Louie and I spent 17+ years at our former employer, a group of community newspapers in Chicago. We left in 2004 to build our own publication distribution business. During those 17 years, there were 4 owners and 15 general managers. The one consistent thing was underachievement, mostly caused by short-term thinking and unwillingness to spend for quality.

The papers were recently sold again. The new head honchos called Lou and me about handling their distribution. They knew they had major distribution problems. From undelivered papers to falsified distribution lists to horrific sloppiness, they knew they needed help fast and they knew Louie and I were their best option.

So what happened? They offered us an incredibly low amount to overhaul their whole system. The bottom line was they desperately wanted us, but were unwilling to spend the necessary cash. Instead, they said they would just deal with the (bad) system as is.

Unfortunately, in the publication business, this is the norm, not the exception. And then there is GT and Fran.

Fran is the exception. When he called me 4 years ago about handling GT‘s nationwide distribution, he emphasized that he wanted quality. There could be no lame excuses. Every copy mattered and ABC auditing would make sure they were legitimately counted. He didn’t just throw a barrel of cash at us, but he paid the necessary amount after reviewing all options. I know he did this with his other departments, too.

Look at the results. Read an audit sheet. See our awards luncheon report (check out the recap of this year’s awards luncheon in the March 2008 issue). Attend the NBTA. Each of these and so much more shows the success of GT.

I am not trying to say that distribution is the reason for GT‘s success. The main reason for the success is that Fran believes in his products and does not cut corners. He has surrounded himself with quality people in all departments and he expects consistent quality from us all. If more publishers thought and acted like Fran, they would be more successful. You wouldn’t see so many publications struggling or folding. It’s really too bad that publishers don’t believe in their products as much as Fran does.

-John Wroblewski, distribution specialist