Mount Vernon business owners James and Darlene White deliver more than just automotive parts. They deliver a promise: “You ring, we bring.” With this motto printed on matching blue T-shirts, the married couple proudly shows off their company name ”“ DTM Parts Supply Inc.
Their business of finding the most unusual transportation equipment ranging from runway lights for the Westchester County Airport to seats on a crane for the American Sugar Refinery Inc. in Yonkers and bringing it to customers”™ doorsteps is a rarity in Westchester County, according to the couple.
The Whites have been running their specialty supply business for 18 years from their home basement and they”™ve constantly built meaningful relationships with local businesses along the way.
But never had the Whites imagined building a relationship with Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, who they met at the March for Babies event in April. Once James introduced himself to Astorino and asked about opportunities to grow his business by partnering with government agencies, the county executive provided the couple with resources and people who took them to the next step.
Astorino put the couple in touch with Jim Coleman, Minority and Women Business Enterprise liaison officer and executive director of the Westchester County Industrial Development Agency, who sat down with the Whites and discussed ways to grow their government contract sales and locate hard-to-find parts. They also connected with the Procurement Technical Assistance Center in Rockland County, which provides job development programs that help business owners effectively market and sell products and services to government agencies.
After attending a seminar organized by Liz Kallen, the Rockland Economic Development Corporation”™s PTAC program manager, at Westchester Community College, the Whites felt more equipped with the information they needed to continue operating their business.
The couple noted that business has increased this year by 43 percent since they received resources through the county. Access to the Empire State Purchasing Group website, where more than 130 local government agencies from New York state can notify vendors of bidding opportunities, gives the couple an edge over other parts suppliers who don”™t have a registered account. The couple places daily bids with hundreds of companies on auto parts that municipal government agencies need, competing to match the requirements from different municipalities. Once they think they”™ve got the best price, the couple must submit their bids before the deadline.
DTM sales have averaged between $450,000 and $500,000 in the past 18 years. Sales were up $30,000 in 2012 compared with $463,000 in 2011, James White said.
DTM places orders for products ranging from $500 to $4,000 a day and delivers parts for county government agencies ranging from the bomb squad to the public works department.
The Whites aim to provide the lowest prices for automotive parts the county”™s government agencies request.
Though the couple may not win every bid, they learned how to play the game smarter by doing their research and comparison price shopping in advance to knock out competitors.
The couple recently closed a $3,500 bid in Rockland County and won by $4.50, which is the smallest margin they”™ve ever had since first using the Empire bidding system.
But the bidding wars never end. Each day, they start the process all over again.
White decided to name his business after his wife and two daughters, Telisha and Melissa.
“We liked the way ”˜DTM”™ sounded,” White said. “And every day that I think about my business name, I remember that my wife and my kids are what I”™m trying to succeed for.”
Despite White”™s goals for success, he struggled to keep his business afloat in the beginning. Although there was a growing demand from buyers and suppliers who were interested in his middleman services, he couldn”™t generate nearly enough capital to place hefty orders.
“Although I had the knowledge, I had to continue to prove to the customers that I could keep up with their demands for parts in a timely manner,” White said.
Ten years later, White decided to hire an assistant who became a “valuable asset” to his business. Sales began to grow and hit an all-time high of $612,000 in 2007 up from about $525,000 in 2005. But sales quickly dropped again during the recession.
Within the past year, Darlene White lost her job after 26 years when Brunschwig & Fils, Inc., a wholesale fabrics retailer in North White Plains, shut down in 2011.
For 18 months, the couple grappled with plummeting sales and Darlene”™s unemployment.
“We really had to pick ourselves up,” James White said. “That”™s when Darlene decided to join me in taking the company head on and we”™ve become successful ever since.”
The silver lining in the cloud was Darlene”™s unemployment situation, James White said. Once the couple became business partners, they grew a deeper appreciation for one another and business became more efficient.
Darlene, who had extensive experience handling contracts and finances, knew exactly how to organize their home office in the basement. Labeling baskets for invoices and keeping folders neatly packed away inside filing cabinets, she”™s ready to begin her day by 6 a.m. Her advice for minority women and other small business owners looking to work with government agencies is to “believe in yourself” and “don”™t be afraid.”
“Opportunities are there ”“ you just have to reach for it,” Darlene said. “There are gonna be times you”™ll be down. That”™s why you need a good support system.”
