Superior’s Vice President Paul Kratz cares about our customers’ needs.

Paul Kratz has always believed in treating customers the way they want to be treated and that philosophy is even more important during difficult times like these. Paul shares the safety and health measures that Superior customers can expect during COVID-19 restricted times.

1. Tell us about Superior, then and now, and what it means to you?

Superior has always been very customer oriented. We service our customers better than anyone else. That’s been instilled in me since day one. As a second-generation business owner, I have to go back and credit my dad and my uncle for putting so much hard work into this company. They created a solid foundation of loyal customers with a focus on the customer experience and that lives on today. It’s what has allowed Gary [Wack, President] and I to, not only get through difficult times, but also grow and expand on those values.

2. The past few months have been challenging and have left us all facing great uncertainty. What can customers expect from Superior as we move forward?

We’ve made several changes to ensure the health and safety of our customers and staff. We’ve hired a weekly cleaning service that sanitizes work stations and high touch areas with solutions that kill the virus for up to 10 days. We’ve moved our Will Call counter to the loading dock to help with social distancing. We’ve gotten very positive feedback from our customers so far, and we’ll continue to brainstorm new ideas to make it even better.

We will also be setting up clear partitions at our front counters when we begin to allow walk-in traffic. Additionally, we’ve made employee safety a priority with well-placed signage, protective masks, appropriate PPE and sanitizer stations throughout the facility. We also recommend the use of masks among our customers and are enforcing social distancing.

3. Do you have words you would like to share with your Superior family?

When we entered into this COVID-19 crisis, no one really knew what to expect. As things evolved, we learned we needed to adapt and adapt quickly. To protect customers and staff, we needed to change how we did business. I really have to credit our employees for their willingness to jump in and do what’s necessary for safety. Before hiring on a professional cleaning company, our staff worked hard cleaning and sanitizing high touch areas without complaint.

We have such a great group of people that are so dedicated. We’ve been very fortunate to surround ourselves with great talent that really cares about the work we do here at Superior.

4. Do you have any words of wisdom for other businesses trying to navigate these uncharted waters?

I realize this is wearing on people right now, the uncertainty of it all. I think that this situation is forcing companies like ours and our customers to take a step back, look at processes and try to find different ways to get the positive outcomes we are all looking for. By following these practices, it has worked out well for us and we will continue to develop new ideas to handle different situations as they arise. I’d offer the same advice from a previous blog post related to making customers happy. “Show your customers you care about them and want to do what’s best.