Bar Code Depot Podcast
Summary
Barcode Depot is family-owned and started in 1996, offering repairs of electronic devices used in warehouses. They sell new and refurbished equipment. They have also expanded into warehouse labeling and solutions, such as storage lockers for shared devices and partnerships with software companies. They prioritize building partnerships based on trust and understanding their customers' needs and pain points. They continue to add new offerings, such as LED safety lights, based on customer feedback and industry trends. Barco Depot is a company that specializes in providing equipment and services for warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and distribution centers. They work with customers of all sizes and focus on being a consultative partner, helping the customer understand their needs and make informed decisions. Their services include repairs, sales, and leasing options for equipment such as scanners, printers, and mobile computers. They take pride in their quick turnaround time and transparent pricing for repairs.: Barcode Databes is a company that provides equipment and services related to barcode scanning and printing. They focus on providing quality products and excellent customer service. Their team has years of experience and extensive knowledge of the industry. They emphasize quick turnaround times to meet the demands of their customers. They also have a podcast where they share their knowledge and expertise with others. Baen Eubanks and Cliff Hardesty, co-hosts of The Warehouse Insider podcast discuss their experience in warehouse management. Cliff introduces his company, Barcode Depot, where they offer label printing and supply barcode labels to help them better manage inventory and shipping. They also talk about the importance of maintaining relationships with suppliers and customers and provide tips for those trying to start a business in the warehouse management industry. They also touch on their podcast and the value it brings to their audience.
Transcription
Speaker 1
[00.00.15]
Hey, what's up everyone? Welcome to another episode at the Warehouse Underground podcast. This is episode number ten. I'm Ben, the host of the show, and joining me today is Cliff Hardesty. He is the vice president of Barco Depot. Now let me quit. Set the stage here real quickly. I am a big baseball fan and I used to play baseball a lot, very competitively, and I always loved it when there was a specific store that I could go to with people that I knew and trusted for all the goods that I needed for my baseball. Well, Barco Depot is very similar to that, but in the world of warehousing for all things electronic, right? So I selfishly, I am a customer of Barcode Depot, so I'm excited to have Cliff on the show to talk more about that, how it runs, what they offer, and all the benefits that they can provide for the customers. Right. So with that, I'll bring them on the show, bring them on the stage.
Speaker 2
[00.01.15]
Hey, Cliff.
Speaker 1
[00.01.17]
Welcome to the warehouse underground, sir. Thank you for coming on. How are
Speaker 2
[00.01.20]
you? Pretty good man. Thanks for having me on. I've been looking forward to this. So I've been seeing a lot of your, uh, videos and stuff on LinkedIn, so it's, uh, it's an honor to join you today.
Speaker 1
[00.01.31]
Yeah, yeah. Thank you. Man, I appreciate that. And so I'll. I'll get this out here so everybody knows Cliff and I are both big Braves fans. And so at the time of this recording, it is very sad. The state of the Braves. So I'm happy to come on and do a podcast to brighten my day up because the Braves are just are just terrible, right? Oh
Speaker 2
[00.01.55]
man, you couldn't ask for a worse start. But hey, we did beat the Phillies. What was it last night? 7 to 5, I believe. So, against their ace. Um, yeah. So, yeah, I mean, you know, you got to take the wins where you can, you know, I mean, yeah, it's, uh, it's a long season, but, you know, they'll they'll get things turned around. I hope so, I hope
Speaker 1
[00.02.14]
so. All right, so enough with the baseball talk. Uh. This. Tell people a little bit about your background, Barcode Depot, how it came to be and kind of what it's all about.
