Milhench Family Business an 85 Year Old Tradition

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In the current age we live in things are moving quickly.  The speed at which information is spread and technology advances are sometimes shocking, and we often feel compelled to keep up, if simply for fear of being left behind.

We applaud longevity because there are so many situational variables, many which are beyond our control, that when something does endure it is noteworthy.

The Milhench Supply Company is impressive for many reasons: the two that are most often commented upon is the fact that they have been in business for eighty fives years and that they are still 100% family owned.

A few key factors in the success of any family business:

• Respect tradition
• The family can’t be so caught up in the here and now that their roots are forgotten
• They need to acknowledge what’s next for their industry but remain true to their core
• Appreciate the value in one another

Which makes the fact that Milhench Supply has been supplying businesses throughout the SouthCoast of Massachusetts and Boston with janitorial supplies, paper products, packaging supplies, and cleaning equipment for over 85 years highly commendable.

A brief history of the Milhench Supply Company: in June 1932 Joseph Milhench, along with two friends established the business which was eventually taken over by his son Arthur.  In the 1990s two of Authur’s four children, Loren and Mark, began working for the company and in 2001 Arthur’s daughter Heike Milhench became president.

Respect for Tradition

There are several traditions that the Milhench family organizes and which their employees, customers, suppliers, and neighbors look forward to attending.

The first is an Oktoberfest celebration, which marked the anniversary of their 75th, 80th and 85th years in business.  Outside of their offices in the New Bedford Office Park, you will find a huge tent, grills full of bratwurst, potato pancakes, apple strudel, the Milhench family in traditional German dress, and a live band. Not so traditional is a pitch and putt contest, but the family has a deep-rooted love of the game, and everyone loves the friendly competition and the prizes.

Not So Caught Up In the Here and Now That Their Roots Are Forgotten

A hallmark of Milhench Supply Company is their customer service, it always has been and it always will be.  The team offers personalized service and offers many services beyond the expected. A few examples:

• Special deliveries
• Equipment repair (if they sell it, they fix it)
• Bathroom renovations
• Special prices (or even free dispenser equipment) with an agreement to buy their products.
• Green Audits – if your business wants to become more environmentally respectful then they can review the products you use and make suggestions for improvement.  They have a full range of LEED products, Green Seal and Forest Stewardship Council. Documentation is provided, which is particularly important to State agencies.
• Provide training on chemical use and safety.
• Provide you with a cost analysis, review the products you are using and offer options with an eye towards saving you money.
• VMI: Vendor Managed Inventory Programs managed by Milhench Supply create efficiencies, reduce costs and improve cash flow for your business.
• Milhench Supply offers Site Assessments, which are literally a walk through your building with you and identify what you are doing well and where improvements can be made based on your own goals.  Eg, sustainability, cost reduction, labor reduction, safety, etc.  Once this is done Milhench Supply will make product and system recommendations.
• Milhench also can also do “workloading” for you, which is an analysis on per square foot of the building and of the products used and the processes that they are using to clean the building, compared to industry standards.  For example, vacuum cleaner X  may be more expensive than vacuum cleaner Y, but your employees will spend less time vacuuming or repairing a broken piece of equipment, and overall you are more efficient and will save money.  Another example is the large rolls of toilet paper in a dispenser, versus the regular household rolls of toilet paper – with the bigger rolls, you won’t run out of paper as often, you will save on labor, they don’t need to replace the rolls that often, and you can reduce theft.

Acknowledging What’s Next In Their Industry, but Remaining True to Their Core

What’s on the horizon is always interesting, and can be a distraction, because as we noted earlier, it is often very exciting. At their core, Milhench Supply puts customer service first. To that end, they understand you want the ease of technology and that capability is available to you:

• Clients have the ability to order their supplies online, review their purchase history online, run usage reports and download invoices (among other things).
• Watch training videos online
• Access and download SDS Sheets from our website for the chemicals you use.

Appreciate the Value in One Another

The most rewarding thing for any parent is to see their children getting along.  To have three children working alongside one another is fairly remarkable. Note, the fourth is a local yoga teacher and not involved in the day to day, but has a seat on the board.   The next generation holds eleven smart, capable children who love golf and one another. You won’t be shocked to know that conversations at restaurants often include the status of cleanliness.

Milhench Supply has been supplying their customers with janitorial supplies, paper products, packaging supplies, and cleaning equipment for over 85 years on the SouthCoast of MA, including New Bedford, Providence and the Cape and Islands, and also the North Shore of Boston and the surrounding towns.  If you have any questions or would like them to come in and provide a Green Audit, Site Assessment, training or anything that will improve your business or bottom line, please contact them.

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