Our focus this month is on Michael Abeling, president & CEO of Consumers Pipe & Supply in Los Angeles. Consumers, which distributes industrial pipe, valves and fittings, was established in 1965 by Joseph and William Abeling, Mike's grandfather and father, respectively. The company operates four branches with over 90,000 sq. ft. of inventory in Southern California and Southern Nevada, and services customers throughout the Western U.S., Central and South America and the Pacific Rim.
The company prides itself on its professional sales force, which is aided by the company's technology network that allows them access to the information they need to effectively serve their customers, no matter where they are. In fact, Consumers was the first PVF company to offer an interactive, CD-ROM-based electronic catalog in the early '90s.