To my Customers…

Now that I am the owner of an Export Company, I must write a Blog? I never wrote a blog. Let us just say I now must do this so my amazing website designer can finally get a much-needed vacation.

I have been in the Building Material Industry for over 20 years (gosh, I feel old) 😊

• First female to sell building materials, plumbing & Electrical, Tools & construction Equipment in the Caribbean
• First to introduce U.S. manufactured decorative steel doors in the Caribbean
• First to introduce composite decking in the Caribbean
• Sold a 20ft container of door locks (entry, privacy, deadbolts)
• Developed new markets, for the various companies I worked with
• Did sales training and product knowledge workshops for some of my customers Sales and Marketing Team

All the above statements are accurate, however; if I do not explain the how and why this was achieved, then it would be a partial truth. Completely unfair to the amazing Customers and Suppliers which made these achievements possible.  Kornerstone Export LLC is not starting from scratch, but from experience and over 25 customers extending their never-ending support, I cannot fail them now.

Mr. Barry Blades, may you rest in eternal peace wish you were here to see I opened an Export Company. Sure, you would be proud knowing you contributed to my success.

I make the first statement very confidently because Mr. Blades never failed to let me know it. Always reminded me in his 50 years of distributing building materials, he never bought doors and millwork from someone wearing pink shoes, red shoes. Me being cheeky will respond, “Well Mr. Blades you are never too old to experience or learn something new”, he would laugh. Those days I had absolutely zero knowledge of lumber and plywood, sometimes during my visit he would be preoccupied with negotiating plywood.  He would say “sit and let me teach you about ply and how to calculate, I’m putting a boat together”. He being incredibly old school no computer, just a notepad, pencil and desk calculator, I watched, and I learned as he patiently explained about various types of plywood, how to calculate piece price, square feet price etc. Not knowing I would later end up having to sell lumber and plywood. I learned from the best.

20ft container Door Locks – Initially all I knew; door locks are what you open to enter a room/building. I was traveling the afternoon on the day the company scheduled sales training for a new line of door locks and could not take part.  My Boss, Mark Brock, was always supportive, asked the Vendor Rep. to give me a brochure so I can at least review during my flight to Trinidad. Meeting with my customer the next day, I presented the brochure and told him I do not know much about locks, just briefly read through the brochure. As it turned out they were looking for a new line of door locks. He told me to come by the next morning at 8:00 a.m. and spend an hour or 2 with their locksmith which I did.  I learned how to rekey a lock; what interior features make a lock durable, the difference between single deadbolt, double deadbolt, etc. I then met with my customer, and he took such patience to review the entire brochure teaching me along the way and helping to identify the selling features of the product. If that was not enough, he turned around and gave me a $30,000.00 lock order. The lock was a success, after couple weeks the second order doubled, by then the third order was an entire container load.

These are just 2 of countless stories where my customers go out of their way to ensure my success. They are never too busy to accept a phone call, an email or allow me the time to present whatever product I was peddling at the moment.

I am extremely excited to continue this journey with them. 

New customers,

You are getting a Company that has been taught firsthand how to appreciate and value your business.  A Company that is honest and works efficiently to ensure your orders are accurate and shipped in a timely manner with all documentation correctly processed.

Thank you in advance for the opportunity.

New Vendors,

You have wonderful and amazing customers ready for your products to be presented.  Please do not hesitate to partner with them thru Kornerstone Export.

Until my next blog, please stay safe and well.