Speaker 2
[00.02.31]
All right. So we are a family owned and operated company, uh, which is kind of a rare thing nowadays in our industry. Um, just because of merger and acquisitions, there's a lot of, you know, 5 or 6 big players in our industry that have, you know, acquired small companies like ours through acquisition. Um, but my dad, Gary Hardesty, actually founded our company back in 1996. Uh, at the time, he was working for a company called LXC, and, uh, he was actually purchased by Honeywell back then, I believe, maybe like early 2000 or so, but, um, he was working for LXC. He was like the second outside, um, service tech or something for them, but he, uh, he started Barcode Depot by selling one cable. I actually had a post about this on LinkedIn the other day. Yeah. Uh, the first thing Docker Depot ever sold was one cable. It was like a scanner cable or something, but, um, and then we started doing repairs. And anybody that's been in the industry for a long time, you might remember in LXC 1280, uh, it was this old, like, DOS unit. This thing was like pretty much a boat anchor with Massive. Um, but, I mean, I still remember being a little kid. Like, there was this big, like, shop we had out back behind the house, and that's where he had, like, his repair shop. And that's where he had all this equipment and everything. I still remember, like, helping him, you know, I, you know, I thought I was helping him, you know, back then when I was, you know, like, really young, but, um. Yeah, I mean, Arco depot has been a part of my life ever since I was born. I mean, I was born in 95, so, um, that's all I really know was, you know, dad working in the company. I really didn't even know what my dad did until, you know, I was probably, like, in middle school or high school, you know, because it was such a niche market. I didn't know about RF hardware labels or anything like that, but, um, so, yeah, we started as a repair, uh, depot and still are to this day. We still repair zebra, Honeywell, barcode, uh, scanners, mobile computers, uh, industrial printers, mobile printers, pretty much of any type of hardware you'd see in the warehouse. We still repair that to this day. Um, but as we grew, we built relationships with Zebra and Honeywell and our distributor, Bluestar and Scan Source. And, um, so we were able to help our customers sell, um, help them with new equipment as well. Right. So whether it was a new. Uh, barcode scanner. Uh, mobile computers, whatever it might be. So, um, but we also kind of thrived in that secondary market as well, so we could help our customers with refurbished equipment. So depending on their, uh, budgetary needs. Right. They could go with refurb or like, new or even new equipment. It really didn't matter to us, just whatever they wanted. So that's one of the reasons people like working with us is we are flexible and easy to work with, easy to get Ahold of. Uh, things like that. So, um, and then we kind of expanded into warehouse labeling as well. Right? I don't know, 2015 or so. Uh, so we actually help customers with, uh, racking labels, uh, staging signs, placards, um, anything, any type of sign label in the warehouse. Um, we can pretty much do so. Uh, it's kind of a nice complimentary good to the, uh, hardware. And, um, I mean, I can talk on and on about the different partnerships we've created in the last few years since I've joined. Um, so we actually just, um, became partners with Nexus Amr. And so we're going to be able to help customers now with, uh, talks around robotics and automation. So we're really excited about that. So, um, yeah. How did that be really interesting. Go ahead.
Speaker 1
[00.06.13]
How did. How did your how did that. Um, because you know, I know the name of the company's barcode depot, but there's way more, you know, there's way more stuff than that. I mean, it's way more, um, you know, intense, I should say, like, there's there's a huge repertoire of things. So how did that happen over time? I mean, was that something where you, as the company tried to kind of drive that to the different customers, or did you were you sort of was it in response to what was happening out there in the market, the feedback that the customers were giving you and, and what you were seeing, like, how did how does that evolution of what's in demand happen inside of Barcode Depot?
Speaker 2
[00.06.59]
Yeah, yeah, that's a great question. Um, so I joined the company back in 2019 out of college. And, uh, you know, I was learning the industry. Um, I mean, right before Covid, too. I mean, you know, talk about, um, just pure chaos in the industry and everything, but, um, um, as I, you know, was learning more about the industry and stuff, I kind of learned that if we're going to be different, we need to be more of like a solutions based company, be more of a solutions provider instead of just some hardware vendor to our customers. Right. Because there's thousands of different companies, these, um, our customers can work with. Right. So it's like we need to kind of reassess what we're doing and we need to be more solutions based. So, um, and that's what I've kind of enjoyed over the last, you know, four or 5 or 6 years is building different partnerships with different companies. So like now we have a, um, a partner called Supply Pro. And so we're able to actually help our customers with like asset management. So what they actually make is an asset management locker. So a big issue in the warehouse is, you know, half a million million square foot warehouse might have half $1 million in RF hardware. And there's not a central location to put it right. I mean, people try different. There's different solutions out there, but, I mean, they're not great. Um, but there's always that, you know, loss and theft and, um, things getting accidentally knocked in a box and actually shipped overseas, like, we've heard horror stories about that. So what's great about the asset management lockers is, is the accountability with it. Right. So all your shared hardware, laptops, radios, whatever it might be, whatever shared assets you have in the warehouse can be stored in that one centralized location. So, um, that's been a real big hit. I mean, that's a huge pain point for almost every warehouse. So, um, that's been a real popular offering. And, um, something we've been really excited about. So, um, and another partnership, um, with, uh, I'll name drop our, uh, uh, software partner, Bullseye Computing. They've been a huge partner with us, and now we're able to help customers with WMS inventory control software. So we always bring those guys in anytime we have an opportunity for that. So we work really well with them. And they kind of have a similar story to us and how we got started. So it's always nice kind of working with a company that shares your values.
