Barbara Kratus (Infinity Drain) was
named as the 2018 DPHA Manufacturer Professional of the Year at the
2018 DPHA annual conference in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. The Award
recognizes a DPHA manufacturer professional for his or her outstanding
contributions to advance the decorative plumbing and hardware industry
based on the following criteria:
- Degree of involvement in DPHA activities
- Personal achievements in the industry
- Pursuit of personal improvement and education
- Job performance and accomplishments
- Involvement in, and support of, other DPH-related organizations
- Public recognition of a deed or accomplishment, which may or may not pertain to the DPH industry but reflects favorably on the individual as a DPHA member.
Barbara likes to joke by saying that
she received an MBA from the School of Hard Knocks. She originally got
into the DPH industry by answering a Craigslist ad for an
interior designer who had launched a line of bathroom cabinetry at KBIS
and "whoops", she was in business. Neither of them knew beans about
decorative plumbing, who the players were, or even how the discounts
worked (Barbara was easily three months into the job until a kind rep
explained the math on how 50/10 was calculated). They had no reps and
possibly two customers, but Barbara had a marketing background and knew
how to deal with demanding customers from her advertising agency days,
so they had a place to start.
According to Barbara, her time at
Waterfall Bathroom Furniture remains one of her biggest personal
achievements in this industry. They were a fledgling company who
launched right before the recession, but somehow, they managed to learn
an industry, gain a following of loyal showrooms and trade professionals
who loved their product and mission, and built a 3-person business into
a brand that was ultimately purchased by Artistic Tile in 2011. They
trusted their mentors in the industry, did everything they could for
their customers and built a business from the ground up. There is
nothing more exhilarating or satisfying than that.
Barbara's
positive and energetic thinking is obvious from the moment you meet her,
and she is passionate about educating others in the industry. As one
of her nominators said, "Barbara is a great educator. She's been
training in showrooms and specifier conference rooms for 10 years. She's
worked many, many trade shows for Infinity Drain and has a smooth, calm
and engaging way of educating people about plumbing in general, and
drains in particular." Another person added, "Barbara is a CEU machine
educating dealers, architects, designers and NKBA members in the U.S.
and Canada. She does more CEUs than any other person I know."
Or as Barbara told us, "Educating
members of the industry, whether they are selling, specifying, or
installing product is my favorite part of the job. I will talk about
drains to anyone who will listen. I pity the person who asks me what I
do for a living because they are about to get a mini-power PK on
Infinity Drain. Education is essential because the goal is to simplify a
product to the point where the sales associate, specifier or installer
has no excuses not to use your product."
Barbara has most certainly led the
charge with marketing Infinity Drain over the past ten years, where she
has been the national sales manager since 2008. Working along with the
owner and staff, she has promoted the use of linear drains in general,
and in particular for high-end linear drains. Barbara is also
appreciated by showroom managers and showroom staff for her active
involvement with all aspects of the sales - education, sales tools and
after-sales follow-up. She is an organized manager who is great with
social media and marketing savvy. Barbara also is "hands on" in helping
installers get out of their comfort zones while getting comfortable
with the installation of high-end decorative drains.
For her professionalism, positivism,
knowledge, expertise and humility, DPHA was delighted to name Barbara
its 2018 Manufacturing Professional of the Year.
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