All Simpson employees recognize that our customers are our bosses, and without them, we would have no jobs! This awareness translates into our commitment to exceptional customer service in every department, at every level and at every position in the company. We are proud of each part of the team. The inside sales representatives make sure that orders are correctly entered into the system; tool and die-makers ensure that the highest quality instruments and dies are used in production; people in the plant work hard to see that steel is translated into product in the most efficient and cost-effective manner. And quality drives the system. Warehousing and shipping people complete the cycle – shipping each job out correctly, on time, is critical to our success.

Our outside sales force meet the daily challenge of working directly with customers – face-to-face – and helping them utilize our products. Whether calling on specifiers to review our latest product offering, visiting a jobsite to make sure that contractors are supported, and their employees understand correct installation procedures, or speaking with a code agency official to clarify our newest code listings – the Simpson sales reps have a great influence on Simpson's reputation. Although their calls may only occasionally result in a direct sale, our sales reps' frequent contacts with engineers and architects build relationships and reinforce our mutual goal to make structures safer.

Simpson Strong-Tie Co. has over 200 outside sales people in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Simpson Dura-Vent has 9 company-direct sales people and 27 manufacturers' representative agencies. Each year, Strong-Tie holds an International Sales Team meeting, where people from branches around the world (shown below) gather to share ideas, learn about new products and develop a great team spirit. In 2006, Simpson Strong-Tie's president, Terry Kingsfather, spoke about the industry developments. Housing starts were down, and this had an impact on our business. He called on the sales representatives to rise to the challenge by making "one last call." Instead of heading home after a full day, he encouraged them to call on one more customer who might need their assistance. Or visit one more jobsite to ensure that our products were being correctly installed. Or help one more dealer who might have product stocking questions. The impact on the company would be huge, not only in financial terms but also in terms of the respect, trust and goodwill such action would build with our customers.