BUSINESS NAME: Pallet Supply of America

TYPE OF BUSINESS: Pallet Manufacturing and Recycling

LOCATION: Dallas, Texas, USA

When he first started out, Kevin Summers had no business plan and no particular goals. What he did have was a strong work ethic and the dedication to give top-notch service to his customers. Though he never meant to make a career out of selling pallets, he discovered along the way that there was great opportunity in this business. As things progressed, he refused to take on any debt or investors. His customers became his friends and the profits were unbelievable.

Summers’ success goes to show that the simplest businesses are sometimes the best. Now, thirty years later, he’s come full-circle. During that time frame, his company grew step by step to annual revenues of more than $10 million. It was acquired in an industry roll-up in 1997, and Summers decided to retire two years later. But when the five-year noncompete agreement he had signed came to an end, he jumped headlong back into the pallet business. This time, he partnered with a friend and former competitor, Ed Ostrovitz. Together, they created Pallet Supply of America (www.pallet-supply.com).

THE BEGINNING

What’s your background?

I was born and raised—and still live—in Dallas, Texas. My mom and dad were entrepreneurs. They started a direct-mail company called Summers Mailing out of the garage of our old house. I got to see the start-up process firsthand by working for them from the time I can remember. They unknowingly inspired me.

What kind of work did you do for them?

You name it, I did it. When I was old enough, I graduated to driving a truck. That’s what got me into the pallet business. It was my job to haul the wooden pallets that the printing materials arrived on out to the landfill. I knew the pallets were coming from the printers. So I thought, “Why can’t I just resell these back to the printers at half the price of new ones?”

THE IDEA

How old were you when this idea hit you?

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