The Winnipeg waterworks manufacturer and rep firm, with nearly 40 people, staffs its sales team with civil, mechanical and chemical engineers, and has bought two rep agencies to put more lines in front of the same customers.
What the article says
The Wholesaler publishes an interview with owner Brent Pooles and Kurt Chekosky, vice president of business development, conducted by AIM/R board members Jon Thomas and Joe Herkowski. WD Industrial Group was incorporated in 1981 by Bill Pooles as a waterworks manufacturer of valve boxes, service boxes and municipal castings; Brent Pooles bought it from his father in 1996. It has nearly 40 team members across manufacturing, inside sales, outside sales and administration, and covers Western Canada. Four sales engineers and Chekosky call on consulting engineering firms, contractors and distributors; the engineering team comes from civil, mechanical and chemical disciplines, which the article says lets them present in the language each firm or contractor is most comfortable with. WD has acquired two rep agencies and is working on a third. Pooles: “Our thought process was by purchasing the rep agencies, we would have more ‘arrows in our quiver.’” On lines that do not fit: “I would rather turn them down than let them down.” Six of its 20 product lines are Canadian.
Why it matters at the top of the house
A company of 40 does not win on budget. WD decided who carries its message: an engineer trained in the buyer’s own discipline. It grew by buying relationships and adding lines to them, and it says no to lines it cannot serve well.
One move to copy
WD hired its sales engineers from the same disciplines as the people they sell to: civil, mechanical and chemical. A manufacturer with a single salesperson can still decide which kind of buyer that person is hired to speak to.
Source: The Wholesaler (PHCPPros), “Diversification Drives WD Industrial Group’s Evolution,” interview by Jon Thomas and Joe Herkowski, November 2, 2026. The Marketing Table shares the link and a note on why it matters; the article and its copyright belong to the publisher.
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