Sheppard replaces Liddy at Valspar
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, September 17, 2001
HIGH POINT — Ralph Sheppard has joined finish supplier Valspar as sales manager for Mexico. He replaces John Liddy, who has taken a post with Mexican finish supplier Sayer Lack.
Sheppard is based in the Torreon, Mexico, area and will work out of a color studio he developed for Galleria, a case goods manufacturer with which he's worked for several years, developing finishes and styles on product geared for the U.S. market.
He will continue to work on finishes for Galleria, a Valspar customer.
"I'm going to target certain areas where I can give full service, and once we've established the territory, place service people in those areas," said Sheppard, who has six years experience developing higher-end finishes with Mexican manufacturers. "We'll develop one market at a time, build trust and control costs."
Valspar has a plant and color studio in the Monterrey area, but the number of wood manufacturers around Torreon makes it a prime area for territory development. "The color studio I have (in Torreon) is as advanced as the one in Monterrey," Sheppard said. "I can do my color work here and have it shipped to Monterrey."
Mike Hodges, Valspar's international sales manager for wood coatings, said Sheppard has strong rapport with Mexican manufacturers.
"He's already made a lot of progress," Hodges said. "I feel like he's well-established, and people there have confidence in him."
As first reported in eDaily
