FERNDALE, Mich.—When Ralph Caplan was repping for a manufacturer in 1970, there was one major problem that he saw.
“They just weren’t doing a very good job with customer service,” he said. “It was bad.”
Knowing in his bones that he could do a better job, Caplan struck out on his own and started Nalpac, a distribution company.
Up and running by the summer of 1971, Nalpac originally sold papers, pipes, roach clips, T-shirts, incense and the like, Caplan said.
“In the mid- to late-‘70s, we picked up the Kama Sutra line, and other massage oils … softer items, so to speak,” he said.
But it wasn’t until the 1980s that Nalpac entered the world or adult novelties and sex toys. The decision, Caplan said, was an easy one; it’s what his customers wanted.
“We had been presenting the softer items to them as an alternative to the smoking accessories, since many people were having problems stocking certain items,” he said. “But then the customers started pushing us in that direction. And from day one, we have always focused on customer service and giving them everything they want and need.”
The mantra of providing great customer service is instilled in every Nalpac employee, Caplan said, from the people in accounting to the workers in the warehouse and everywhere in between.
“We want everybody to think about performing their job for the betterment of our customers, because without those customers we are nothing,” Caplan said. “And when the employees do that, it makes the company successful. The whole success of this company is base on the staff, not me. We have been fortunate to hire the right people for the right positions at the right time.”
After 40 years in business, Caplan said he believes every day has been a highlight for him, but the recent release of a 580-plus page catalog—“It’s close to the size of a phone book,” he said—is a major source of pride.
“We set out from the start with the idea providing the best customer service anyone can, and we have been fortunate enough to do just that,” he said. “It’s makes it so that I enjoy coming to work every day.”
For more information, visit Nalpac.com.
