Commercial cleaning is changing, with customers looking for better results, greater efficiency, and more sustainable solutions from the same system.

Megan Tinch, Sr. Manager, Brand Management (Commercial Cleaning) at Rubbermaid Commercial Products, joins Adam Fox to explore how those expectations are reshaping the category and creating new opportunities for distributors.

Megan discusses the growing role of microfiber and how its applications now extend beyond traditional cleaning cloths into areas like mopping and class cleaning. She also looks at how cleaning needs vary across healthcare, education, travel, and entertainment, and why understanding the customer's specific challenges should come before recommending a product.

The conversation also explores the growing pressure from private brands and why product construction, materials, and performance can tell a stronger story than price alone. For distributors, educating customers on what makes a product work can help shift the conversation from comparing products to finding the right solution.

For anyone selling into commercial facilities, this episode offers a practical look at where cleaning is headed and how a more consultative, system-based approach can create greater value for customers.

Learn from the experts. See the solutions in action. Put the insights to work.

The conversations doesn't stop with Megan.

If you missed the first episode, President President Rob Posthauer and VP of North American Sales Scott Fossett kicked things off with Adam Fox, sharing their perspective on where the facility market is headed and where distributors can find new opportunities.

The second episode with Bailey Whitley, Sr. Manager, Brand Management (Material Handling & Washroom), is now live!

The third episode, Tera Kyaw, Sr. Manager, Brand Management (Refuse), is also now live!

Watch all three episodes here: https://bit.ly/4xLo50K

For SPR Customers, the conversation continues on The Exchange, where our RCP product experts demo Cleaning Carts & Tilt Trucks, Refuse Products, Window Cleaning Tools, and more! Training videos & Sales Materials: https://sprexchange.com/customer/brands/rubbermaid

#SPRxRCP

• (00:00:05) - Distribution Unpacked: Rubbermaid Commercial Products
• (00:00:39) - What's Your Role at Household Products?
• (00:01:41) - Rubbermaid Glass and Microfiber: Cleaning Trends
• (00:08:13) - Mops and Microfiber: Better Than Private Brands?

What goes in the bin is only part of the story. The bigger opportunity is understanding how waste is collected, moved and managed.

Tera Kyaw, Sr. Manager, Brand Management (Refuse) at Rubbermaid Commercial Products, joins host Adam Fox to discuss how RCP approaches refuse and recycling as an operational system, from ergonomics and mobility to durability and ease of use.

Tera shares how frontline observations influence product development and why refuse solutions can vary across verticals. Healthcare may prioritize cleanability and hands-free disposal, education may focus on durability and budget, and commercial offices may want solutions that complement the space.

For distributor, Tera’s advice is simple: start with the customer’s needs, the waste streams they manage and local requirements before recommending a solution.

Because the right refuse solution can do more than hold waste. It can help facilities save time, reduce labor and create a better overall operation.

Learn from the experts. See the solutions in action. Put the insights to work.

The conversation doesn’t stop with Tera.

If you missed the first episode, Rob Posthauer and Scott Fossett kicked things off with Adam Fox, sharing their perspective on where the facility market is headed and where distributors can find new opportunities.

The second episode with Bailey Whitley, Sr. Manager, Brand Management (Material Handling & Washroom), is now live!

Coming up...

Hear from the product expects at Rubbermaid Commercial Products in these upcoming episodes:

• Megan Tinch, Sr. Manager, Brand Management (Commercial Cleaning)

For SPR Customers, the conversation continues on The Exchange, where our RCP product experts demo Cleaning Carts & Tilt Trucks, Refuse Products, Window Cleaning Tools, and more!

Training videos & Sales Materials: https://sprexchange.com/customer/brands/rubbermaid

#SPRxRCP

• (00:00:05) - Rubbermaid Unpacked: The Trash
• (00:00:17) - Interviewing Rubbermaid's Tara Kia
• (00:01:19) - TRAVEL CANES: Innovation and Verticals
• (00:03:46) - Vertical Wins for Rubbermaid
• (00:05:16) - New Ranger and Fulfill Outdoor Recycling Can
• (00:07:03) - Treated Root Containers
• (00:08:19) - Questions about Rubbermaid and Sustainability
• (00:10:04) - RCP vs. Private Label: What's The Difference?
• (00:11:42) - RCP's New Product Launch

A product can do its job and still create unnecessary work.

