Jeff Zwick to strengthen service excellence with key national accounts; J.R. Richards to serve as Phoenix Regional Manager.

Jeff Zwick, a key player in the growth of Ewing's brand and sales presence in the Southwest, handed off the baton as Phoenix Regional Manager to J.R. Richards to become National Key Accounts Manager of Ewing's new Key Accounts Sales Division.

Ewing officials formed the Key Account Sales Division to better target the sales and operational needs of multi-territorial landscape and irrigation companies.

"In order to reach our projected sales numbers, we developed a sales division devoted entirely to global contractors," said Zwick, who will continue to serve as Regional Manager over Tucson, Ariz. and New Mexico, as well as Residential and Commercial Sales Manager for the Arizona and New Mexico territories, in his new post. "These mega contractors are an untapped market for us."

Establishing strong relationships with nationwide customers will also aid in laying the foundation for expansion into new territories, Zwick noted.

Zwick has been instrumental in Ewing's growth in the Southwest over the past 7 years. When Ewing acquired Simpson Sprinkler Centers in 2001, Douglas York, President of Ewing Irrigation, appointed Zwick—who at the time was Territorial Manager of Phoenix/Las Vegas for Simpson—as Southwest Sales Manager, before naming him Regional Manager of Arizona, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas, one year later.

Zwick attributes his love for sales to the relationships he is able to form with customers—customers like Chris Folk, Purchasing Agent for Evergreen Lawn Sprinkler in Phoenix.

"Jeff is honest as the day is long," Folk said. "If he has messed up, he will tell you. Any inconsistency with accounting or pricing, he fixes right away. All I have to do is make one call, and I know it's done."

Though Folk has worked with Zwick for the last 15 years, she believes Richards will fill Zwick's shoes comfortably. "Ewing always has done a great job in selecting the right people for the right positions," Folk added.

J.R. Richards, a long-time Ewing employee and former manager of Ewing's Mesa location, took the helm as Phoenix Regional Manager in December, and is eager to build and maintain mutually-beneficial relationships with each customer.

"By implementing the best staffed people at the local branch and providing solid operational support to branch managers, we can set the stage to give customers the service they expect and need," said Richards, who also serves as Vice President of Ewing's Branch Managers Advisory Council, an in-house group formed to increase best practices and operations at the branch level.

Having worked in the distribution channel in the Phoenix landscaping market since 1998, Richards has a firm grasp of the past, present and future ambitions of the market. He started out in the Green Industry as a Branch Manager with Simpson Sprinkler Centers after receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in history education from Northern Arizona University. Like Zwick, Richards, too, came on board with the Simpson acquisition, transitioning to Branch Manager of Ewing's East Mesa location before taking over management of Ewing's Mesa branch. In his four years at the Mesa facility, Richards doubled sales, upping gross revenue from $2.5 million to just shy of $5 million.

"J.R. understands the marketing initiatives, customer service principles, and management style needed for a branch to be profitable and successful," York said. "With his inherent business sense and management style, the transition to Regional Manager will be great for Ewing."

Overseeing the sales and operations of 15 Phoenix locations and one Prescott Valley branch, Richards will focus on increasing the frequency of branch level customer events such as educational seminars, barbeques and vendor product days, maximizing customer satisfaction, and maintaining the "team feel" among branches in Phoenix. "Jeff has put in place a cohesive team atmosphere in Phoenix, and I plan to maintain that," Richards said. "Unified employees are the foundation for any company's success."