The HBSD Q&A: Tom Mahlke
Tom Mahlke is CEO of Mid-States Distributing Co. Inc., which just unveiled a new logo (a red and brown M in a circle), a new slogan (The heart and soul of farm, ranch and home), and moved into a new headquarters (in Mendota Heights, Minnesota).
He spoke with HBSDealer shortly after Mid-State’s “Rendezvous,” the co-op’s semi-annual market and trade show for its farm-and-ranch retailer membership. Here’s the edited conversation:
Tom Mahlke is CEO of Mid-States Distributing Co. Inc., which just unveiled a new logo (a red and brown M in a circle), a new slogan (The heart and soul of farm, ranch and home), and moved into a new headquarters (in Mendota Heights, Minnesota).
He spoke with HBSDealer shortly after Mid-State’s “Rendezvous,” the co-op’s semi-annual market and trade show for its farm-and-ranch retailer membership. Here’s the edited conversation:
HBSDealer: What was the buzz at your “Rendezvous?”
Mahlke: We were coming out of our 60th anniversary, and this year we repositioned and rebranded Mid-States. We’re making a pretty big push to redefine who we are. And the slogan says it: “The heart and soul of farm, ranch and home.”
HBSDealer: Is your membership growing?
Mahlke: We have a very fraternal group. And it has changed a lot, but it hasn’t. I can explain that contradiction this way. Twenty years ago we had about 80 members, but only 350 locations. Today we have 800 locations and about 40 members – in 33 states and 4 Canadian provinces. I will say also that it’s a very exciting time to be in this channel.
HBSDealer: What are the challenges facing the farm and ranch retailer?
Mahlke: You’ll get different answers depending on who you talk to. But it’s not THE challenge, but LOTS of challenges. We have smarter more demanding consumers. We have healthy competition, which is good, but we have to pay attention to it. The technical space is a challenge for our retailers. And then you have to run a business, and that’s people. I think these are the things that are keeping our guys up at night.
HBSDealer: A lot of companies call their headquarters something other than “headquarters.” What about yours?
Mahlke: We’re working on that. If we called it “The Ranch,” our Western guys would love that. But we have to balance the farm with the ranch. Inside our building we have rooms with special names: our big conference is called the “stable,” and we have rooms called “the barn,” the “milk house” and the “chicken coop.”
HBSDealer: So when someone visits, the receptionist might say “Mr. Mahlke is waiting for you in the Chicken Coop?”
Mahlke: That’s right.