The opportunity is spotting the small inconveniences people have accepted as normal and finding a better way to get the job done.

In this episode of Distribution Unpacked, Baylee Whitley, Sr. Manager, Brand Management, (Material Handling & Washroom), of Rubbermaid Commercial Products, joins host Adam Fox to explore how RCP looks at innovation across material handling and washroom products by focusing on how people actually work.

From tilt trucks and cleaning carts to commercial air care, Baylee shares how frontline workflows, durability and total cost of ownership can uncover opportunities to rethink everyday tasks. They also explore how those needs can change dramatically depending on the environment, from healthcare and manufacturing to airports and stadiums.

The conversation explores what happens when you look beyond the product itself: Where is time being lost? What creates unnecessary effort? And where can a better solution create value long after the initial sale?

For distributors selling into a range of facility environments, this conversation is a reminder that understanding how the customer works can reveal opportunities that specifications and price alone may not show.

Learn from the experts. See the solutions in action. Put the insights to work.

The conversation doesn’t stop with Baylee.

If you missed the first stop, Rob Posthauer and Scott Fossett kicked things off with Adam Fox, sharing their perspective on where the facility market is headed and where distributors can find new opportunities.

Coming up...

Hear from the product experts at Rubbermaid Commercial Products in these upcoming episodes:

• Tera Kyaw, Sr. Manager, Brand Management (Refuse)
• Megan Tinch, Sr. Manager, Brand Management (Commercial Cleaning)

For SPR Customers, the conversation continues on The Exchange, where our RCP product experts demo Cleaning Carts & Tilt Trucks, Refuse Products, Window Cleaning Tools, and more!

Training videos & Sales Materials: https://sprexchange.com/customer/brands/rubbermaid

#SPRxRCP

• (00:00:00) - Unpacking Rubbermaid's Material Handling and Washroom Business
• (00:01:30) - Finding the Pain Points Customers Accept
• (00:02:52) - What is a Tilt Truck?
• (00:03:45) - Travel Lids: The New Look, New Purpose
• (00:04:51) - BRUCE Tilt Truck
• (00:07:35) - Designing Around Ergonomics
• (00:09:04) - The New Car: Cleaning Things
• (00:10:40) - Improving the Cleaning Cart
• (00:12:37) - Healthcare, Industrial, Airports, and Other Verticals
• (00:14:12) - Washroom: Innovation in the Industry

JanSan is changing quickly—the biggest opportunities will go to sellers who can do more than sell products. They’ll go to those who can understand facility challenges, build complete solutions, and solve more of the problems their customers face every day.

Onsite at Rubbermaid Commercial Products, Adam Fox sits down with Rob Posthauer, President, and Scott Fossett, VP of US Sales, to explore the trends shaping commercial facilities and where sellers can find new opportunities for growth.

Rob and Scott unpack the forces impacting today’s JanSan market, from sustainability and private brand pressure to labor challenges and the growing importance of vertical markets including healthcare, education, travel and entertainment, manufacturing and large facilities. They also explain why durability, innovation and end-user insight are critical when the goal is to compete on value—not price alone.

You’ll hear how RCP approaches vertical planning, where sellers can uncover new end-user opportunities, and how manufacturers, distributors and resellers can work together in the field to create stronger facility solutions.

This conversation launches Equip the Facility. Build the Business., a collaboration between SPR and Rubbermaid Commercial Products designed to bring sellers closer to the experts, applications, and products behind the brand.

Learn from the experts. See the solutions in action. Put the insights to work.

Coming up...

Hear from the product expects at Rubbermaid Commercial Products in these upcoming episodes:

• Baylee Whitley, Sr. Manager, Brand Management (Material Handling & Washroom)
• Tera Kyaw, Sr. Manager, Brand Management (Refuse)
• Megan Tinch, Sr. Manager, Brand Management (Commercial Cleaning)

For SPR Customers, the conversation continues on The Exchange, where our RCP product experts demo Cleaning Carts & Tilt Trucks, Refuse Products, Window Cleaning Tools, and more!

