August 27, 2025 • 27 mins
From growing up on a dairy farm to leading a successful packaging machinery company, Dick DeNenno’s story is one of faith, resilience, and entrepreneurship. As founder and president of Reliant Packaging Machinery, Dick has spent 35+ years in the industry and built a reputation for being knowledgeable, attentive, reliable, and likable.
In this episode of Founders’ Forum, Marc Bernstein talks with Dick about his unexpected journey—from teaching in Rome and pursuing ministry to navigating financial struggles and ultimately creating a thriving business serving the food and pharmaceutical industries. Through challenges big and small, Dick shares how integrity, persistence, and faith guided his path.
Key Takeaways:
- Entrepreneurship is often about seeing a need and finding a way to meet it
- Integrity and relationships matter more than quick wins
- Faith and perseverance can carry you through the hardest seasons
- Why building a business is also about building a legacy
Dick’s story is a reminder that success is less about the straight path and more about staying true to your values no matter where the road leads.
About Dick DeNenno:
Dick is the Founder and President of Reliant Packaging Machinery, LLC, an industry leading manufacturer’s representative agency in the Northeast. Reliant Packaging Machinery are brokers for Product Inspection Equipment, Packaging Machinery, and Automation equipment predominately for the food and pharmaceutical industries. He has a wife of nearly 40 years, 3 children with spouses, and 6 grandchildren.
Dick grew up on a dairy farm outside of Philadelphia, received a BS in Education from the University of Colorado and then a Bachelor of Theology degree. While his original intent was to become a full-time minister, the ministry of which he was a part, changed direction and he had to pursue a secular career. He has been in the packaging machinery industry for the last 35 years and has visited over 3,000 manufacturing facilities in the US and abroad. Prior to founding Reliant Packaging Machinery, Dick worked as a Regional Sales Manager for 2 manufacturers for over 10 years, covering most of the 50 states at one time or another. He is about to visit his 50th state next month when he and his wife, Charlotte, celebrate their 40th anniversary on an Alaskan Cruise.
Dick’s sales philosophy is to be KARL – Knowledgeable, Attentive, Reliable, and Likeable.
My life motto is: “Self-sacrifice is the passion of great men.”
Connect:
Website reliantpackaging.com
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/dick-denenno-93b1938/
This episode is brought to you by Reliant Packaging, Providing All Your Packaging Machinery Solutions. Go to reliantpackaging.com to learn more.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Announcer (00:00):
The following programming is sponsored by Marc
J Bernstein.
The views expressed do notnecessarily reflect the views of
this station, its management orBeasley Media Group.
Entrepreneur, founder, authorand financial advisor, Marc
Bernstein helps high-performingbusiness owners turn their
visions into reality.
Through his innovative work andthe Forward Focus Forums, Marc
(00:21):
connects entrepreneurs toresources that fuel their
success.
Founders Forum is a radio showand podcast where entrepreneurs
share their journeys, revealingthe lessons they've learned and
the stories behind their success.
Join Marc and his guests for amix of inspiration, valuable
insights and a little fun.
Now let's dive in.
Marc Bernstein (00:40):
Good morning America.
How are you?
Hey?
Like we've done on the lastshow, we're going to get right
into it with our guest today,who is Dick DeNenno, and I'm
going to introduce him and thenwe're going to get right into it
.
Dick is the founder andpresident of Reliant Packaging
Machinery LLC, anindustry-leading manufacturers
representative agency in theNortheast, an industry-leading
(01:00):
manufacturer's representativeagency in the Northeast Relying
in packaging machinery, ourbrokers for product inspection
equipment, packaging machineryand automation equipment,
predominantly for the food andpharmaceutical industries.
He has a wife of nearly 40years, three children with
spouses and six grandchildren.
(01:21):
Dick grew up on a dairy farmoutside of Philadelphia,
pennsylvania, where we arelocated today, received a BS in
education from the University ofColorado and then a Bachelor of
Theology degree.
His original intent was tobecome a full-time minister and
the ministry of which he was apart changed direction and then
he had to pursue a secularcareer.
(01:42):
This is part of his story, so Imention this.
He's been in the packagingindustry for the last 35 years
and has revisited over 3,000manufacturing facilities in the
US and abroad, and, prior tofounding the company, dick
worked as a regional salesmanager for two manufacturers
for over 10 years, covering mostof the 50 states at one time or
(02:04):
another.
I find this really interesting.
He's about to visit his 50thstate next month that's one of
my goals, dick, but you're aheadof me when he and his wife
Charlotte celebrate their 40thanniversary.
Congratulations on an Alaskancruise, which I also want to
talk to you about.
After the show.
I'm planning one myself with mywife right now.
Dick's philosophy is to be CarlK-A-R-L knowledgeable,
(02:27):
attentive, reliable and likable.
I like that a lot, and his lifemotto is self sacrifice is the
passion of great men.
Welcome, dick.
Dick DeNenno (02:37):
Thank you very much, Marc, and thanks for
having me here.
Marc Bernstein (02:39):
It's my pleasure .
So it's an interesting storyand, as always, fitting it in
the 28 minutes is going to be achallenge, so we're going to
cruise right into it.
Dick, as I mentioned, iseducation, and we're going to
start with around age 21, whenhe found himself in Rome, which
became his first entrepreneurialventure.
(03:00):
So let's talk about that andhow it led into your other
ventures entrepreneurial venture.
Dick DeNenno (03:04):
So let's talk about that and how it led into
your other ventures.
So after I graduated fromcollege, as you said, 21 years
old, I bought a round tripticket for one year later to
Rome, italy.
I did not know the language, Idid not know anyone, I didn't
have a visa, a job or a workpermit.
I just went there.
Third day I was there, I got ajob teaching English as a
foreign language, but the schoolyear ended in June and I was
staying until August.
(03:25):
So what am I going to do?
So I walked down to the trainstation and, because actually
I'm sorry, I took a bus down tothe train station.
I used to live right near it,but then later I moved and I
looked for American kids and I,when I would find them, I would
say I'll give you a walking tourof the city for five bucks,
which back in the 70s was a goodamount of money for a kid
(03:45):
trying to backpack across Europe, anyway.
So I did that until I left inJune or, I'm sorry, in August,
and that was my firstentrepreneurial venture.
Marc Bernstein (03:56):
And then we're going to jump to.
Well, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.
A few years later you werethere, and what did you do there
?
Dick DeNenno (04:03):
A few years later you were there, and what did you
do there?
So, again, I went back, got myBachelor of Theology degree, and
I moved to Bloomsburg for thisChristian organization, and
while I was there, though, I hadto earn a living, because it
was a non-paid position.
So 1981 was a really miserabletime economically for our
country, and I think the primerate was around 13% and mortgage
(04:26):
rates were around 18% at thetime, and so it was very
impossible to find a job.
So I just started a businessraking leaves, mowing lawns,
cleaning windows, paintingwhatever I could do to stay
alive.
