M.D. Manufacturing looks back on 25 years exhibiting with VDTA

This year M.D. Manufacturing celebrated its 25th year of exhibiting at the VDTA Trade Show in Las Vegas! As one of the very first exhibitors, M.D. saw the value of spreading its name through the show and decided to exhibit in 1983, the second year of the show’s existence. As a matter of fact, the company’s general manager, Grant Olewiler also gave the first ever central vac seminar at the same show.

“This show has been a major reason for M.D. Manufacturing’s success,” stated Olewiler. “It has allowed a small family-owned entity to play on the same field as the giants of the industry.”

Over the years the company had quite a few other “firsts” including a seminar which took a crew out to install a system in an existing home back in 1987. Each year the company has attempted to bring new life into the show with some creative ideas. One year they gave away T-shirts saying “Ubiquitous Negative Pressure Extraction Engineer” (Central Vacuum Installer) or “Real Men Vacuum.” This year they creatively produced a “CVI:” shirt that closely resembled a popular TV series logo.

The company this year attracted their normal large crowds with the introduction of new items. First, their unique-shaped “Manta” Mophead Vacuum Attachment easily cleans hardwood floors and its strategic design allows easy maneuverability around chair and table legs. Their new CentraMop was a great hit combining hard-floor cleaning with damp mop cleaning. They introduced an all new C300 Cyclonic unit that met a surprisingly low price point while still offering great power, quiet operation, and electronic diagnostics such as bag full indication and motor service functions.

M.D. also debuted their latest prototype of the AirForce Central Vacuum System that offers home automation tie-ins including e-mail notification that the bag is full. Yes, their central vacuum sends an e-mail to the homeowner’s computer indicating that the bag is full based on actual performance, not just time! It also easily notifies when any service issues arise such as a clog or excessive motor brush wear. The product is expected out on the market this July.

The company surprised their esteemed dealers and suppliers by throwing an after-hours party at their booth. It was a way of saying “thanks” to all those who have brought the company success. The M.D. booth was overwhelmed with traffic the entire show.

M.D. also used the show to honor a number of special efforts for the past year. David Duenas of Awesome Vacuum was honored as “Rookie of the Year” and Joe Reece of Central Vac of Jackson was named “Dealer of the Year.” William DeBrouwer of KiwiVac of New Zealand was honored as “Foreign Dealer of the Year” and Ron Boffoli of Central Vac Supply was honored as “Distributor of the Year.” M.D.’s esteemed “Manufacturer of the Year” award was presented to Hans Swinnen, Robert DeRegge, Blair Russell and Steve Spriet of Plastiflex.

To round out M.D.’s show experience, they offered an entire track of education directed to the central vac professional. Olewiler’s 30 plus years of experience in the industry provided a complete view hour-by-hour. The time began with an hour on new construction installation, an hour on existing home installation, and then an hour on industry basics. As the hours progressed M.D. taught an hour each on marketing, sales, service, and eventually the future of the industry.

Olewiler stated, “No other organization exists that would have allowed M.D. to access the highest quality of representatives who truly care about their workmanship and desire to provide their markets with the finest service. Thanks VDTA for 25 years of great shows!”

Reprinted from Central Vac Professional, May 2007