Training videos & Sales Materials: https://sprexchange.com/customer/brands/rubbermaid

#SPRxRCP

• (00:00:05) - Distribution Unpacked: Rubbermaid Commercial Products
• (00:01:28) - Chemical Guys
• (00:04:10) - Rubber Band: Private Brands and the Future
• (00:06:24) - Spark Microelectronics on Vertical Integration
• (00:10:31) - Rubricmaid on Winning Together With Distribution
• (00:12:32) - How to Bridge the DSR Sales Team's Gap
• (00:13:30) - How to Simplify Newell Brands' Supply Chain
• (00:15:58) - Maybe in an Atom Dream we Can Bring Back College Brutes

Anthony Terrigno of Clorox Purell explains how distributors can turn hand hygiene and surface care from price-driven commodities into broader facility solutions by matching the right products, dispensing systems and supplier resources to each customer.

Price is only part of the hygiene equation.
Customers are paying greater attention to formulation, dispensing methods, safety and overall performance instead of simply buying the lowest-priced soap or surface product.

The right solution changes by vertical.
Education may call for durable dispensing systems, food service creates different surface-sanitizing needs, and non-acute health care offers a potentially more approachable path for independents than hospital systems with GPO requirements.

Total cost opens a better sales conversation.
The discussion around ES10 moves beyond refill cost into labor, battery management, product consumption and ongoing maintenance. These dispensers and refills create a useful model for dealers selling facility solutions rather than individual SKUs.

Visit our website: https://www.sprichards.com/spr-studio/?podcast=true

• (00:00:00) - Clorox vs. Gojo Industries
• (00:01:00) - Gojo Industries: The New Clorox Purell
• (00:01:45) - How to Become a Distributor's GM: Anthony
• (00:02:31) - Independent Distributor's Perspective
• (00:04:11) - Clorox and Purell: Back to School
• (00:05:56) - Bulk Soap vs. Barefoot Soap
• (00:07:41) - Purell Hand Sanitizer, Now There's Wipes
• (00:09:56) - Purell Healthcare: Where Does the Company Win?
• (00:11:40) - Clorox Bureau's ES10 System Success
• (00:13:08) - SP Richards
• (00:14:38) - What's the Best Way for Clorox Purell Sales Reps
• (00:16:00) - Does Purell Still Have the Gojo Brand?

A specialized classroom, laboratory or government facility can look like a complicated furniture opportunity. It can also become a larger and more valuable project when dealers focus on the customer’s entire space instead of competing on one product at a time.

Vonnie Provinzino, senior manager of national accounts at Safco, joins host Charles McLaughlin to discuss how dealers can pursue education and government opportunities with customizable furniture, storage and space-planning support.

The conversation begins with the growing need for furniture designed around STEM education. Safco’s TechWorks industrial benching line can be configured for laboratories, maker spaces, higher education institutions and community colleges, giving distributors another way to support customers whose requirements extend beyond a traditional classroom.

Vonnie also explains how familiar storage products are finding new applications. High-density systems that were once used primarily for paper or medical records can be customized for school equipment, musical instruments, government evidence and other specialized materials. Colors, configurations and intended uses can be tailored to the organization rather than forcing every customer into the same standard solution.

For distributors, the opportunity starts with asking better questions. Safco’s space-planning team can help assess the need, develop a layout and show customers how the finished environment will function. That support allows sellers to bring expertise into the project without having to manage every design detail themselves.

The discussion also covers Safco’s broader assortment, including training tables, case goods, organization products, trash receptacles and ancillary solutions that can help complete a room or building through one manufacturer. Vonnie notes that several applicable products are manufactured at Safco’s Milford, Iowa, facility, creating another consideration for certain government purchasing opportunities.

Distributors serving schools, colleges, municipalities and government agencies will find practical ideas for identifying applications, involving manufacturer experts and presenting a more complete solution.