Speaker 1
[00.09.37]
Oh yeah. Yeah. That alignment and just that, that synergy. It just makes it like when you're on the same page with somebody else in terms of where you come from and what your values are and everything. I think it, it just, it makes it so much easier to operate. And really, I think customers can kind of sense that too, that there's alignment there and then cooperation.
Speaker 2
[00.09.58]
Yeah. And it's just the trust that we have, you know, with each other. We know that we have each other's best interest in mind. And, you know, no one's out to, you know, screw you or you know what I'm saying? Like, I think a lot of times in business, if you don't have that trust with somebody, it's just not a good a good relationship, you know? So, yeah, um, we take our partnerships very seriously and, um, you know, it's it's been great. I mean, kind of back what you were saying, uh, about adding on these different offerings and things like that. It is a lot of times we bring on different offerings because we've sat down with our customers, talk to them, understand their pain points and things like that. So, um, that's kind of where like the asset management lockers came from. And, um, you know, other offerings that we'll, um, get to like, like LEDs, safety lights and things like that. But, um, you know, it's just sitting down and talking to your customers, understanding their pain points and, you know. You know, just making it happen, finding partners to help them with those issues. Right. Because if you don't, if someone else will. So
Speaker 1
[00.11.03]
yeah, now in the and I and I've talked about this before on other podcasts, but in the warehousing world there, like when people say a warehouse or they say a distribution center, that is a very broad term. It could be just massive, fully automated, huge FKs that are fast and big. It could be mid-level. There's a lot of private equity and family run companies out there, and it could be a small little, little warehouse. And the needs of them may be completely different how they operate. But for Barco Depot, who is your kind of main customer? Is it that big giant fulfillment center or is it kind of mid-tier, the small? Or is it really all of the above type thing? Yeah, it's kind of all the above. Um, I mean, we work with three pals, big and small. Um, but our main focus is in the warehouse, manufacturing facilities and distribution centers. It's kind of our, you know, the vertical that we focus in, We get a little bit into retail and stuff, but not a whole lot. Um, but yeah, I mean, uh, some peoples that have 1 or 2 locations, some up to have hundreds of locations. So it, you know, obviously the size of the company obviously determines, you know, their budget and what they're focused on. Right? The bigger companies are looking to, you know, automation and robotics and things like that. You know, how they can get an advantage over their competitors. And the smaller, uh, you know, mom and Pop, I guess three plus are looking at, you know, some type of, uh, WMS or they're, you know, using some type of like, inventory control system, and now they're ready to bump up to an actual like WMS and get to RF hardware and, and things like that. So. But we can help with them. Big or small, it doesn't really matter to us. They all use the same equipment. They all have the the same issues. And um, you know, we've we've seen it time and time again. So, um, and, you know, when we work with our customers, we kind of like to take that, uh, consultant, uh, like, be more of a consultant to them. So kind of
Speaker 2
[00.13.18]
understand your needs, their wants, their budgets, and just just, uh, to be flexible with them. Right. I think they really appreciate that. So.