Marc Bernstein (04:41):
I'm going to skip around for a second.
Your intent was to be in theministry and you were.
Tell us about that and how youswitched to business and why you
switched to business so Ireally didn't know what I wanted
to do.
Dick DeNenno (04:55):
When I was younger , and while I was in college, my
brother, who had been going toCornell at the time, introduced
me to an organization and Ijoined up and participated and
they had a leadership trainingprogram.
So all along I wanted to dothat and that was what I was
going to do.
I was going to be a full-timeminister, but the ministry sort
of changed directions in the 80sand my wife and I decided that
(05:18):
we needed to switch and so weended up— it didn't align with
you.
Right right their values changedand so we ended up didn't align
with you.
Right right, their valueschanged and so we moved back to
the east coast to be closer tofamily, and that time I already
had one child and another on theway and we had to pursue.
I had to pursue a secularcareer and I'll tell you, it was
very tough, and so any youngChristian people who think they
(05:39):
should be in ministry to do thatswitch.
I walked around in condemnationfor 20 years, thinking I was
letting God down, thinking I wasnot successful.
I was a failure.
Marc Bernstein (05:48):
It was hard.
I might add, by the way, that Iskipped our topic of the day.
I went right in the story.
But the topic of the day isessentially God, and the reason
I bring that up is because I'vesaid many times on the show, and
I told this to Dick when wefirst met, we don't do religion
or politics, it's really aboutfounder stories, but God is a
(06:11):
character in the story and is acompelling part of it that I
couldn't ignore, which is why Iinvited Dick on to the show.
So let's talk about Omaha.
Dick DeNenno (06:24):
So that's a God story right there, because I had
gone for 18 months without ajob, just scraping by, and I
went every night.
For a month All I ate was apiece of toast with a fried egg
on it and it was tough.
And then I finally got a job,talked my way into a job as the
sales manager with absolutely noexperience, and I got the job
(06:46):
and things were going well andall of a sudden I'm in my
kitchen praying and God spokeout loud to me only time in my
life and he said go to Omaha.
And I was surprised.
I'm looking around seeing whomight have walked in the house
to talk to me, right, anyway, soI did, meanwhile my now wife.
(07:07):
At the time we didn't know eachother.
She was in New York, she hadgone through four years of
college but had switched majorsin school, so she had another 18
credits to go.
But she just felt verycompelled to do something for
God.
And there was a missionaryprogram, in-country missionary
program through the organization.
She signed up and guess where?
She got sent Omaha, nebraska.
(07:27):
So we met the second day and 13months later we got married and
I'm convinced that's the mainreason why God had me go to
Omaha.
Marc Bernstein (07:34):
I have had things like that happen in my
life where I'll say that there'sclearly a higher power involved
in that and a lot of peoplecall that different things, but
there's no quite.
So when I heard Dick's storyand you know he had you might
not have heard it, but he had alittle bit of tears in his eyes
about changing from the ministry, but I know he also gets
(07:56):
emotional about how he and hiswife met and and God's place and
all that.
So we, we had to, we had tomake that part of the story
because it's an important partof the story.
So you went to Omaha and whatdid you do while you were there?
Entrepreneurially.
Dick DeNenno (08:10):
So I took a job there, and it was, again, not a
good fit.
And while I was there, though,I ended up doing a couple of
different things, and I wasselling industrial cleaning
chemicals for a company, but Ihad a disagreement with the
sales manager, and I kind of gottired of his narrative.
So I had been calling on acompany, and they said you know,
(08:32):
what we need is not thechemicals, we need the guys to
do the work.
And I asked him what, and hetold me all about restroom
sanitation and how he spent somuch money, and the person was
there for like three minutes.
So I said, okay, I'll startthat.
So I did, and then, when I gottired of working for this
company, and specifically thesales manager, I ended up going
out two days and selling enoughbusiness to replace my income,
(08:54):
and then, a month later, I didit two more days and doubled my
income.
And then I started an awningcleaning business, because I
kept seeing awnings dirty, and Icalled a friend who had started
a business in Texas doing it.
He gave me a lot of information.
I called all the awningmanufacturers to understand the
science and the chemicals andeverything that you needed to
use, and I started that, and sothen I did that for maybe about
(09:16):
six months and so the awningcleaning just the six months.
Anyway, I sold the business andwe moved back to the East Coast
to be closer to family.
Marc Bernstein (09:26):
I have to tell you that and, dick, if you're
okay with me sharing this he wasconcerned about is his story.
Is his business big enough forthis show?
And, first of all, we've hadentrepreneurs of all different
size businesses and differentstages of business and
everything but another piece ofyour story which is compelling
is the fact that you're a trueentrepreneur, in that wherever
(09:48):
you found the need, you filledit.
You know and you did what youhad to do for your family, which
is the story of manyentrepreneurs.
So you're right there with manyof us.
You know who are on the show.
So how did you find?
How did you get into yourcurrent business?
Dick DeNenno (10:03):
Another interesting story.
So when we moved back, I tookthe first job that I could and I
kept getting stuck in theseterrible situations.
So I was there and I wasmiserable.
After a couple of months I juststarted praying every single
day, and I just want to say, orto take a step back when I was
about three, four, five, mymother taught me to pray and she
said at the she said when youget done saying the Lord's
(10:24):
prayer, then talk to God.
And so one of those things aboutme is that when somebody tells
me to do something, I just do it.
And so I did every day of mylife Back.
Those days I would kneel beforemy bed and pray.
A lot of times I'd fall asleep.
So I've had this.
I talked to God all day, allthe time, and so I told him how
(10:45):
unhappy I was at this job and Isaid please get me out of here.
I prayed every day for a year,mark, and nothing was happening.
And then, finally, one day, I'mon my way home from work and
God again spoke to me thiswasn't out loud, but it's just a
very powerful thought in mymind by the Daily Local News,
which is a Westchester newspaper.
So I did, went home, lookedthrough the Help Wanted.
(11:06):
There was nothing, unless Iwanted to be like a Shackley
salesman or something.
Marc Bernstein (11:12):
No offense to.
Dick DeNenno (11:13):
Shackley no offense to Shackley.
So then I flipped to the sportssection and there was an ad for
an over-30 baseball league.
I had played baseball hardballall the way up until I went to
college and didn't come home inthe summers and I kept looking
for hardball leagues.
Couldn't find one.
So I was thrilled.
I signed up and about a monthlater I'm on my way to practice
(11:38):
and again God spoke to me.
Again he said ask one of myteammates what he did for a
living.
So after practice we stopped,we talked and he told me all
about his company, a company outof Exton called All Fill.
So at the end of it I said well, if you're ever looking for a
salesman, let me know he goes.
We're looking for two right now.
And that's how I got started inthe packaging machinery
industry.
Marc Bernstein (11:55):
Very interesting .
So you worked there.
You went to work there and whathappened?
How did you come to create yourown business?
