Testimonials

The relationship with Joe, Steve, and the team feels like it’s been around forever, like good friends who just click. HSA is a generational agency with a true entrepreneurial spirit. With their technical expertise and warehouses in Chicago and Milwaukee, HSA’s support of the engineers, contractors and wholesalers they serve is unmatched. With the ability to do hands-on demonstrations, the engineering community can better understand how a product is installed by the contractor. They have earned the trust of their customers, and they have the inventory to keep jobs running on time! It is a simple but effective formula — do what you say you are going to do!

Steve Stickler and Joe Herkowski have built more than a manufacturing rep agency. They have built a winning team with a strong brand and have created opportunities for their employees. HSA is a family run business, and they treat their employees as such. This resonates well with Oatey, as it is one of our core principles. HSA represents Oatey and themselves with class and dignity. Steve and Joe’s team pride themselves on doing the right thing and leading by good principles.

Steve, Joe, and the entire team are a pleasure to work with. They make their manufacturing partners feel like part of their organization and the attention they give to our customers is second to none. They run a first-class company with a first-class team. They are respected in our industry, and their results each year speak for themselves. What sets them apart, they are friends as much as they are our representative. They understand our brand as well as anyone and I would say that is likely the same for all the brands they represent. They take the time to train their team, and its shows in the market. They are not afraid of rolling up their sleeves and getting into the market to troubleshoot and resolve issues. That takes experience, and HSA has that!

Life and business are all about relationships. We have developed close friendships with them that ultimately benefit both parties. Both sides know that we can reach out to each other at any time and have open, honest conversations with each other. This sense of trust and honesty between us has been the foundation of our relationship.

HSA has always done a great job with bringing new and innovative products to our attention that they believe could help our business. They understand our strengths and weaknesses and present solutions to the challenges that we may be facing. If there is a new product out on the market that could save installation time without sacrificing quality, they bring it to our attention. It’s crucial we have partners such as HSA that are consistently researching new products and holding us accountable to not stay stagnate because ‘that’s the way we’ve always done it.’ I appreciate what they do for our business, but I also appreciate our friendship and relationship outside of work. I think of them first as a friend and second as a manufacturer’s rep. We care about each other’s business, but we also care about each other as individuals.

We’re a third-generation family business — my grandfather, then my father and now my brother and I. My dad dealt with Steve Stickler’s dad, and my dad dealt with Pete Herkowski when it was Herkowski Sales. We’ve worked with both the Herkowski’s and Stickler’s and HSA forever. They bring quality products and a lot of product knowledge that, as a contractor, you don’t always know what the best solution for your customer is, the best product. They provide a lot of thoughtful help in selecting equipment for projects and a lot of education on the latest and greatest products out there.

HSA helps us be a better contractor by bringing the latest and greatest equipment and materials so we’re not lagging behind the latest market trends. They’re very proactive in bringing us information. They’re our first go-to reps on the plumbing side that we ever deal with. And they represent some of the best products. They’re great guys to deal with. They’ve been fantastic throughout the years. And, really, it’s been a great partnership.

I’m thrilled to have Herkowski Stickler & Associates as a partner – it’s a first-class agency. We treat our people as an asset, and I know HSA does the same with its team members.

Phil and Mark have been more than willing to bring out product to our office, work with manufacturers to resolve issues, and even visit job sites to make product corrections.

HSA has unrivaled experience when it comes to knowing both how their products are installed and the most current products available.