PermaPlate

Can you give me a bit of your company history? How did you become involved in the Eco Product category?

Founded in 1978 by Willard (Bill) Nisson who saw a demand in the industry for someone who stood behind their products and the protection they offered. Finishing school at Utah State University and working part time at a local dealership, Bill did a project on the business concept in his senior marketing class. His professor saw immediate merit in the idea for the company and connect him with the dean of the University of Utah School of Business, Blaine Huntsman, who served as chairman of Huntsman Container Corp and had ties into Huntsman Chemical Co. Through this connection Bill received his initial capital investment and additional knowledge necessary to get the company off the ground.

What are your top reasons behind offering Eco Products?

Consumer Demand – We continue to strive to produce offerings that best protect the customer’s investment in a responsible manner.

What are the top three differences between a product marketed as an Eco Product and a more traditional offering? Do you also offer the more traditional equivalent products or is the Eco Product the only one in that category?

The difference comes down to R&D, and making sure that our formulas have been designed to minimize or eliminate aspects that might be considered to have adverse effects to the environment and/or users of the products. Staying on top of the ever-changing regulations is very important to us. We want to make sure we are going above and beyond any regulations to make sure all products we offer are environmentally friendly to all parties involved, from our own team of manufacturing specialists all the way to the end consumer users. We consider all of our products eco-friendly.

Are Eco Products for everyone, or is pricing such that the customer must be prepared to pay a premium for it?

We consider Eco-Products important to all customers.

How do you advise the F&I Manager to identify likely Eco customers, and how should they present the Eco product?

We have spent much time to ensure that, like traditional appearance protection products, our eco-products continue to offer the same benefits, however giving additional peace of mind that they are safe for the consumer, their loved ones and the environment.

What is your primary sales channel? How do you market to that channel?

Our primary sales channel is long standing agent/agency relationships. We have an active sales team that is continuing to search the country for the strongest agencies to embrace our programs.

Do the regulations differ at all for Eco Products versus other traditional offerings?

Many states do regulate protective products that are applied to vehicles. We anticipate many more doing so in the near future.

In your opinion, where is the greatest growth potential for the Eco Product category?

There are many opportunities for growth potential, however the greatest would be in the realization that these products are needed by virtually all consumers, and provide much more value than other products categories.