Dick DeNenno (12:03):
So my teammate wasn't the actual guy hiring.
There was another gentlemannamed Bob Dauphiné and I got to
give.
Unfortunately Bob passed away ayear ago but he was the most
amazing leader.
He was one of the mostinfluential people in my life
when it comes to business.
He just he really cared aboutpeople and he taught me that.
He cared about me.
And then he cared about ourcustomers and he showed that and
(12:24):
demonstrated that over and overagain and that really set the
foundation for me in sales andso Bob left in 94.
This was in 90 when I got hired,94 when Bob left and then after
a few years he kept saying youknow you should start your own
business doing this being a rep,because a regional manager I
(12:47):
traveled 17 to 20 weeks a yearand it was too hard on my family
.
So finally I made the leap.
But here's the interestingthing I wasn't working for
Allphil at the time.
I actually switched to adifferent company and I again
was not happy because theydoubled my territory and I was
traveling then every week Mondayto Friday and it was too much.
And the night before I gotfired from them because I
(13:11):
wouldn't compromise on integrity, because the general manager
and my boss said he wanted menot to call customers back if
they had problems.
Anyway, what happened was Bobcalled me the night before I got
fired and said Dick, you needto start your own business, I'll
help you whatever.
And I said I signed a signingbonus.
(13:34):
I wouldn't have any income fora while.
It's going to be tough.
And he said, trust me, it'llwork out.
The next morning I got fired,so I showed up on his doorstep.
That was a Friday.
I showed up on his doorstep onMonday and that's when I started
the company that became theprecursor to Reliant Packaging.
Marc Bernstein (13:49):
Machinery Excellent.
Well, that's a great jumpingoff spot.
Let's listen to a commercialfor your company and then we'll
be right back.
Announcer (13:56):
Looking for packaging machinery that protects your
product and your reputation.
At Reliant Packaging, we don'tjust box things up.
We build confidence.
Our state-of-the-art productinspection equipment ensures
that every item meets thehighest standards of quality and
safety, from food-safematerials to custom-engineered
solutions.
Our packaging machinery isdesigned to maintain the
integrity of your products.
Whether you're shipping acrosstown or across the globe,
(14:17):
reliant ensures your product isprotected at every step.
From industry leaders toentrepreneurial go-getters, we
have the solutions for you.
Contact us today atreliantpackaging.
com or call us at 610-274-1414to learn more about how Reliant
(14:37):
Packaging can protect yourproducts and your reputation.
Marc Bernstein (14:42):
We're back on Founders Forum with our guest
today, Dick DeNenno of ReliantPackaging Machinery.
You just heard their ad andhopefully, if you're in the
market for what they do, you'llbe in touch with them, dick.
So I know it's not a straightline.
We've talked about this A lotof hills and valleys of being an
entrepreneur.
(15:02):
What kind of obstacles did youface at first as being an
entrepreneur and then,specifically, when you started
Reliant?
Dick DeNenno (15:11):
Well, economics is always the biggest challenge
when you start and you put yourshingle out, so to speak.
Not a shingle, but you have toget customers and it's hard and,
like I said, I went a wholemonth eating one piece of toast
with one fried egg for dinner.
I lost a lot of weight backthen.
It's a lesson in that.
Yeah, exactly, anyway.
(15:33):
But when I started ReliantPackaging again, I was starting
from scratch and I had aterritory that really hadn't
produced much for themanufacturers that I took on and
represented.
So that was a part of it.
But the other part of it was mywife's father was an IBMer from
the time he got out of the Navyuntil he retired, and so she
(15:54):
was used to.
Ibm took care of everything.
You didn't pay a dime forhealth insurance, they had the
country club to be a part of,there was all these social
events, and she went from thatto marrying me, and let's say it
was a big drop-off to bemarrying an entrepreneur.
But the one thing is shebelieved in me and she supported
me.
Marc Bernstein (16:13):
I challenge whether it's a drop off
ultimately or not, but maybe inthe beginning it was.
Dick DeNenno (16:17):
Yes, in the beginning.
Right, it was a very difficulttransition at first, but I'll
tell you, when I did get firedthat time that I mentioned for
not compromising on my integrityI told her.
I said, honey, I said I'm goingto give you one hour to freak
out.
He goes.
But I got fired.
But then God's either real orhe isn't, and God promises to
(16:40):
take care of our needs, and soshe did.
She went up, took a shower andshe came down.
She goes, okay, and she wasready Cool.
Marc Bernstein (16:48):
And then what happened right after that?
You got fired.
Dick DeNenno (16:54):
The first five years were again very tough and
we went into a lot of debt.
We were debt-free at that pointand we went into a lot of debt,
but again she believed in me.
I believed that it was going towork out.
Marc Bernstein (17:03):
Again, not unusual for entrepreneurial
ventures right.
Dick DeNenno (17:06):
And I'll tell you another intervention.
By God I would have been out ofbusiness.
But in 2006, actually inDecember 2005, I had been
calling on this company for fiveyears and they would get all
this information from me andthen go buy used equipment.
And so finally I talked to thevice president.
I said look, meg, I can't keepdoing this and she goes.
(17:28):
Well, we just hired a new guyand he insisted that we buy new
equipment if he comes.
So I said, okay.
She said, but give it a monthbecause he needs to get his feet
on the ground first.
I said, okay.
Next day or two days later,whatever it was, I'm praying at
my desk and God said call SeanHunt.
Okay, this is the guy that shetold me not to call.
(17:48):
I did, and we later became verygood friends and he said Dick,
if you hadn't have called methat day, I was going to place
the order with another companyand it was a million dollars
worth of business.
Marc Bernstein (18:00):
So that was-.
Dick DeNenno (18:00):
Yeah, that was pretty amazing.
Marc Bernstein (18:04):
So then, how long has it been that your
business has been, you know,going well, okay so yeah, thank
you for that transition.
Dick DeNenno (18:11):
So 2006 and 2007 were very strong years, but then
2008 hit and it was tough.
I mean, it was really tough.
And so 2010 came along and Ihad one child in college no two
children in college my wife in amaster's program.
She had been a paraprofessionalin a school district.
She went back to school to gether master's.
(18:33):
I had to pay for the master'sher first master's and then we
lost benefits.
So I had to go buy benefits andwe lost her income.
And so all of that cametogether All at once.
And June of that year I wassitting on $180,000 in sales to
that point and I needed to doabout $1.7 million a year.
So I'm like, okay, what else amI going to do for a living?
(18:54):
And I was really struggling.
But the problem is is it takesabout six months before you feel
the pain because there's, youknow, by the time you sell
something, it takes six monthsbefore you get paid minimum.
So December that year, I'm like, okay, we have no money in the
bank, we have no equity left inthe house to borrow.
I had a line of credit.
I had maxed it out.
I had no idea how I was goingto pay the bills in December.
(19:19):
But, honestly, god's taken careof me so many ways, so many
times.
