Our Personal Profile this month features Colin Perry, President of Rampart Supply Co. in Colorado Springs. The company was started in 1968 by Joe Perry, Colin's father, and has two stores in Colorado Springs, as well as a large operation in Denver, Water Systems, Inc., added in 1996.

Rampart's well-rounded customer base is divided evenly between those serving new and remodel residential and commercial plumbing, and industrial PVF (specializing in mining and power transmission). The latter division is run by Colin's brother, Kevin Perry.

Colin started in the business when he was just 11, working in the warehouse on weekends and in the summer. He's done everything including sweeping the floors, stocking the shelves, unloading trucks and waiting on customers. After earning his B.S. in business from the University of Denver, he started full-time with Rampart, growing his experience through positions up the ranks. He's been President since 1995. The company, meanwhile, has grown from 23 employees in 1968 to its current 125.

Volunteering comes naturally to Colin. He's served on the Boards of both the Wholesale Distributors Association (he was their president in 1999) and ASA. He's also Vice President of the ASA Education Foundation Trustees and is nominated to become a Vice President of ASA beginning in 2003. Colin says, "I volunteer because of a basic belief that if you're going to take from an industry or community, you should be willing to give something back.

"I'm active with the ASAEF because I strongly feel that one of our industry's greatest challenges will be attracting, training and retaining talented people. Anything that ASA can do to make the training and education process easier and more successful should be our priority right now."