“While not one our largest rep agencies, Hodes and Sutter’s impact is huge.”
This is how Randy Waldron, vice president of Liberty Pumps, describes Lenexa, Kansas-based Hodes & Sutter. “They are true partners with us, and work diligently to provide the value and support we require as a manufacturer,” he adds. “They consistently provide growth and bring value to an ever-changing selling process.”
Comments like this are what earned Hodes & Sutter Supply House Times’ 2024 Rep of the Year award.
Founded in 2002 by two industry veterans, Steve Sutter and Dan Hodes, Hodes & Sutter is a lean team of 11 that manages to represent 22 manufacturers throughout Kansas, Missouri and Southern Illinois.
Resilience and determination are what got Hodes & Sutter off the ground and keeps the company going today. “Steve and I started working out of a basement calling on wholesalers and engineers,” Hodes says. “Over time, the dedication paid off and we began to make a name for ourselves and growing product lines throughout Kansas and Western Missouri.”
The company tragically lost Steve Sutter in 2012 to cancer. “Working through this loss took incredible perseverance from our team,” Hodes says. “But we remained committed to honoring his memory by building the company to what it is today.”
Both Hodes and Sutter had decades of experience working in the manufacturers’ rep world, so they knew building connections and leaning on relationships are keys to success. “We received a lot of support from wholesalers and contractors we knew in those early days,” Hodes says.
Dan Hodes and Steve Sutter All images courtesy of Hodes and Sutter
Hodes & Sutter team members left to right: Matthew Purcell, Brian Hodes, Courtney Ambrosius, Ben Love, Dan Hodes and Ryan Sutter
Hodes and Sutter operated out of that basement for nearly five years before purchasing its first warehouse in Kansas City. During those first five years, Dan Hodes’ son, Brian Hodes, worked alongside the two founders while he was in college. After moving into the warehouse in 2007, the guys put their heads down, hired a handful of inside and outside salespeople, set up an official office and were off to the races acquiring more lines — Liberty Pumps and Josam as notable product lines in the company's first warehouse.
Be honest, bring value and work hard
Honesty and hard work are the core values that have carried on with Hodes & Sutter from its founding to today. Steve Sutter created the company’s mission statement early on, and it remains the same today — “Be honest, bring value, and work hard for the companies we proudly represent."
According to Brian Hodes, the company has a family-like culture. “We’re a small team, so we work hard to maintain that family-like culture throughout the company,” he says. “We’re all always in contact with each other, so working together to solve problems happens organically.”
Dan Hodes adds that the team is made up of loyal, hard-working people. “Each of our locations is in contact with each other every single day,” he says. “We have great people who have been here a while, and we are looking to add to our team as we speak.”
Joel Hodes gives credit to the inside sales team for making the company stand out from its competition. “We have one of the best inside crews out there,” he says. “They pick up the phone quickly and work immediately to get answers. They’re honest with our customers.”
Dan Hodes agrees, adding that prioritizing excellent customer service is key. “Getting back to our customers in a timely fashion with the information they need is what has allowed us to grow,” he says.
In order to provide this high-level customer service, Hodes & Sutter cross trains all of its employees. “All of our people know and work with all of our lines,” Ryan Sutter points out. “We aren’t reliant on one certain person to answer a customer; if someone is out, sick, etc. there are people here who can help. This helps us provide solutions quickly.”
Hodes & Sutter manufacturers can vouch for the company’s standout customer service.
Matt Foraker, senior vice president, wholesale with Oatey says they are the rep that always delivers. “If they are tasked to do something, they will do it and do it well. We don’t get excuses from them,” he says. “They may have roadblocks or issues, but they are the best at working together to get creative with solutions. They just find a way to get things done.”
Foraker adds that Hodes & Sutter works hard to foster their relationships. “They spend the time and resources to keep their connections strong, especially outside of ‘normal’ business hours,” he says. “They are extremely quick to respond to customer requests. They don’t hesitate to have hard conversations. They are really good at communicating news from Oatey to the market.”