I really wasn't worried, Ididn't lose sleep, I wasn't
nervous, I didn't have anxiety,I just knew and I was excited to
see what God was going to do.
The second or third of DecemberI get a phone call from a guy
I'd never sold to.
He said Dick, I have thisapplication.
I need you have an x-raymachine.
I need the test done, can youdo it?
(19:39):
So I called the manufacturerand they said yeah, because we
had it on consignment, so tospeak, and my son and I the one
that's taking over my territorydown the road, he and I went in
in two days and, by the way, theguy asked me.
He said how much will youcharge me?
So I closed my eyes and saidGod, how much should I ask?
And he said $3,000.
So I said $3,000.
(20:00):
He goes, done, he goes.
You get it done already.
You check right away.
So $3,000 came in.
Then, a few more days later, Iget a call from another customer
that I'd never done businesswith and he said Dick, I have a
problem.
There's a piece of metalmissing.
We need to inspect 120 pallets,90 cases to a pallet, six
cartons to a case.
We need to take them all apart,put them in.
That's a lot bigger job.
So the guy who's building wewere renting he needed to get
(20:24):
involved.
So, long story short, I got$6,000 from that, and again
almost immediately.
So I made $9, dollars thatmonth in a way that I had never
had before and never have since,and it got us through.
And then the check startedcoming in January because my
sales picked up that June andthen that's when things came
together.
Marc Bernstein (20:41):
It's really amazing.
And, again, this whole idea offaith to me is a really
important ingredient of thestory and I will go on record as
saying I believe in faith.
You know, and some people havefaith in different ways, but in
and Dick is as we've talkedabout, is not here to preach,
(21:01):
he's not.
You know, he got out of thatbusiness a long time ago but
he's here to tell a story andhis story.
You know, as I said, I made anexception and brought him on
because this was very different.
This was I hadn't met him, weonly spoke on Zoom, but I knew
he was the real thing and thisis stuff that really happens.
So I think people need to hearthis.
(21:22):
By the way, I just want tomention to you I was going to
mention you offline but forpeople that haven't heard it,
listen to Arnie Eastburn,another Babcock Ranch story I
did listen to it Did you listento it that was great.
So talk about crying in thestudio on that one.
That was unbelievable.
And that was the story of.
His father was a plumberpreacher, and you know.
(21:43):
And he said, I'm going to havenothing to do with that.
And then where does he findhimself?
You know, 40 years later.
It's unbelievable.
Dick DeNenno (21:49):
Doing well.
I have a friend that does thatin Mali, another friend who does
the wells.
Marc Bernstein (21:54):
Since I've told that story, there's a lot of
people that are working forwater in Africa, which is such
an important thing, and it'sreally nice that so many people
have stepped up.
But that's his whole mission inlife right now and he's doing
amazing work and that's soimportant.
Dick DeNenno (22:09):
And so 2008, 9, 10 , and 11 were very, very
difficult years and weaccumulated a ton of debt and we
had three kids and all of themwent to college and it was very
expensive plus two years of amaster's program to pay for for
my wife but then rebounded in2012, and it started on the way
up.
12, and it started on the wayup, and then, in 2016, was a
(22:33):
life-changing year because Iacquired.
Well, the way it worked out isI now have five other
salespeople working for me, andso then, my income level
dramatically went up paid offall the debt and I've been
debt-free for several years now,excellent.
Marc Bernstein (22:52):
And how about the pandemic?
Was that an issue for yourbusiness?
Dick DeNenno (22:56):
No, the pandemic actually did not hurt us Again,
with product inspection andequipment.
Food safety is the key part ofthat, and so people were looking
for that at the time, and so wesell metal detectors, X-ray
weighing equipment, checkwaresand vision systems, and so it
really didn't affect us too much.
Marc Bernstein (23:16):
I want to ask you something I usually do
towards the end.
We have about five more minutes, but let me start with this and
I'll have some other questionsabout it your future vision for
the company.
If you looked at the next yearor two and you're looking out
what do you see happening?
Dick DeNenno (23:32):
Good question.
So I planned this all out over.
I don't know.
For years I've been planningthis that I'm going to continue
to manage the business foranother five or six years.
That's the goal and I'm goingto handle one account.
But my goal is to grow thebusiness, because 90% of our
business is just productinspection equipment.
(23:54):
But every one of those peoplethat buy product inspection
equipment also buys automationand packaging machinery.
So I want to expand it.
So that's my main thrust thatI'll be doing over the next five
or six years.
But also I'm preparing.
My son is taking over myterritory.
I've been training him for awhile.
But also we are consideringgetting into other fields, like
the materials.
(24:15):
We don't sell materials now,but getting into materials,
maybe getting into engineeringand automation and those kinds
of things.
So that's the goal.
I want to see Reliant Packagingdouble, triple in size and be a
continued viable entity formany years to come.
Marc Bernstein (24:30):
So that's a legacy of sorts for you.
Yes, in essence, what's drivingyou?
What does it make?
That makes you want to do that?
It sounds like you'recomfortable now.
You don't have to do that.
Dick DeNenno (24:41):
I'm a care carer, if you will.
So one of the things that I was, my wife tried to convince me
for 20 years that I was doingthe right thing.
And because my customers arenot just customers, they're
friends, and I've prayed withthem, I've counseled them, I've
talked to them when they bringthings up, I don't force it on
(25:03):
them, and so I care about peopleand I care about the people
that work for us.
Now I care about my customers.
I just want to make sure thatthey're taken care of.
Marc Bernstein (25:12):
Do you see any obstacles in the way of what
you're trying to build over thenext three years?
Dick DeNenno (25:17):
Yes, the thing is that I don't want to invest a
lot of money hiring additionalpeople when we're trying to
finalize our plans forretirement, and so it's going to
be my son's job to sort of makethat go in the future, and the
other sales guys I don't want totake away from them.
Marc Bernstein (25:35):
Is your son up for the task?
Dick DeNenno (25:37):
I think he is.
In fact, he's better than me atso many different areas.
Marc Bernstein (25:40):
I know I got some instructions from him
regarding the show today, so Iknow he's actively taking charge
.
It sounds like he's verycreative.
Dick DeNenno (25:49):
He thinks way beyond what I do, and he's also
an expert on CRM and things likethat, so he's much better than
me at those kinds of things.
Marc Bernstein (25:57):
So you've got the right guy coming up.
I think so In terms of.
So we talked about legacy alittle bit.
If you were talking to youryounger self and giving yourself
advice, what advice would yougive you?
Dick DeNenno (26:16):
Believe in yourself and don't let others
persuade you otherwise.
I had a few leaders early onthat really really deeply
impacted me in a negative way,and so I would say don't listen
to the noise.
Trust in yourself, you're goingto be okay.
Marc Bernstein (26:25):
Another question I wanted to ask you, because I
know you have one, is what isyour favorite song?
Dick DeNenno (26:30):
The song I Can Only Imagine by Mercy Me, and
there's a movie about that.
