Today we’d like to introduce you to Carolyn Faulk.
Hi Carolyn, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve been with A&C Plastics, Inc. for 49 years. In 1973, I was teaching school and keeping books for different businesses. I saw an opportunity that I thought would be fun to try. My husband, Myrl, and I saved US$5,000, got an answering machine, ordered phone books from all over Texas and started selling plastic sheet. We had no inventory and no credit, just a telephone, desk and the will to make more than a teaching salary. I figured that if we tried this, we had a 50 percent chance of making it. If we didn’t try it, we would never know if we could have made it. At the time, when we would get an order, we’d go buy it from our competitor, pay cash, deliver it and pray we got paid. We lived off of my teaching salary for three years and any money we made was put back into the company. We took a salary after five years in business. We have gone from a 200-square-foot metal building in 1973 to more than 250,000 square feet of office/warehouse, to date. In 1987, I bought out my ex-husband’s half of the business and have been “rolling the dice” ever since.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
There is a lot more competition now than in the past. I love competition. It reminds all of us to not become a “legend in our own minds.” There is always someone who can outsell you, out-purchase you and outwit you. I am also in awe of how much the Internet helps you. There weren’t emails or computers in 1973. We were pretty antiquated. Today you have to constantly change your business to not only keep up with your competition but to give your customers the absolute best customer service. After all, they sign our paychecks.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As proud as I am of A&C’s exceptional inventory, what really sets A&C Plastics apart is exemplary customer service. Our knowledgeable, experienced team members, all certified in the plastics industry, help customers find exactly what they need, time after time, at the best price.
“Small enough to know you, large enough to serve you,” the company takes pride in standing behind its product and meeting deadlines. We love to under promise and over deliver, at A&C Plastics, what we sell is service. We throw in the plastic for free.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
I started A&C Plastics in 1973 with $5,000, no credit, just the will to keep working. I am a firm believer in giving back, because no one gets anywhere in life without the help of others. So use your knowledge and your time to make someone’s day and remember to have fun. When you do that, all the rest just comes.
So what matters most to me is always doing the right thing and giving back. When you help others get what they want, the feeling is priceless.
In 2002, we started the Faulk Foundation. www.faulkfoundation.org Thank God for our volunteers. We love giving back and helping our community be a better place to live.
Contact Info:
- Email: cf@acplastics.com
- Website: www.acplastics.com