Speaker 1
[00.13.26]
Yeah. And we were chatting about that a little bit before the show about how how the customer has kind of changed over the past ten, 15 years type thing. And I mean, I guess I kind of have that question for you at Barco Depot because I, I would think that if it is a customer that is a big company, a big, well-known company, and they have big FCS or big DCS, they they probably already have some knowledge in-house about some of this equipment. They may have an IT department that's very knowledgeable type thing. But there are also many, many, you know, warehouses out there that don't necessarily have that. They have a little bit of knowledge, but they've got a warehouse manager or an ops manager and a sales department and maybe there's a IT, but they focus mostly on kind of the ERP and the sales side of it. So do you, you know, I mean, do you do you find that a lot of your customers already kind of know what they want and everything that comes with it or, you know, I mean, are you seeing people that kind of need to be coached through it and need to have that relationship and more of that partner type thing going forward?
Speaker 2
[00.14.49]
You know, I mean, not to give some vanilla answer again, but it's a little bit of both. You know, it's like some customers know what they want. Um, and it's funny, kind of like the vernacular that people use in the warehouse. Right? Like what we would consider like a mobile computer, like a zebra MC 93 or MC 94 is technically a mobile computer, but people call it a scanner, scan gun, things like that. So a lot of times it's kind of funny, like someone will say, hey, I need some zebras. And it's like, okay, what do you mean by just zebras? Right? It's like, you mean the printers? Mobile computers. Like, oh, hey, I need some scan guns or something like that. So it's a lot of, like, understanding what they truly mean, right? Because there's so much, I guess, slang that they use in the warehouse, which is like, okay, well scanned gun can mean a lot of different things, but um, but yeah, I mean, it's a little bit of both, right? It's, you know, some people, you know, they'll tell you like what the project is, what they're trying to accomplish. Um, and we can come in with a recommendation of saying, you know, we recommend these three products, and this is why. Right. Um, the benefits to both. Um, we're really not married to any manufacturer. We're very agnostic. Right. So we can, um, give our recommendations as saying, hey, these are the three, you know, most popular brands. Are these the ones that we recommend? This is, you know, why you would go with, uh, each one of these and, uh, kind of let the customer decide. And really, it's our job to inform the customer enough to where they are, where they feel like they're making an informed decision on their. You know, we don't want to be pushy in any way. We're not in it for a quick sale. We don't want to sell them anything they don't need or don't want. Right. I mean, it's really they're to understand their needs and their wants, understand their budget. Right? What the what they're actually trying to accomplish with this equipment. Right. So yeah, that's where we come in. And that's what I enjoy doing is understanding. Um. You know what their needs and wants are and how we, you know, how we can help and give our recommendations. And then, um, some people will just say, hey, I need 12 of this, 15 of that, yadda yadda. And then it's just a it's just an order at that point. So, um, but yeah, I mean, it's like I said, it's a little mix of both, but we'll, we'll take whatever. So yeah,
Speaker 1
[00.17.08]
but I mean, but when you, I think in the, in some of the equipment that, that we are talking like it's one thing if it's just okay, you need some labels for your facility or something like that. But when you get into the world of scanners and, and printers and the whole thing, especially scanners, that the cost of that can really add up. I mean, especially depending on how many employees they have there and how many they want. So I think it's you kind of help put yourself in the in the manager shoes that's buying that they've they've probably got a boss and they want to be able to show them. Yes. I did my due diligence. I got a different quote. Here is the the pros and cons of each of these that that are coming from the experts. And this is why I decided we need to go with this solution. But that's not really that's not really coming from them. You know, that's coming from you and and your expertise. You're just kind of helping them look like a hero.
Speaker 2
[00.18.09]
Yeah, well into
Speaker 1
[00.18.10]
it too. I think I would value that a lot.