I strongly recommend if youhaven't seen the movie, to see
it.
It gives you hope for thefuture and that's what we all
need.
We all face difficulties andchallenges.
We need that hope for thefuture and that's what that
movie does.
Marc Bernstein (26:47):
I have not heard of it and you just told me
about it before the show.
What is it about the song thatyou love?
Dick DeNenno (26:52):
heard of it and you just told me about it before
the show, is it?
What is it about the song thatyou love?
So, bart um, the guy that wasthe writer of it, uh, he had a
lot of struggles and this is thesong that he wrote that helped
him to overcome.
It'll help you overcome too allright, very good.
Marc Bernstein (27:07):
Well, with that, we're going to play a song of
mine which is called should I,which which actually is kind of
relevant to your story a littlebit.
But we're not playing the words, it's just the music.
It's my little plug for thealbum.
It's from the album called LikeHerding Cats by Fretz, bridges
and Skins and it's our themesong for the show.
So with that we're going outand thank you, dick, so much for
(27:28):
being here and telling yourpowerful story and thank you all
for listening to Founders Forumthis week and we'll look
forward again to speaking withyou next week.
Thanks, Marc.
The following programming is sponsored by Marc
J Bernstein.
The views expressed do notnecessarily reflect the views of
this station, its management orBeasley Media Group.
Entrepreneur, founder, authorand financial advisor, Marc
Bernstein helps high-performingbusiness owners turn their
visions into reality.
Through his innovative work andthe Forward Focus Forums, Marc
(00:21):
connects entrepreneurs toresources that fuel their
success.
Founders Forum is a radio showand podcast where entrepreneurs
share their journeys, revealingthe lessons they've learned and
the stories behind their success.
Join Marc and his guests for amix of inspiration, valuable
insights and a little fun.
Now let's dive in.
Marc Bernstein (00:40):
Good morning America.
How are you?
Hey?
Like we've done on the lastshow, we're going to get right
into it with our guest today,who is Dick DeNenno, and I'm
going to introduce him and thenwe're going to get right into it
.
Dick is the founder andpresident of Reliant Packaging
Machinery LLC, anindustry-leading manufacturers
representative agency in theNortheast, an industry-leading
(01:00):
manufacturer's representativeagency in the Northeast Relying
in packaging machinery, ourbrokers for product inspection
equipment, packaging machineryand automation equipment,
predominantly for the food andpharmaceutical industries.
He has a wife of nearly 40years, three children with
spouses and six grandchildren.
(01:21):
Dick grew up on a dairy farmoutside of Philadelphia,
pennsylvania, where we arelocated today, received a BS in
education from the University ofColorado and then a Bachelor of
Theology degree.
His original intent was tobecome a full-time minister and
the ministry of which he was apart changed direction and then
he had to pursue a secularcareer.
(01:42):
This is part of his story, so Imention this.
He's been in the packagingindustry for the last 35 years
and has revisited over 3,000manufacturing facilities in the
US and abroad, and, prior tofounding the company, dick
worked as a regional salesmanager for two manufacturers
for over 10 years, covering mostof the 50 states at one time or
(02:04):
another.
I find this really interesting.
He's about to visit his 50thstate next month that's one of
my goals, dick, but you're aheadof me when he and his wife
Charlotte celebrate their 40thanniversary.
Congratulations on an Alaskancruise, which I also want to
talk to you about.
After the show.
I'm planning one myself with mywife right now.
Dick's philosophy is to be CarlK-A-R-L knowledgeable,
(02:27):
attentive, reliable and likable.
I like that a lot, and his lifemotto is self sacrifice is the
passion of great men.
Welcome, dick.
Dick DeNenno (02:37):
Thank you very much, Marc, and thanks for
having me here.
Marc Bernstein (02:39):
It's my pleasure .
So it's an interesting storyand, as always, fitting it in
the 28 minutes is going to be achallenge, so we're going to
cruise right into it.
Dick, as I mentioned, iseducation, and we're going to
start with around age 21, whenhe found himself in Rome, which
became his first entrepreneurialventure.
(03:00):
So let's talk about that andhow it led into your other
ventures entrepreneurial venture.
Dick DeNenno (03:04):
So let's talk about that and how it led into
your other ventures.
So after I graduated fromcollege, as you said, 21 years
old, I bought a round tripticket for one year later to
Rome, italy.
I did not know the language, Idid not know anyone, I didn't
have a visa, a job or a workpermit.
I just went there.
Third day I was there, I got ajob teaching English as a
foreign language, but the schoolyear ended in June and I was
staying until August.
(03:25):
So what am I going to do?
So I walked down to the trainstation and, because actually
I'm sorry, I took a bus down tothe train station.
I used to live right near it,but then later I moved and I
looked for American kids and I,when I would find them, I would
say I'll give you a walking tourof the city for five bucks,
which back in the 70s was a goodamount of money for a kid
(03:45):
trying to backpack across Europe, anyway.
So I did that until I left inJune or, I'm sorry, in August,
and that was my firstentrepreneurial venture.
Marc Bernstein (03:56):
And then we're going to jump to.
Well, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.
A few years later you werethere, and what did you do there
?
Dick DeNenno (04:03):
A few years later you were there, and what did you
do there?
So, again, I went back, got myBachelor of Theology degree, and
I moved to Bloomsburg for thisChristian organization, and
while I was there, though, I hadto earn a living, because it
was a non-paid position.
So 1981 was a really miserabletime economically for our
country, and I think the primerate was around 13% and mortgage
(04:26):
rates were around 18% at thetime, and so it was very
impossible to find a job.
So I just started a businessraking leaves, mowing lawns,
cleaning windows, paintingwhatever I could do to stay
alive.
Marc Bernstein (04:41):
I'm going to skip around for a second.
Your intent was to be in theministry and you were.
Tell us about that and how youswitched to business and why you
switched to business so Ireally didn't know what I wanted
to do.
Dick DeNenno (04:55):
When I was younger , and while I was in college, my
brother, who had been going toCornell at the time, introduced
me to an organization and Ijoined up and participated and
they had a leadership trainingprogram.
So all along I wanted to dothat and that was what I was
going to do.
I was going to be a full-timeminister, but the ministry sort
of changed directions in the 80sand my wife and I decided that
(05:18):
we needed to switch and so weended up— it didn't align with
you.
Right right their values changedand so we ended up didn't align
with you.
Right right, their valueschanged and so we moved back to
the east coast to be closer tofamily, and that time I already
had one child and another on theway and we had to pursue.
I had to pursue a secularcareer and I'll tell you, it was
very tough, and so any youngChristian people who think they
(05:39):
should be in ministry to do thatswitch.
I walked around in condemnationfor 20 years, thinking I was
letting God down, thinking I wasnot successful.
I was a failure.
Marc Bernstein (05:48):
It was hard.
I might add, by the way, that Iskipped our topic of the day.
