make a huge profit from it since | | | | feels that out-of-state companies may find it |
| he did all the labor himself."Part of Nathan's | | | | more cost effective to order all of their items |
| success was his ingenuity. Carol remembers when | | | | from them online, rather than sit on the phone |
| Barrington Plaza in Los Angeles was undergoing | | | | and order from many other stores."From our first |
| renovation. Fireproofing and plastering debris was | | | | web site we decided to create smaller niche sites, |
| coating the area, including all cars parked nearby. | | | | so that if people put `fireproofing´ or |
| Someone asked Nathan if he had a solution, so he | | | | `tarps´ or `plastering´ in a search engine, |
| started making tarps out of his surplus | | | | they could find us."We asked Carol what role she |
| parachutes."All the buildings were covered in | | | | believed the Internet would play in her business in |
| camouflage!""Initially, he started selling surplus. The | | | | the years to come."I think it will be an integral |
| second or third time he bought one of these | | | | part. If you had asked me that question five |
| ´lots´, there was hose in it. It was | | | | years ago, I would have said `No, no one will use |
| bulletproof hose.He didn't know what it was, so he | | | | it.´ A lot of these people were the older |
| researched it, and he found a plasterer that said | | | | owners of the companies, and now younger |
| `this is great!´ and asked him if he could get | | | | people are coming in, and they're |
| more. So he'd go buy a ´lot´ that had | | | | Internet-proficient.""To be able to buy online |
| this hose in it, and it would have other items, and | | | | offers convenience. People are very busy. They |
| so on."The surplus selling business was, in every | | | | need to be able to have a 24-7 source from |
| sense of the word, a family business."There were | | | | which to buy."Nathan Kimmel sold everything from |
| 4 kids at home, and since we ran the business | | | | hoses to Purple Hearts. Carol has continued in his |
| out of our house, whenever the phone would ring, | | | | footsteps by embracing diversity in her product |
| we would have to freeze and turn the television | | | | line."Nobody has a store online that will have |
| off and no one could talk. Now when the phone | | | | everything. I wanted to be the first person in this |
| rings, I think I still freeze!""Everybody loved my | | | | big niche industry to do this. There isn't anyone I |
| father. He worked out of his station wagon, and | | | | know in the wall and ceiling industry that is a |
| they loved his personality and his pricing and the | | | | full-service company that also allows you to buy |
| quality of service. They would ask him `Can you | | | | online."But while Carol has embraced new |
| get me this? Can you get me that?´He | | | | technology with open arms, she knows she'll |
| moved into a warehouse, and from there moved | | | | never lose sight of the values instilled in her by |
| into this business. Whatever he could find, he | | | | her father. She knows how vastly important it is, |
| would sell. That was about 1952. In 1956, he | | | | no matter how big a business grows, to maintain |
| incorporated."In the nearly fifty years that have | | | | a personal touch."I don't care how big we get, |
| followed, the Nathan Kimmel Co. has continued to | | | | there will always be a human being answering the |
| serve the niches that got the company off the | | | | phone!"When we initially published their story in our |
| ground- and out of the garage. Today, the building | | | | newsletter, they were early Internet pioneers in |
| trades still represent the company's biggest | | | | their industry, in any industry for that matter.In |
| lines."Since he had started with the plastering | | | | addition to having their story published on our web |
| industry, that became one of his main niches, and | | | | site, where it receives consistent traffic from |
| from there he moved into sandblasting, and the | | | | Web searches every day, they were used as an |
| drywall industry, and the moving industry. We | | | | example of " best practices" in the book we |
| opened a retail store and started selling to the | | | | published in 2003 and whose content we recently |
| pest control industry. That's our second big line."In | | | | made available on our web site at no charge.Now, |
| those early years, Nathan didn't limit himself. | | | | we are looking for another group of business |
| Buying surplus lots means buying blind, and | | | | owners whose story to tell.We are asking them |
| sometimes what he wound up with had absolutely | | | | some of the same questions we asked Carol, |
| nothing to do with the construction industry. It | | | | how are they leveraging their long term success |
| made no difference, however. Whatever Nathan | | | | online? We are looking for others to help us |
| came home with was packaged and sold in the | | | | continue to tell the stories of Main Street |
| family's cottage industry."One time, he got | | | | companies developing strategies for continued |
| thousands and thousands of Purple Heart and | | | | success in the 21st Century.The new profiles will |
| Stars and Stripes medals. We put an ad in Popular | | | | also be posted on our web site and some of |
| Mechanics and we would sell 10 for a dollar. After | | | | them will be selected as part of the content in |
| school we would package them in plastic bags.The | | | | one of the two books we have in process.There |
| big excitement every day was when the mail | | | | is a page entitled "Submit a Profile" on every pay |
| came- deciding who would get to take the dollar | | | | each of our web site. If you or someone you |
| bills out of the envelopes! To this day, when the | | | | respect is interested in knowing more about the |
| mail comes, I get excited. It's a throwback to | | | | process, they will find the information they need |
| that time, I'm sure."When Nathan died in 1993, the | | | | there.Wayne Messick wants to interview business |
| family convened to discuss the future of the | | | | owners positioning themselves for success in the |
| business their father and mother had worked so | | | | 21st Century. To be interviewed visit And for |
| hard to develop. No one felt prepared to shoulder | | | | cutting edge leadership strategies for your |
| the responsibilities of standing at the helm.After a | | | | business visit where you can also read the full |
| great deal of thought, Carol decided that, with her | | | | story of the Nathan Kimmel Company. |
| mother's blessing, she would take on the challenge. | | | | |