Not having experience has never stopped William (Bill) Walaska when it comes to going after something he wants, whether it’s owning a warehouse or running for public office.
He bought Tri-State Automotive Warehouse, along with its retail locations Werner Sullivan Nilsson, in 1984, becoming the owner and president after nearly two decades as a banker and not a minute spent working in the automotive industry. And about 11 years ago, Walaska was elected a Rhode Island State Senator where he is currently serving his sixth term.
Walaska was introduced to the company by one of his customers. He saw the company’s potential and knew that by surrounding himself with good people, his new venture would be a success. Walaska can admit when he isn’t an expert, and doesn’t try to be. He surrounds himself with them instead.
“I had — and still have — excellent employees,” he says. “Very loyal and technical. They helped me learn about the automotive business and they run the technical end of it. I’m not the technician. I know that and that’s what makes it OK. I do marketing, sales, personnel, pricing. I’m smart enough to know what’s not my forte. I have guys who do the technical stuff very well, so why try to infringe on that?”
His gamble paid off. Customers who may have been skeptical about the newcomer grew to trust him, translating into three additional retail stores and doubled business.
“I think I’ve done pretty much what I’ve wanted to accomplish. We have more than doubled the number of stores and the number of employees has gone up substantially. There’s always more to accomplish, though.”
Tri-State Automotive Warehouse is a traditional three-step distributor, focused on undercar parts, that sells exclusively to Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut jobbers. At the other end of the company are five Werner Sullivan Nilsson stores, which sell a diverse mix of retail and wholesale, particularly when it comes to the body shop business. The company as a whole is known as WAL Inc.
Buying a company without any relevant experience — and making it work successfully for the past 21 years — takes a bit more than just good people behind the counter and at the helm. Almost all of today’s management staff preceded Walaska at the company, as well as a majority of the customers.
Walaska also sees the way Tri-State does business as being unique in the area. He doesn’t see much direct competition. Other companies are primarily catalog shops, or they ship their products in from out-of-state warehouses.
“We’re efficient. We’re also in tune to our customers. We are an easy company to do business with and our customers would agree,” he adds.
This ease comes from working with the employees, having the right mix of inventory for their customers and working with customers to make sure the process is comfortable and convenient.
From management down, Walaska’s entire team has extensive experience and is trained to discuss issues with customers, helping them find the right products and parts. This traditional way of doing business has served Tri-State well. The company is constantly improving its service and business model, but has retained the feel of a small store.
“Our computer system lets you order right through it, but only a few customers take advantage. A lot of the ‘mom and pop’ shops don’t require it. It’s not necessary for them to spend the money and I don’t blame them. We are here to serve our customers; we aren’t here to change them. If they don’t accept it readily and it’s something that’s been forced on them, it’s never going to work.”
Walaska continues: “We also have people who just answer the phone all day. When someone comes in, our counter guys can help them almost like you are walking into a jobbing store. We aren’t a catalog warehouse. We aren’t the biggest guy around. We’ve had a lot of big warehouses come in and think they can take over and we’re still here. It’s no accident that we’ve been in business since 1923 continuously.”
That confidence led him to the State Senate in 1994. “I’m a voice for the small businessman in Legislature,” he says. “Many faces of the Legislature are dominated by lawyers, teachers, police. But there should be more businessmen. They just don’t run because it’s very time consuming. I’m lucky, I have good people here. My staff can handle the business when I’m away.”
As a Democrat for District 30 in Warwick, R.I., Walaska sees himself as an advocate for business people across the state who don’t always feel represented by their government. He is very aware of the ethics of his position, abstaining from votes when there might be a conflict.
Walaska has taken on his role both in politics and with his company with gusto. He has seen steady growth, is active in the industry, values training for employees and customers and continues to notice room for improvement like an old pro.
The Vital Stats
Years in business: 82 years
Growth plans: Walaska is interested in adding one or two new stores that would help cover the east side of Rhode Island and northern part of the state, but for now the company can handle the area with its current technicians and outlets.
Annual revenue: $12 million
Number of employees: 90-100
Wholesale/retail ratio: Tri-State Warehouse is 100/0; Werner Sullivan Nilsson stores are 80/20
Snapshot of Tri-State Automotive Warehouse: The company originally started in 1923 and soon after became known as Werner Sullivan Nilsson, after the three owners. The company primarily sold tools but expanded into appliances and auto body parts as a jobbing store, and later as a redistributing jobber selling mufflers and pipes. In 1969, they formed a warehouse and took on more automotive lines, which eventually separated into two companies — Werner Sullivan Nilsson and Tri-State Warehouse. In 1984, Walaska bought both companies under the name WAL, Inc.
Affiliation: National Pronto Association
Competition: Walaska feels no other warehouse in Rhode Island has the operation Tri-State does. Competition includes MAWDI and some out-of-state companies like Keystone.
Location/Facility size: The warehouse in Providence, R.I., is 50,000 sq. feet.