I went right in the story.
But the topic of the day isessentially God, and the reason
I bring that up is because I'vesaid many times on the show, and
I told this to Dick when wefirst met, we don't do religion
or politics, it's really aboutfounder stories, but God is a
(06:11):
character in the story and is acompelling part of it that I
couldn't ignore, which is why Iinvited Dick on to the show.
So let's talk about Omaha.
Dick DeNenno (06:24):
So that's a God story right there, because I had
gone for 18 months without ajob, just scraping by, and I
went every night.
For a month All I ate was apiece of toast with a fried egg
on it and it was tough.
And then I finally got a job,talked my way into a job as the
sales manager with absolutely noexperience, and I got the job
(06:46):
and things were going well andall of a sudden I'm in my
kitchen praying and God spokeout loud to me only time in my
life and he said go to Omaha.
And I was surprised.
I'm looking around seeing whomight have walked in the house
to talk to me, right, anyway, soI did, meanwhile my now wife.
(07:07):
At the time we didn't know eachother.
She was in New York, she hadgone through four years of
college but had switched majorsin school, so she had another 18
credits to go.
But she just felt verycompelled to do something for
God.
And there was a missionaryprogram, in-country missionary
program through the organization.
She signed up and guess where?
She got sent Omaha, nebraska.
(07:27):
So we met the second day and 13months later we got married and
I'm convinced that's the mainreason why God had me go to
Omaha.
Marc Bernstein (07:34):
I have had things like that happen in my
life where I'll say that there'sclearly a higher power involved
in that and a lot of peoplecall that different things, but
there's no quite.
So when I heard Dick's storyand you know he had you might
not have heard it, but he had alittle bit of tears in his eyes
about changing from the ministry, but I know he also gets
(07:56):
emotional about how he and hiswife met and and God's place and
all that.
So we, we had to, we had tomake that part of the story
because it's an important partof the story.
So you went to Omaha and whatdid you do while you were there?
Entrepreneurially.
Dick DeNenno (08:10):
So I took a job there, and it was, again, not a
good fit.
And while I was there, though,I ended up doing a couple of
different things, and I wasselling industrial cleaning
chemicals for a company, but Ihad a disagreement with the
sales manager, and I kind of gottired of his narrative.
So I had been calling on acompany, and they said you know,
(08:32):
what we need is not thechemicals, we need the guys to
do the work.
And I asked him what, and hetold me all about restroom
sanitation and how he spent somuch money, and the person was
there for like three minutes.
So I said, okay, I'll startthat.
So I did, and then, when I gottired of working for this
company, and specifically thesales manager, I ended up going
out two days and selling enoughbusiness to replace my income,
(08:54):
and then, a month later, I didit two more days and doubled my
income.
And then I started an awningcleaning business, because I
kept seeing awnings dirty, and Icalled a friend who had started
a business in Texas doing it.
He gave me a lot of information.
I called all the awningmanufacturers to understand the
science and the chemicals andeverything that you needed to
use, and I started that, and sothen I did that for maybe about
(09:16):
six months and so the awningcleaning just the six months.
Anyway, I sold the business andwe moved back to the East Coast
to be closer to family.
Marc Bernstein (09:26):
I have to tell you that and, dick, if you're
okay with me sharing this he wasconcerned about is his story.
Is his business big enough forthis show?
And, first of all, we've hadentrepreneurs of all different
size businesses and differentstages of business and
everything but another piece ofyour story which is compelling
is the fact that you're a trueentrepreneur, in that wherever
(09:48):
you found the need, you filledit.
You know and you did what youhad to do for your family, which
is the story of manyentrepreneurs.
So you're right there with manyof us.
You know who are on the show.
So how did you find?
How did you get into yourcurrent business?
Dick DeNenno (10:03):
Another interesting story.
So when we moved back, I tookthe first job that I could and I
kept getting stuck in theseterrible situations.
So I was there and I wasmiserable.
After a couple of months I juststarted praying every single
day, and I just want to say, orto take a step back when I was
about three, four, five, mymother taught me to pray and she
said at the she said when youget done saying the Lord's
(10:24):
prayer, then talk to God.
And so one of those things aboutme is that when somebody tells
me to do something, I just do it.
And so I did every day of mylife Back.
Those days I would kneel beforemy bed and pray.
A lot of times I'd fall asleep.
So I've had this.
I talked to God all day, allthe time, and so I told him how
(10:45):
unhappy I was at this job and Isaid please get me out of here.
I prayed every day for a year,mark, and nothing was happening.
And then, finally, one day, I'mon my way home from work and
God again spoke to me thiswasn't out loud, but it's just a
very powerful thought in mymind by the Daily Local News,
which is a Westchester newspaper.
So I did, went home, lookedthrough the Help Wanted.
(11:06):
There was nothing, unless Iwanted to be like a Shackley
salesman or something.
Marc Bernstein (11:12):
No offense to.
Dick DeNenno (11:13):
Shackley no offense to Shackley.
So then I flipped to the sportssection and there was an ad for
an over-30 baseball league.
I had played baseball hardballall the way up until I went to
college and didn't come home inthe summers and I kept looking
for hardball leagues.
Couldn't find one.
So I was thrilled.
I signed up and about a monthlater I'm on my way to practice
(11:38):
and again God spoke to me.
Again he said ask one of myteammates what he did for a
living.
So after practice we stopped,we talked and he told me all
about his company, a company outof Exton called All Fill.
So at the end of it I said well, if you're ever looking for a
salesman, let me know he goes.
We're looking for two right now.
And that's how I got started inthe packaging machinery
industry.
Marc Bernstein (11:55):
Very interesting .
So you worked there.
You went to work there and whathappened?
How did you come to create yourown business?
Dick DeNenno (12:03):
So my teammate wasn't the actual guy hiring.
There was another gentlemannamed Bob Dauphiné and I got to
give.
Unfortunately Bob passed away ayear ago but he was the most
amazing leader.
He was one of the mostinfluential people in my life
when it comes to business.
He just he really cared aboutpeople and he taught me that.
He cared about me.
And then he cared about ourcustomers and he showed that and
(12:24):
demonstrated that over and overagain and that really set the
foundation for me in sales andso Bob left in 94.
This was in 90 when I got hired,94 when Bob left and then after
a few years he kept saying youknow you should start your own
business doing this being a rep,because a regional manager I
(12:47):
traveled 17 to 20 weeks a yearand it was too hard on my family
.
So finally I made the leap.
But here's the interestingthing I wasn't working for
Allphil at the time.
I actually switched to adifferent company and I again
was not happy because theydoubled my territory and I was
traveling then every week Mondayto Friday and it was too much.
And the night before I gotfired from them because I
(13:11):
wouldn't compromise on integrity, because the general manager
and my boss said he wanted menot to call customers back if
they had problems.
Anyway, what happened was Bobcalled me the night before I got
fired and said Dick, you needto start your own business, I'll
help you whatever.
