Executive Suite: David Sandler, industry supply executive

David Sandler, who started an industrial supply business while supporting himself in college, joined a competitor, Melville-based MSC Industrial Direct Co. Inc., in 1989.

Rising to chief executive about five years ago, he gamely participates in the annual launch of the company's catalog, called "The Big Book," which lists 600,000 tools and supplies in a 4,484-page tome weighing 10.2 pounds.

The release of the newest edition, slated for August, will be marked by an event at 6:30 a.m. featuring "song and dance and costume," Sandler explains. "Last year, I was Captain Kirk" from "Star Trek.''

Sandler, 52, is married and has two daughters.

How has the company been affected by the recession?
"We were certainly not spared from the impact. Our customers got hit very, very hard. That's because so many are in manufacturing, which in turn meant our revenues were significantly impacted and in turn, that meant like everyone else, we had to tighten our belts. The way that we did that was consistent with our unique history and culture. We didn't lay off any associates anywhere across the country. Instead, we made sacrifices as a team."

Describing the company's next-day delivery system, he says, "If you think about, in this environment, what that means to a customer that's strapped for cash and that's trying to either reduce or eliminate their inventories altogether, we become very, very valuable. And in fact, they rely on us even more so in times like this."

He adds, "The thing, what I'll call the special sauce, that really makes it all work is our culture and our team. Our culture is very customer-focused. We call where you are right now, our CSC: Customer Support Center. We don't call it a corporate headquarters. The reason that we do that - we want to remind all of our associates and visitors every single day that when we come here, that's for one reason and that's to support our boss, the customer."

Company.  MSC Industrial Direct Co. Inc.

Business. Direct marketers of industrial tools and equipment

Location. Melville