Speaker 2
[00.18.13]
Yeah. And it's to give them, you know, ultimately we're there to give them peace of mind in that purchase decision. Right. Because they are investing hundreds of thousands of dollars. And, um, you know, this RF hardware, whether it's mobile computers, printers, mobile printers, whatever it might be, right? I mean, it's stuff that you really have to have to run an efficient warehouse. And, uh, we can bear that. We can be there for them through the whole lifecycle. Right? So, um, we can help them with repairs when things come off. You know, say, like manufacturers, uh, contract or service contract. Um, so we can really be there for the whole lifetime of that equipment, right? If they have old equipment, we can help repair it until it's time to, uh, refresh to new equipment. And, um, uh, another thing that we've added was, um, we have a couple leasing partners that we use. So a lot of times people, you know, they say it's easier to get an OpEx approved over a CapEx. So I actually posted about this today on LinkedIn and just the pros and cons of it. So that just kind of goes back to the flexibility of, you know, working with us. Right. There's a lot of different options, uh, purchasing options, um, when it comes to buying this equipment.
Speaker 1
[00.19.26]
Yeah. And I mean, you mentioned kind of you mentioned the repairs piece and like this, this equipment I know from first hand gets gets broken a lot. It just either used or dropped or dragged or what have you. And nothing makes an employee a warehouse employee, more angry than if they don't have access to their scanner that they like. This is this is mine. This has my number on it. And people laugh at that. But they they they have their one that they like. And so if it's, if it's broken and and you have to and we have to send it off to get it repaired. They're agitated when they're using the one that's not there. They don't like the way that works or everyone is a little bit different. So it is you know, I know you talked about your repair department, but you know, how how does that how does that operate? I mean, I feel like that is a very good. You know, piece of value that that you can offer. That would make me feel good about purchasing scanners for, for those reasons. Yeah. And, uh, so the way our repair process works is, uh, you would send in your, uh, equipment to our repair facility, and our technicians would evaluate the equipment, and then we give you a repair estimate to approve before we do any work. So there's no hidden cost or any hidden fees or anything like that, right? So whatever we quote you is going to be the cost for your repairs. So once the customer approves that our technicians get to work, repair it, ship it out. It's as easy as that. Right. So, um, we know the certain pieces of equipment we see the most or we have on contracts. We try to stock up on parts so we can have a fast turnaround time. Um, normally it's within the same week. If we get a piece of equipment on a Monday, more than likely we can get it out Thursday or Friday or
Speaker 2
[00.21.31]
early the next week at the latest. So just depends on parts availability. But our usually our technicians are very quick to get things turned around because that's one of the reasons why people like working with us is, you know, we have fair prices, quick turnaround times, easy to get Ahold of, um, great technical support if they ever have a question with a device. And if, you know, for whatever reason, something's not working like it's supposed to, obviously we're going to warranty it for, um, at least 30 days and they send it back to us, we figure out what happened and send it back to him at no charge. So, um, I think that's, you know, one of the reasons, you know, people like, you know, working with us and we have so many repeat, um, customers when it comes to the repairs.
Speaker 1
[00.22.16]
Where do you find where do you find these texts to, to do this? I mean, because I think, like you, you get all different types of scanners. You, you it's not like you have just just one. So how are they? How do they get qualified on being able to repair different ones? I mean, do they they go through our training.
Speaker 2
[00.22.35]
Well. Luckily our guys, they've been in the industry for a long time. And, um, you know, they've had experience in previous companies where they've learned the equipment through just being like a just a regular bench tech. Right? You might have been their first or second job and they've have probably 10 or 15 years of experience now. So they've seen a little bit of it. All right. So we have one guy that mainly focuses on like the Honeywell stuff, one guy that focuses on the zebra stuff, and they both work on the printers and things like that. So um, but yeah, it's just a lot of just, um, hands on trial and error, trial and error knowledge, um, you know, from back in the day and they, you know, just have a, a go getter attitude and, you know, they have a, you know, hey, let me, you know, hey, let me try to repair this if it's something they haven't seen before. It's like is there parts available? I think I can do this. You know, at the end of the day, a lot of that equipment is all about the same underneath the shell, right? Um, yeah. Ribbon cables and flex cables and, you know, this and that, little bitty screws. So, um, you know, they're they're great, right? I mean, um, they've been there's they've probably repaired thousands and thousands of pieces of equipment, so. Yeah. Um, but yeah, they just like,
Speaker 1
[00.23.53]
put a blindfold on. Just put a blindfold on. It's part of their training. Can you, can you do it blindfolded? And they can.
