Franklin Empire President Robert Shapiro to Retire in December 2018
January 26, 2018
Robert Shapiro, a graduate electrical engineer, entered the industry in August 1968 to help his father, who had fallen ill. His father recovered and the two worked together for over 20 years. In 2018, Bob is celebrating his 50-year anniversary and is ready to retire and rewire — travelling, playing tennis and spending more time with his wife, children and grandchildren.
Bob has been instrumental in many of the accomplishments of Franklin Empire. In the mid-1970s he pushed Franklin Electrical Supply to computerize the business so that it could compete with the national chains. In 1982, he sold this computer system to Empire Electric, developing the relationship with Bernie and Cliff Backman, which led to the 1992 merger of Franklin and Empire.
Prior to that, in 1987, Franklin Electrical Supply acquired E.W. Playford to form Franklin Playford. This brought the company into the automation and control part of the business in a very serious way.
Under the Shapiro-Backman partnership, the company has grown from 5 branches each, to 22 locations and 5 manufacturing/repair shops, from 100 employees to over 500, plus several acquisitions and new divisions.
Bob believed early on that Franklin would have a much more secure future if he could demonstrate to suppliers that the company could bring something to the table beyond being their customer. This is the basis of the distributor supplier partnerships that are now at the core of the business, and was driven by two principles.
• the root of any good relationships is trust which leads to the willingness to share information
• meaningful improvement is a desirable goal that often requires some risk of both parties. We need to be willing to take those risks
Another key discovery was that what was good for the industry at large was good for Franklin too, and that you cannot affect change at anything by being a passenger. This is what led Bob to get involved in industry associations. Bob has been recognized over the years for his contribution to our industry and has been very involved in our associations:
• 2016 Industry Recognition Award by Electro-Federation Canada for influencing the Canadian Electrical Industry (shown in photo)
• 2003-2009 Board member of AD Canada
• 1995-1997 and again in 2010 Board member of Electro-Federation Canada
• 1980-1990 Board member of CEDA
• 1987 President of CEDA
• 1980 Man of the Month of the Quebec Electrical Industry
The participation in these industry associations enabled Franklin and then Franklin Empire to have enhanced visibility and influence among our peers.
Among other initiatives, Bob was the driver in implementing EDI and VMI at Franklin Empire and promoting these practices in our industry, an effort that began in 1986.
“As my working career draws to a close,” says Bob, “I leave an industry that is much more complex than the one that I started in. I am confident that my partners, Bernie and Cliff Backman, will continue to lead Franklin Empire to our future growth and manage the future challenges which face this dynamic industry, along with the fourth generation, Cara, Lisa and Les Backman, and our incredible hard-working, dedicated and motivated teams across Quebec and Ontario. It will require hard work, for sure, but also an ability to anticipate the changes that are happening around us. There is enormous opportunity for those that want to be part of this.”
