King Marketing is a sales and service
agency that represents manufacturing
companies nationwide, in the home
improvement industry. Its head office is
in Richmond BC, with subsidiary offices
in Calgary, Winnipeg and Mississauga,
employing a staff of over 80 in various
capacities. It was originally founded in
1972 by Terry King, hence the name and is
now owned by three shareholders—Peter
Hall in Calgary, Roger Plante in Winnipeg
and Paul Crawford in Richmond. Together,
they have over 70 years of combined
tenure.
King Marketing’s mission statement is:

“Our Strength is our people. We Service
what we sell. And we Love this business,”

followed by its vision, which reads “…we
will strive to become the leading sales and
service agency in the Home Improvement
Retail Sector in Canada…[to] provide a
safe and yet challenging environment for
our employees to learn and prosper.”

Asith most industries today, it’s all about
over-servicing the customer, developing
long-term relationships, staying true to
core values and empowering the team. All
three partners believe in a family-oriented,
open door corporate culture.

Generally when I ask a BSIA member
to give me their pitch, I receive a 30
second standard spiel. It’s my job to
request elaboration and to extrapolate
answers. However, when conversing with
Paul Crawford, President and Partner of
King Marketing, I was astounded by the
level of detail in his responses and his
commitment to the business. Paul’s work
ethic is accredited to an ensemble of
training and experience, which reflects in
King Marketing’s vision.

Paul arrived from England 22 years ago.
With Shelley his new wife from Regina,
$500 to his name and a second hand
Hyundai Pony that his in-laws gave them,
Paul began his journey. “I was encouraged
to live the dream and to prosper with my
entrepreneurial beliefs. I am incredibly
thankful for the opportunities that have
come my way and constantly extol
Canada’s virtues to my European friends. I
am an eternal optimist and have never met
a successful pessimist. To me, the glass
is always half full, “ says Crawford. Paul
also acknowledges his wife Shelley who
has constantly supported his efforts (and
many weeks away from home in Toronto)
as King Marketing has grown rapidly over
the last 10 years.

Paul is an enthusiastic, vigorous reader who
reads literary works ranging from fiction to
‘business strategy self-help books’. He has
also been a member of TEC (The Executive
Committee) since 2001, which is an
organization designed to unite like-minded
business savvy individuals.

It enables networking opportunities,
cements lifelong friendships, encourages
mentorship and encourages an insemination
of ideas.

Put it all together and you have passion
combined with solid business sense and
a winning, charismatic personality - all
defining traits of exemplary leadership.

It would only follow then that King Marketing
offers monthly awards to the
representatives, bonus structures for
managers and employee giveback days,
such as bowling night, casino night, golf
and lakeside or beachside barbeques.

King Marketing also adopts a student
every year and hosts regular clean-up
days where employees take samples and
returned goods collected over a period
of time, donating them to charity, school
raffles and fundraisers.

The last clean up provided the Vancouver
Habitat for Humanity Re-Store with some
valuable materials for use in their housing
projects.

King Marketing must be doing something
right, as 28 full time representatives were
hired nationwide in 2007 alone. “Today
more than ever in a world of ever increasing
infrastructure costs, the manufacturer’s
agency ‘route’ to market is proving to be
economically attractive for manufacturers.

We provide the manufacturer with more
feet on the ground, greater face time with
the customer base, quicker execution of
programs and a fixed percentage cost of
sale. Combined with the fact that King
Marketing has one of the more experienced
rep forces on the ground, the attractiveness
of our agency model allowed King to grow
its revenue significantly in 2007 and it
continues to grow today, “ says Crawford.

King Marketing’s sales team represents
a number of brand name manufacturers,
such as Roxul Insulation, Norton Abrasives,
Delta Faucet Retail, Schlage Locks, Mirolin,
Degil Safety Products, Royal International,
Chamberlain Garage Door Openers and
Flotec Pumps but is also conducive to working
with smaller companies that are new to the
industry.

King managers and representatives
are always looking for new products and in
particular in todays market ones that embrace
environmentally sustainable initiatives.

King Marketing is constantly challenging itself to
think outside the box, whether it is developing a
comprehensive online reporting system allowing
clients to view 24 / 7 work performed on their
behalf or in pioneering a new product entry
to the marketplace. King’s staff is not limited
to a tight corporate agenda because King’s
corporate culture encourages passion and an
entrepreneurial spirit that rewards innovation.

King Marketing will be representing Roxul Inc,
Delta Faucets, Schlage Locks and Omega
Electronic Accessories at the Westcoast Building
& Hardware Show