It’s a team effort at Ace Tool Repair, and the team brings a blend of experience and youthful enthusiasm to the job every day. Here, owner Maria Polidoro is surrounded by her staff, including, at least for a day, Senorita Makita Leslie Gomez who was on hand to sign posters and greet customers during an all-day product introduction.
Special events, like bringing in Makita field reps for a day to show off the latest in battery-operated tools, always attract attention. This special day was promoted heavily via radio ads inviting customers to not only try out the newest tools, but to have lunch and get a poster personally autographed by Senorita Makita Leslie Gomez.
Senorita Makita Leslie Gomez signing autographs
Sales manager Javier Venagas, a native of Columbia, South America, has been working in the tool repair business since he was 12. His knowledge of the business coupled with his “people” and language skills have made him a significant asset for Maria Polidoro’s Ace Tool.
All the available space, floor to ceiling, is used to display tools and accessories.
Throughout the parts department, bins and drawers are coded to dovetail with Ace Tool’s computer system so finding the right piece for a repair is a smooth process.
Colorful presentations with high-traffic items within easy reach make it more likely that a customer will find something he or she “needs” when they come into the store.
Going the extra mile…Sometimes the repair department is asked to go well beyond the norm. Ali Berna, is hoping to salvage a gas-powered cutoff saw after it was run over by a cement truck. Or, the sales staff may reach new heights to get just the right hammer.
Ace Tool website address
While relatively new, the Ace Tool website has proven to be a potent sales tool. Jason Gould, monitors the site throughout the day, processing incoming orders and preparing products for almost immediate shipping.
Space is a premium so the sidewalk serves as a walk-up display for large, heavy-duty items in the inventory as well as sheltering the current manufacturer’s demo area.
"When a contractor buys a $500 or $600 tool, he should be taking good care of it," Polidoro says. "And that should include routine maintenance, not just repairs, but many don't even consider taking time for maintenance. A tool is expected to just keep going and they don't worry about it until it doesn't. Then we see them — and many times, the tool is beyond repair."
Successful track record
Polidoro has seen that outline repeatedly since Ace Tool opened its doors in 1983. The shop specialized in small electric tools, pneumatic tools, portable compressors and associated accessories for carpentry, drywall and finishing contractors. As the company's reputation for solid repair work grew, so did its volume of business, and it expanded into tools for general contractors, plumbers, electricians and other specialties.
"From the very beginning, we logged comments and requests from customers on a daily basis," Polidoro recalls, "and those records helped us make decisions as we grew. We still do that. I can honestly say that our customers are to be thanked for our growth and the direction the business has taken."
While the owner thanks her customers, a lot of the credit is reflected on her marketing, merchandising and customer service savvy. A graduate of Pace University where she majored in marketing and sales, Polidoro owned her first business at the age of 19 — she was a textile broker. The daughter of a mason, she naturally gravitated toward the tool business.
"When I first started, there were a lot of things I didn't know about tools, and there were no tools for sale in the store," she explains. "But I did know that sales was my 'thing' early on."
Polidoro learned from her contractor customers and hired some of them to work behind the counter. It didn't take her long to overcome the "what does she know?" reaction.
"The products we sell and the service we provide are what brings people in," she points out. "It's not one person, it's the team that's behind the tools.