Nick Manning, senior marketing manager at PRIER agrees, noting that Hodes & Sutter offers excellent market coverage. “Hodes and Sutter does a great job of keeping us abreast of what is happening in the market, how our new products are performing, and bringing us constructive criticism from their market, something vital to our growth.”
Young and adaptable
Having starting in the early 2000s, Hodes & Sutter is a relatively new manufacturers’ rep firm. The company’s third-generation leaders — Ryan Sutter and Brian and Joel Hodes— are on the younger side as well. According to Sutter, this makes the company adaptable.
“We’re able to benefit from Dan’s years of experience and relationships while bringing in the new perspectives that Joel, Brian and I bring,” he says. “Our industry is experiencing a generational shift, and we are in the position to connect well with those newer people coming in.”
Hodes & Sutter team members left to right: Brian Candler, Joel Hodes, Cosmo Moran and Jon Aubuchon
Sutter adds that the company’s young age and smaller team allows for plenty of room for growth, an attraction for new employees coming in.
Brian Hodes points out that the nimbleness of the company helps its ability to adapt. “It’s extremely challenging to keep up with the ever-evolving landscape of today’s marketplace,” he says. “With our level of teamwork and the tight-knit culture we have, we’ve been able to do a great job continuously adapting to technology and market shifts.”
The company embraces technology like AI, CRMs and social media. “Embracing all of these elements gives you more touch points with the customer,” Sutter says. “It’s hard to track rate of return sales-wise on social media, but we’re able to use it as a platform to show products, demos, promote industry news and events, and get information out to our customers.”
A shared goal
The Hodes & Sutter team thrives because of their shared goals — provide excellent customer service, work hard, provide value and support the industry.
The company is a member of AIM/R, ASA, ASPE and PHCC, along with various local Kansas, Missouri and Illinois industry organizations. Brian Hodes says he’s proud of the company for its commitment to supporting the industry. “We take pride in doing a good job and being a valuable asset to our customers,” he says. “In order to do that, we are sure to be out supporting them and the industry. We’re ‘all in’ for the industry and our local communities.”
Manufacturers appreciate Hodes & Sutters investment in the industry as well. “This team attends industry events and will take advantage of vendor events to stay on top of what is going on in the marketplace and stay relevant to their customers,” Foraker says. “They are also always investing in their team. They attend all local customer events/tabletop days/counter days.”
Dan Hodes says involvement in AIM/R has been exponentially beneficial for the company. “We’ve been involved with AIM/R for more than 10 years,” he says. “The relationships we’ve built there with fellow reps have helped us grow to where we are today.”
Joel Hodes says the company is a well-oiled machine, working toward the same goal. “We have a universal support system throughout the company where everyone is willing and able to help one another,” he says. “I’m proud of the people who make up our team — we all have a singular goal in mind to do what’s best for ourselves, our manufacturers and our customers.”
Dan Hodes echoes the pride in the team. “I’m the most proud of our crew,” he says. “They’re loyal and all understand what needs to be done and work hard to get it done on a daily basis.”
Waldron says the Hodes & Sutter team stands out for Liberty Pumps because of their breadth of industry knowledge. “Through on-going product trainings and demonstrations in the field, they stay abreast of the constant changing portfolio of products we offer,” he says. “They drive that all the way through the channel, with efforts at the distributor, engineering and contractor levels. We have watched them do this for years and they continue to bring an energy and effort that is among the best in the rep business.”
The company has already overcome quite a few tribulations in its 22 years. Sutter says he’ll always take pride in the dedication it took to get the company where it is today.
“When my dad (Steve) and Dan started this business, it was an extremely stressful time in their lives,” he says. “They persevered through those early challenges and then again when my dad passed away; we weren’t sure what was next for the company. We were a really young company at that point, and it’s because of the hard work and deep relationships within the industry that we were able to push through and grow the company to what it is today.”
