Left to Right: Raul Hernandez President, Dan Telep FGCU PTAC Procurement Specialist, David Barton Executive Director Southwest Regional Manufacturers Association, and Dan Regelski FGCU SBDC Director.
August 8, 2003 - R J Wire and Cable recently received their second
large contract from a Government Agency, Federal Prison Industries,
UNICOR, Division of the Justice Department. This brings the total
volume for the two contracts since the first of this year to nearly onemillion
dollars. “We competed for both contracts via open-bidding on
the web”. Stated Mr. Raul Hernandez, their President. “This is the
most fair, and open bidding competition obtainable in our industry; and maybe in any industry.”
The Government Procurement System is responsible for soliciting
all of the products to be purchased by the entire Federal Government,
including the various Armed Forces.
They are the largest product and
service procurement system in the
World. RJ Wire and Cable’s Vice
President and Government Procurement
Specialist Carl VeLatini
agreed in the fairness of the system,
“There are no hidden agendas, or
mollycoddling in this procurement
system. Anybody can submit their
product or service by registering and
bidding.” Hernandez concurred,
“That’s where a small but aggressive
company like ours can make
successful bids for mega-bucks of business available.” “I firmly agree,” chimed in VeLatini, “There are no
barriers: it’s an open auction. The ‘luck’ usually goes to the company that
can submit the best price for the job that has to be done.”
This huge procurement system, located on the web at www.fedbizops.gov
has been designed over the last ten years to be run completely through
the world-wide web. Anybody with web access can become a player;
but, there are particular intricacies which have to be mastered. Mr.
VeLatini stated, “Of invaluable asset to me in this situation is Florida
Gulf Coast University’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center. Their Mr.
Dan Telep is a very qualified local resource for anyone in our five-county
area who needs assistance in submitting their products to this market.”
He reflected: “And , at least at first, everybody needs help.”
Mr. Dan Telep is employed as a procurement analyst by FGCU. He
is a former Contracting Officer for Military and Civilian Agencies. In
Mr. VeLatini’s opinion, “Many vendors that try to use the governmental
procurement system on The Net can reach a frustration point very
quickly. With the potpourri of over 125 Governmental agencies, each
with their particular idiosyncrasies of doing business, the task to find the
way through this net-maze can be mind-numbing. Dan is the man who
can demystify the procurement mumbo-jumbo and get anyone who is
interested on the right track. He sure helped me to understand the ‘road map’.”
R J Wire & Cable Co. manufactures wire cables which are used in all
phases of electrical power use and distribution. In their 20,000 squarefoot
Fort Myers Florida facility they have over one million dollars of
equipment which insulates and assembles bare wire into cables that are
coiled onto spools, and shipped all over the world at their customers’ demand.
The sizes of these wire cables vary from one-quarter inch, to over two
inches in diameter. They can carry electricity from few to over 1,000
amperes, at an upper limit of 600 volts. Their uses include everything
between automotive wire and harness cables to hook up cables for large
power generation systems. An ever present sight of their products’
market is the overhead wires strung between the various electrical power
poles that connect electricity to homes and businesses; as well as the
giant network of wires that grid the cities and rural area of the world.
In this huge wire cable market, RJ Wire & Cable is admittedly a small
player. In an industry dominated by
billion-dollar companies, R J Wire
& Cable’s share is a miniscule niche.
“Although tiny in comparison to the
likes of Belden Cable and General
Cable, we are aggressive in acquiring
our share of this market.” States
their President, Raul Hernandez
“Our forte is the limited-run, specialty
wire and cable market.”
Mr. Hernandez, a ‘50s refugee of
Castro’s Cuba, has had extensive
experience in the field of wire and
cable manufacturing. In more than
twenty-five years in the industry, he’s had assignments as Manufacturing
Manager and Wire Design Department Supervisor with some of the
industry’s foremost wire companies. This included a stint of eight years
as Director of Research and Development for W.A. Gore and Associates,
considered by many to be the most innovative wire manufacturer in the
world. When asked to further define his company’s market slot in this
huge, competitive market he replied, “There are hundreds of companies,
other than ‘the biggies’ I mentioned, that are larger than us in total
output. But, not many of them can compete with us when it comes to
special design, limited runs, coupled with quality.” With a knowing
glint in his eye, he added, “I can personally vouch for that.”
R J Wire & Cable was started in 1992 by Mr. Hernandez and a partner,
both which were former employees of Cable USA in Naples, Florida.
Because of internal conflicts, the company was sold by the partners in
1997, and the name was changed to Prime Source Wire and Cable, Inc.
In 2002, the buyer defaulted on the payments, and the courts gave the
assets back to the original owners. Raul Hernandez and Carl VeLatini
joined in a partnership and negotiated for the assets. The name was
returned to the earlier title, and incorporated as R.J. Wire and Cable of
SW Florida, Inc. in December of 2002. The address remained at 2350
Crystal Rd. in Fort Myers. Much to the gratitude of the new owners,
most the production employees were retained as was all of the equipment.