Speaker 2
[00.23.58]
Yeah. Yeah. What's funny is like, that was one of my first jobs, like in the company. I remember repairing equipment like soldering and, um, repairing, uh, like, motherboards. And, I mean, so I've really done it all ever since. I mean, growing up before I was even, like full time at Home Depot. Like, I've, I've, I've done it all. So kind of gives you a better perspective, I guess, when you're, you know, getting close to, I guess, running the company, you know. So yeah, when you've kind of done everything in the business. So it kind of gives you a well-rounded knowledge of whatever, you know, I guess everything that goes on.
Speaker 1
[00.24.37]
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. You spend in your Friday nights as a kid, repair and scanners and the whole thing. You got to earn your stripes, right? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2
[00.24.46]
That's right. Yeah. Cool. Yeah.
Speaker 1
[00.24.48]
Now, let me ask you this question. So I, you know, I come from the ops world. You serve warehouses, the whole thing. And most facilities out there are trying to turn around orders as fast as they can to their customers. That's just what the customer expects these days. Call it the Amazon effect or or whatever, whatever you want to call it. Um, you know, how important is that for you in this industry? I mean, do your do your customers still expect that, like quick turnaround time? I ordered it, I want it or are they kind of ordering in bulk more ahead of time. And so they're comfortable with like a longer lead time. Like what what are they expect. And what are you kind of delivering to them in terms of ops performance at market?
Speaker 2
[00.25.43]
So again, it's, uh, it's a little bit of both, right? It depends on, obviously the company, the project, where they're at in that project. Right. Um, so it it just depends. Uh, a lot of times some companies are better at planning than others, so they're okay with, um, you know, 3 or 4 week lead time. But, you know, what we try to do, like early in the process is kind of preface with, with what we're expecting the lead time to be. Right. It's like, let's figure out the timeline for this opportunity. If you think you're going to be ordering this equipment within a month, let us look at the lead time. So once we get a Po. Yep, it'll be available in 1 or 2 weeks. 3 or 4 weeks, whatever it is. Right. So there is you know, we try to be upfront with them about that. So um, but I mean, I don't mind I mean, during Covid, I mean, we were seeing 12 to 16 weekly times and that was just terrible. I mean, people couldn't wait that long. Uh, and that was just like for the hardware stuff that we sell. And, I mean, I, I talked to some general managers and ops managers that were waiting over a year for certain forklifts. So that was, uh oh, that was just a crazy time
Speaker 1
[00.26.53]
for. Oh, yeah. No, I remember that. So yeah. Yeah. So luckily I remember down. Yeah. Good. Yeah. I remember being in the market during Covid for that or a reach truck. And the I remember the I won't name the vendor, but I was asking about the lead time and he told me that at that time 18 months and I said eight. I mean, that's a that's like two budget cycles away. I can't, I can't, I can't do that now. So he's like, that's just that's just how, how it is. So it sounds like it wasn't just a forklift or, uh, reach Lyft. It was just kind of across the board, all industries where. Yeah. Like to even
Speaker 2
[00.27.36]
you. Yeah. It affected everything. Yeah. So but to get back to your point about the lead times, I mean, if it's something that we have in store and obviously it shifts out that day. Um, if, um, you know, if it's something that our partner has or distribution has, then it just, you know, it'll ship out and, you know, 1 to 2 days or something like that. So a lot of times lead times are not a big issue unless it's something like a real new piece of equipment that's just dropped by, you know, Zebra or Honeywell, um, you know, and then it might not be available yet. So we usually tell the customer, it's like, hey, if you want this piece of equipment, it's going to be, you know, maybe 6 to 8 weeks or something like that. So which isn't too bad compared to what it was back during Covid. But um, yeah, I will share this one quick story with you, Ben. I think it's important. Um, yeah. And one of the reasons I think people. Like working with Barcode Depot and find value in US. So last Wednesday, I believe a customer, local customer here in Atlanta called us. They were kind of in a panic. They had like a multi-million dollar automation project that was about to go live this past Monday and Tuesday, I believe. And they kind of had this bottleneck with some zebra printers, and they couldn't find them and they needed them like next day. And, um, our contact called us kind of in a panic saying, hey, man, we need these printers. Like next