And I said I signed a signingbonus.
(13:34):
I wouldn't have any income fora while.
It's going to be tough.
And he said, trust me, it'llwork out.
The next morning I got fired,so I showed up on his doorstep.
That was a Friday.
I showed up on his doorstep onMonday and that's when I started
the company that became theprecursor to Reliant Packaging.
Marc Bernstein (13:49):
Machinery Excellent.
Well, that's a great jumpingoff spot.
Let's listen to a commercialfor your company and then we'll
be right back.
Announcer (13:56):
Looking for packaging machinery that protects your
product and your reputation.
At Reliant Packaging, we don'tjust box things up.
We build confidence.
Our state-of-the-art productinspection equipment ensures
that every item meets thehighest standards of quality and
safety, from food-safematerials to custom-engineered
solutions.
Our packaging machinery isdesigned to maintain the
integrity of your products.
Whether you're shipping acrosstown or across the globe,
(14:17):
reliant ensures your product isprotected at every step.
From industry leaders toentrepreneurial go-getters, we
have the solutions for you.
Contact us today atreliantpackaging.
com or call us at 610-274-1414to learn more about how Reliant
(14:37):
Packaging can protect yourproducts and your reputation.
Marc Bernstein (14:42):
We're back on Founders Forum with our guest
today, Dick DeNenno of ReliantPackaging Machinery.
You just heard their ad andhopefully, if you're in the
market for what they do, you'llbe in touch with them, dick.
So I know it's not a straightline.
We've talked about this A lotof hills and valleys of being an
entrepreneur.
(15:02):
What kind of obstacles did youface at first as being an
entrepreneur and then,specifically, when you started
Reliant?
Dick DeNenno (15:11):
Well, economics is always the biggest challenge
when you start and you put yourshingle out, so to speak.
Not a shingle, but you have toget customers and it's hard and,
like I said, I went a wholemonth eating one piece of toast
with one fried egg for dinner.
I lost a lot of weight backthen.
It's a lesson in that.
Yeah, exactly, anyway.
(15:33):
But when I started ReliantPackaging again, I was starting
from scratch and I had aterritory that really hadn't
produced much for themanufacturers that I took on and
represented.
So that was a part of it.
But the other part of it was mywife's father was an IBMer from
the time he got out of the Navyuntil he retired, and so she
(15:54):
was used to.
Ibm took care of everything.
You didn't pay a dime forhealth insurance, they had the
country club to be a part of,there was all these social
events, and she went from thatto marrying me, and let's say it
was a big drop-off to bemarrying an entrepreneur.
But the one thing is shebelieved in me and she supported
me.
Marc Bernstein (16:13):
I challenge whether it's a drop off
ultimately or not, but maybe inthe beginning it was.
Dick DeNenno (16:17):
Yes, in the beginning.
Right, it was a very difficulttransition at first, but I'll
tell you, when I did get firedthat time that I mentioned for
not compromising on my integrityI told her.
I said, honey, I said I'm goingto give you one hour to freak
out.
He goes.
But I got fired.
But then God's either real orhe isn't, and God promises to
(16:40):
take care of our needs, and soshe did.
She went up, took a shower andshe came down.
She goes, okay, and she wasready Cool.
Marc Bernstein (16:48):
And then what happened right after that?
You got fired.
Dick DeNenno (16:54):
The first five years were again very tough and
we went into a lot of debt.
We were debt-free at that pointand we went into a lot of debt,
but again she believed in me.
I believed that it was going towork out.
Marc Bernstein (17:03):
Again, not unusual for entrepreneurial
ventures right.
Dick DeNenno (17:06):
And I'll tell you another intervention.
By God I would have been out ofbusiness.
But in 2006, actually inDecember 2005, I had been
calling on this company for fiveyears and they would get all
this information from me andthen go buy used equipment.
And so finally I talked to thevice president.
I said look, meg, I can't keepdoing this and she goes.
(17:28):
Well, we just hired a new guyand he insisted that we buy new
equipment if he comes.
So I said, okay.
She said, but give it a monthbecause he needs to get his feet
on the ground first.
I said, okay.
Next day or two days later,whatever it was, I'm praying at
my desk and God said call SeanHunt.
Okay, this is the guy that shetold me not to call.
(17:48):
I did, and we later became verygood friends and he said Dick,
if you hadn't have called methat day, I was going to place
the order with another companyand it was a million dollars
worth of business.
Marc Bernstein (18:00):
So that was-.
Dick DeNenno (18:00):
Yeah, that was pretty amazing.
Marc Bernstein (18:04):
So then, how long has it been that your
business has been, you know,going well, okay so yeah, thank
you for that transition.
Dick DeNenno (18:11):
So 2006 and 2007 were very strong years, but then
2008 hit and it was tough.
I mean, it was really tough.
And so 2010 came along and Ihad one child in college no two
children in college my wife in amaster's program.
She had been a paraprofessionalin a school district.
She went back to school to gether master's.
(18:33):
I had to pay for the master'sher first master's and then we
lost benefits.
So I had to go buy benefits andwe lost her income.
And so all of that cametogether All at once.
And June of that year I wassitting on $180,000 in sales to
that point and I needed to doabout $1.7 million a year.
So I'm like, okay, what else amI going to do for a living?
(18:54):
And I was really struggling.
But the problem is is it takesabout six months before you feel
the pain because there's, youknow, by the time you sell
something, it takes six monthsbefore you get paid minimum.
So December that year, I'm like, okay, we have no money in the
bank, we have no equity left inthe house to borrow.
I had a line of credit.
I had maxed it out.
I had no idea how I was goingto pay the bills in December.
(19:19):
But, honestly, god's taken careof me so many ways, so many
times.
I really wasn't worried, Ididn't lose sleep, I wasn't
nervous, I didn't have anxiety,I just knew and I was excited to
see what God was going to do.
The second or third of DecemberI get a phone call from a guy
I'd never sold to.
He said Dick, I have thisapplication.
I need you have an x-raymachine.
I need the test done, can youdo it?
(19:39):
So I called the manufacturerand they said yeah, because we
had it on consignment, so tospeak, and my son and I the one
that's taking over my territorydown the road, he and I went in
in two days and, by the way, theguy asked me.
He said how much will youcharge me?
So I closed my eyes and saidGod, how much should I ask?
And he said $3,000.
So I said $3,000.
(20:00):
He goes, done, he goes.
You get it done already.
You check right away.
So $3,000 came in.
Then, a few more days later, Iget a call from another customer
that I'd never done businesswith and he said Dick, I have a
problem.
There's a piece of metalmissing.
We need to inspect 120 pallets,90 cases to a pallet, six
cartons to a case.
We need to take them all apart,put them in.
That's a lot bigger job.
So the guy who's building wewere renting he needed to get
(20:24):
involved.
So, long story short, I got$6,000 from that, and again
almost immediately.
