Sarah Jenkinson Inducted Into the Council of Fellows

Sarah Jenkinson is one of the two newest members of the DPHA Council of Fellows (the other inductee will be talked about next week).  The Council was established to recognize career contributions of industry leaders and to provide a forum where those leaders can continue to give back to the industry that they have helped shape. Case in point is the DPHA Alberto Comini Memorial Scholarship. The Scholarship program is run by the Council of Fellows and awards two $3,000 annual grants to the children or grandchildren of DPHA members. 

 

Sarah Jenkinson started her decorative plumbing and hardware career in 1991 at Architectural Details, a retail plumbing fixtures showroom. Sarah's job was to handle both accounting and to help in the showroom. In 1997, Sarah moved to their wholesale division, Soho, selling Barber Wilsons to other US showrooms. During this period, Sarah honed her technical expertise and became the face of Soho and Barber Wilsons products in the US. In 2003, Sarah started her own distribution company to sell Barber Wilsons products in the US under her control.

 

In 2002, Sarah became a founding member of DPHA. When Jamie Gregg (Colonial Bronze) asked Sarah to serve on DPHA's Board of Directors in 2003, she immediately stepped up to the plate giving her ideas and passion for the betterment and growth of the industry. Since 2003 to the present, Sarah has served on DPHA's Board all but one year, as one of the longest serving board members of DPHA.

 

Over the years, Sarah has served on many DPHA committees that include Product & Showcase, Awards, Conference, Education and Membership/Marketing. Her company has sponsored and has displayed at every Product Showcase in DPHA's history. She also is a longtime supporter of the scholarship fund. This dedication was rewarded with her election as DPHA's 2013 President.

 

On the business side, Sarah was recognized as DPHA's 2010 Manufacturer Professional of the year. Not only does Sarah support her dealer network with limited distribution, Sarah is a hands-on person. She likes to respond to questions, when she is not out on service calls, driving across the country or training others. She likes to be out in the field to see, learn and talk to her dealer network. When she teaches, she conveys more than product knowledge. Sarah educates sales forces on luxury selling techniques. She states that her products are "reassuringly expensive", providing sales associates new approaches to price objections.

 

Sarah has been, and will continue to be, a major industry contributor and her election to the DPHA Council of Fellows is recognition of her passion, commitment and successes in the decorative plumbing and hardware industry.