• (00:00:05) - Safeco Distribution Unpacked
• (00:00:14) - Exploring Safeco's Education Storage Solutions
• (00:03:09) - Safeco Storage Systems: The Go-To Market Approach
• (00:05:04) - Safeco Storage: Simplifying Complexity
• (00:06:19) - A Taste of Safeco

Harry Clow of Newell explains how dealers can grow writing-product sales across education, healthcare, manufacturing and creative applications.

Writing products may be familiar, but the opportunities surrounding them continue to evolve.

In Episode 19 of Distribution Unpacked by SPR Studio, host Adam Fox speaks with Harry Clow, Senior Sales Manager at Newell, about how writing instruments and markers are finding renewed relevance across education, healthcare, manufacturing and creative applications.

Harry discusses Newell’s efforts to create new occasions for writing, from colorful products that support personalization and self-expression to renewed interest in handwriting within education. The conversation also examines how familiar items can serve highly specific needs beyond the traditional office. Dry-erase markers support communication in patient rooms, industrial markers help teams work across manufacturing and facility environments, and writing products remain essential throughout schools and other institutional settings.

For dealers, the opportunity depends on more than carrying a broad selection. Harry explains why sellers must connect products to the surfaces, tasks and environments where they perform best. With numerous marker formats, tip styles and specialized applications available, clear product guidance can help customers make better purchasing decisions while making the category easier for sales teams to navigate.

Adam and Harry also discuss the value of an omnichannel approach. Strong e-commerce content and digital experiences can efficiently support smaller customers, while traditional sales relationships remain important for larger projects and more complex opportunities. The most successful dealers, Harry notes, are often those that make manufacturer content accessible and keep the online and offline customer experience aligned.

The discussion concludes with Newell’s focus on simplifying a large portfolio through clearer application guidance, disciplined assortment decisions and innovation intended to address meaningful market needs.

This episode is especially relevant for dealers, sales professionals, marketers, merchandisers and purchasing teams looking to uncover new opportunities in established categories and present complex product assortments as practical customer solutions.

• (00:00:05) - Writing Is Back
• (00:02:16) - Paper Mate's Colorful Barrels
• (00:03:08) - Vertical Markets: Healthcare, Education and Manufacturing
• (00:06:35) - How Can Our Joint Customers Success?
• (00:07:39) - Industrial Markers: Simplifying Complexity
• (00:09:11) - Interview: Harry at Newell

Safety products can open new conversations inside customer accounts that dealers already serve. The opportunity is not limited to traditional industrial settings: healthcare facilities, schools, laboratories, shop classrooms, warehouses and manufacturing operations all have needs that can extend a dealer’s value beyond core workplace supplies.

In Episode 18 of Distribution Unpacked by SPR Studio, host Adam Fox speaks with John Gartner, national account manager at 3M, about finding and supporting those opportunities. John introduces the expanded selection of “low-touch safety” products available through S.P. Richards, including hard hats, safety glasses, earplugs and disposable respirators. These are approachable solutions that sales representatives can introduce without requiring extensive technical training.

The conversation explores the role of safety across healthcare, education and industrial environments. John encourages representatives to spend five more minutes with customers and ask one additional question. That simple step can expose needs in areas such as facility maintenance, science rooms, shop classes, administrative spaces and general operations.

John also explains why product selection involves more than meeting a requirement. Compliance matters, but so do comfort and fit—especially when an employee may need to wear protective equipment for eight to 10 hours. A product people can wear properly and consistently can better support an employer’s safety program.

Beyond safety, Adam and John discuss changing demand for workplace products, the value of strong digital content, 3M’s channel resources and the importance of shifting customer conversations from price to value. John explains how dealers can engage 3M for samples, demonstrations, research and sales support.

This conversation is for dealers, sales representatives and distribution professionals looking to uncover more potential within existing accounts and bring customers a broader, more complete set of solutions.

• (00:00:05) - 3M Distribution Unpacked
• (00:01:48) - 3M Supply Chain: Vertical Markets
• (00:03:31) - 3M Safety Products
• (00:05:37) - 3M's Scotch Marker Celebrates 100 Years
• (00:06:11) - 3M Innovation: Partnering with our Customers
• (00:07:17) - How Do We Get Product to the Customer?
• (00:08:02) - 3M on Your Shoes