So I made $9, dollars thatmonth in a way that I had never
had before and never have since,and it got us through.
And then the check startedcoming in January because my
sales picked up that June andthen that's when things came
together.
Marc Bernstein (20:41):
It's really amazing.
And, again, this whole idea offaith to me is a really
important ingredient of thestory and I will go on record as
saying I believe in faith.
You know, and some people havefaith in different ways, but in
and Dick is as we've talkedabout, is not here to preach,
(21:01):
he's not.
You know, he got out of thatbusiness a long time ago but
he's here to tell a story andhis story.
You know, as I said, I made anexception and brought him on
because this was very different.
This was I hadn't met him, weonly spoke on Zoom, but I knew
he was the real thing and thisis stuff that really happens.
So I think people need to hearthis.
(21:22):
By the way, I just want tomention to you I was going to
mention you offline but forpeople that haven't heard it,
listen to Arnie Eastburn,another Babcock Ranch story I
did listen to it Did you listento it that was great.
So talk about crying in thestudio on that one.
That was unbelievable.
And that was the story of.
His father was a plumberpreacher, and you know.
(21:43):
And he said, I'm going to havenothing to do with that.
And then where does he findhimself?
You know, 40 years later.
It's unbelievable.
Dick DeNenno (21:49):
Doing well.
I have a friend that does thatin Mali, another friend who does
the wells.
Marc Bernstein (21:54):
Since I've told that story, there's a lot of
people that are working forwater in Africa, which is such
an important thing, and it'sreally nice that so many people
have stepped up.
But that's his whole mission inlife right now and he's doing
amazing work and that's soimportant.
Dick DeNenno (22:09):
And so 2008, 9, 10 , and 11 were very, very
difficult years and weaccumulated a ton of debt and we
had three kids and all of themwent to college and it was very
expensive plus two years of amaster's program to pay for for
my wife but then rebounded in2012, and it started on the way
up.
12, and it started on the wayup, and then, in 2016, was a
(22:33):
life-changing year because Iacquired.
Well, the way it worked out isI now have five other
salespeople working for me, andso then, my income level
dramatically went up paid offall the debt and I've been
debt-free for several years now,excellent.
Marc Bernstein (22:52):
And how about the pandemic?
Was that an issue for yourbusiness?
Dick DeNenno (22:56):
No, the pandemic actually did not hurt us Again,
with product inspection andequipment.
Food safety is the key part ofthat, and so people were looking
for that at the time, and so wesell metal detectors, X-ray
weighing equipment, checkwaresand vision systems, and so it
really didn't affect us too much.
Marc Bernstein (23:16):
I want to ask you something I usually do
towards the end.
We have about five more minutes, but let me start with this and
I'll have some other questionsabout it your future vision for
the company.
If you looked at the next yearor two and you're looking out
what do you see happening?
Dick DeNenno (23:32):
Good question.
So I planned this all out over.
I don't know.
For years I've been planningthis that I'm going to continue
to manage the business foranother five or six years.
That's the goal and I'm goingto handle one account.
But my goal is to grow thebusiness, because 90% of our
business is just productinspection equipment.
(23:54):
But every one of those peoplethat buy product inspection
equipment also buys automationand packaging machinery.
So I want to expand it.
So that's my main thrust thatI'll be doing over the next five
or six years.
But also I'm preparing.
My son is taking over myterritory.
I've been training him for awhile.
But also we are consideringgetting into other fields, like
the materials.
(24:15):
We don't sell materials now,but getting into materials,
maybe getting into engineeringand automation and those kinds
of things.
So that's the goal.
I want to see Reliant Packagingdouble, triple in size and be a
continued viable entity formany years to come.
Marc Bernstein (24:30):
So that's a legacy of sorts for you.
Yes, in essence, what's drivingyou?
What does it make?
That makes you want to do that?
It sounds like you'recomfortable now.
You don't have to do that.
Dick DeNenno (24:41):
I'm a care carer, if you will.
So one of the things that I was, my wife tried to convince me
for 20 years that I was doingthe right thing.
And because my customers arenot just customers, they're
friends, and I've prayed withthem, I've counseled them, I've
talked to them when they bringthings up, I don't force it on
(25:03):
them, and so I care about peopleand I care about the people
that work for us.
Now I care about my customers.
I just want to make sure thatthey're taken care of.
Marc Bernstein (25:12):
Do you see any obstacles in the way of what
you're trying to build over thenext three years?
Dick DeNenno (25:17):
Yes, the thing is that I don't want to invest a
lot of money hiring additionalpeople when we're trying to
finalize our plans forretirement, and so it's going to
be my son's job to sort of makethat go in the future, and the
other sales guys I don't want totake away from them.
Marc Bernstein (25:35):
Is your son up for the task?
Dick DeNenno (25:37):
I think he is.
In fact, he's better than me atso many different areas.
Marc Bernstein (25:40):
I know I got some instructions from him
regarding the show today, so Iknow he's actively taking charge
.
It sounds like he's verycreative.
Dick DeNenno (25:49):
He thinks way beyond what I do, and he's also
an expert on CRM and things likethat, so he's much better than
me at those kinds of things.
Marc Bernstein (25:57):
So you've got the right guy coming up.
I think so In terms of.
So we talked about legacy alittle bit.
If you were talking to youryounger self and giving yourself
advice, what advice would yougive you?
Dick DeNenno (26:16):
Believe in yourself and don't let others
persuade you otherwise.
I had a few leaders early onthat really really deeply
impacted me in a negative way,and so I would say don't listen
to the noise.
Trust in yourself, you're goingto be okay.
Marc Bernstein (26:25):
Another question I wanted to ask you, because I
know you have one, is what isyour favorite song?
Dick DeNenno (26:30):
The song I Can Only Imagine by Mercy Me, and
there's a movie about that.
I strongly recommend if youhaven't seen the movie, to see
it.
It gives you hope for thefuture and that's what we all
need.
We all face difficulties andchallenges.
We need that hope for thefuture and that's what that
movie does.
Marc Bernstein (26:47):
I have not heard of it and you just told me
about it before the show.
What is it about the song thatyou love?
Dick DeNenno (26:52):
heard of it and you just told me about it before
the show, is it?
What is it about the song thatyou love?
So, bart um, the guy that wasthe writer of it, uh, he had a
lot of struggles and this is thesong that he wrote that helped
him to overcome.
It'll help you overcome too allright, very good.
Marc Bernstein (27:07):
Well, with that, we're going to play a song of
mine which is called should I,which which actually is kind of
relevant to your story a littlebit.
But we're not playing the words, it's just the music.
It's my little plug for thealbum.
It's from the album called LikeHerding Cats by Fretz, bridges
and Skins and it's our themesong for the show.
So with that we're going outand thank you, dick, so much for
(27:28):
being here and telling yourpowerful story and thank you all
for listening to Founders Forumthis week and we'll look
forward again to speaking withyou next week.
Thanks, Marc.
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