What a time to get out, huh?

Barry Dubbs, former regional vice president of Owings Mills, MD-based Target Marketing Group (asi/341691), retired in January after more than 50 years in the promotional products industry. A second-generation promo professional, Dubbs’ father, Harry, had founded Harry R. Dubbs and Associates in 1919. As Harry’s children became operating partners in 1971, the company became Harry Dubbs and Sons. In this exclusive interview with Counselor, Dubbs reflects on his incredible career and shares the lessons he learned along the way.

Q: Did you always plan to go into the family business?
Barry Dubbs: No. My first job was selling automotive chemical products for a very large international chemical company. I was just a 10-digit number there. I didn’t feel comfortable in a company that large. I didn’t have the opportunity to voice certain things.

My brother Jon joined our father directly out of college, just three months before I did. We were among a small number of youngsters working on the distributor side. Our dad was a wonderful mentor. He took us to trade shows at the Palmer House in Chicago. He took us on customer calls and expected that we attend meetings when supplier salespeople called on us. Most importantly, he showed no favoritism toward his sons.

Barry Dubbs (left) and his brother Jon

Q: What’s the biggest lesson you learned from your dad?
BD: Being true to myself. Building my brand as someone who was honest, professional and treated customers with respect. My brother and I went to an all men’s college where everyone wore coats and ties. When I came into this industry, sales reps on the distributor side dressed very informally. My brother and I brought that three-piece suit IBM mentality to meetings and trade shows.

Q: How was working with your brother?
BD: We were two different personalities, which one might think would lead to problems. On the contrary, we both understood each other’s strong points and appreciated how each could contribute to the operation of the company. At our peak, we employed 41 people – we called them “teammates.” They were an extension of our family. Prior to merging with Target Marketing Group in 2005, our company had sales revenue as high as $11 million.

Q: What’s the biggest change you’ve seen in the industry?
BD: Technology, which has enabled our businesses to work smarter, respond quicker and become more profitable. Just staying up with the growth is a task. Within our industry, there has also been a continuing consolidation of companies both on the supplier and distributor side. This was evident to me and others many years ago. Suppliers wanted to diversify their product offerings in an effort to be a panacea for distributors. Meanwhile, distributors were forming a consortium of companies which would bring a collective value to suppliers. PeerNet Group is an example, of which we were a member.

With the growth of technology, I feel that we have lost the personal interaction with our customers and even our suppliers. “Face to face” has been taken over by email in the selling process. I’m blessed with having had the opportunity to build lasting relationships with many of our suppliers and certainly many customers.

Q: Although the coronavirus pandemic is certainly unprecedented, what advice do you have for industry members when dealing with such challenging situations?
BD: I’ve experienced negative influences numerous times throughout my career, but the industry has always been resilient enough to bounce back. What industry members need to do is continue to use their creativity to stay in front of customers with ideas that will enable them to utilize products and ideas as they reach out to their customer base.

Q: Lastly, why did you decide to retire?
BD: I have been on this merry-go-round a long time and have been fortunate enough to catch the gold ring numerous times. Our industry has been very rewarding for me, and I have made friends with so many wonderful people, distributors and suppliers alike. Technology is moving so quickly that I find it a task to keep up with that pace. I’m selfish enough to realize that it’s time to begin a new chapter in my life and I want to experience how nice the roses really smell. My favorite phrase is, “Life is a collection of moments. Enjoy as many of them as you can.”