day. Um, you know, we have a lot riding on the line here. Like, can you help us out? And so I immediately hopped on the phone, called every local partner that I knew of in the metro Atlanta area and said, hey, man, do you have this certain printer? I had my customers come in a bind. We need it like next day. And so we were actually able to find four of these printers that he needed from a local partner. And um, so we were able to it was. Yeah, it was it was crazy how it worked out, but um, I was actually able to go pick him up on Friday and then go deliver them to the customer. And it was it was just crazy how it worked out. Right? I mean, um. I just think that's a great story of like the value of working with a small company like Barcode Diva, right? We're going to do things like that, go above and beyond for the customer. Like good luck getting a CDW or some other, you know, large private equity backed company to do that. Right. They're just not going to do it. Right. So we yeah, you know, we really value our customers. And like I said, we try to go above and beyond for them. I mean, I didn't get there to their facility until like five, five, 530 on a Friday all the way down in south of Atlanta. So not the most ideal time to go, but hey, we do it for our customers. My wife wasn't happy with me, but I did. It got home around 730 or so. But we, you know, we got it done. And, um, you know, I just kind of had a kind of to it our own horn there, uh, a little bit, but, uh, I just want the world to know, like, that's kind of the service that you can expect when you work for them.
Speaker 1
[00.30.43]
I love that story. Yeah, I mean, I love that that's, uh, resourceful, scrappy grit, whatever you want to call it. I mean, that in my in my book that that goes a long way. And you're right. You always find that from big, giant, well-known companies because they just they don't have to, you know, they don't they they don't have to do that. They don't they don't bother with it. But yeah, if you want to be very nimble and in this day and age, you need that. I mean, you need that, especially in the ops world, warehousing world, there's just so much up and down and changes and flexibility that you have in your own operation that it's very it's very good when you can have a partner that can can roll with that, you know. Yeah, that can and
Speaker 2
[00.31.25]
we want to be our we want to be our customers first call right when something when they need something. Um, even if it's something that we don't. Necessarily do or it's not our, I guess, bread and butter, as you would say. You know, we'll find an answer, right? We'll find a partner. We'll point you in the right direction. Right. We're never going to say no. Sorry. You know, you're out of luck type of deal, right? It's always like we always just kind of have that scrappy, go getter attitude of, yeah, let's figure this out. Right? I think at the end of the day, we're just problem solvers. So love it. Uh, yeah.
Speaker 1
[00.32.00]
All right. So now the the the big the big point you you have a podcast I have a podcast I have I have I have seen your podcast, I have heard your podcast and it's very good. What what's that like where, where did that come from and and how and you know, what's the what's that experience been like for you and, and your team at Barker Depot?
Speaker 2
[00.32.23]
Yeah, it's been great. Me and, uh, our business partner, um, Jeremy Hess, he co-host the podcast with me. He's from, uh, Bullseye Computing, who I was talking about earlier. And, uh, you know, we thought it'd be cool to just kind of put our brains together. Like, he comes from the software side. I come from the hardware side. So we thought, you know, co-hosting the podcast together, kind of putting our expertise together would be a really cool, um, you know, way to kind of synergize. I guess our expertise and put that in a podcast. So, um. Yeah, it's been great. I mean, I could, you know, some people say I have the gift of gab, so I can just talk forever. So podcasting kind of came naturally for me because I just enjoy talking to interesting people and just having good conversations. I do too, you know? So, yeah, it's, um, it's great. I think it's a great, like, value, uh, mutual value for the host and the and the guest on the show. So I think it's a true win win for everybody. And, um, you know, I just trying to build a presence on LinkedIn. I knew we were going to do a video podcast, uh, um, post on YouTube shorts or, you know, posted on Spotify, put it on LinkedIn. Um, just trying to get the word out there about us, because there's a lot of upfront costs with the podcast, as you know. I mean, your equipment and everything, but it really just takes your time and it takes a lot of planning, you know, to do it. Right. Um, but I mean, once you got everything and, and it's just, you know, getting a guest on talking, right? Try to provide some value to your audience and, um.
Speaker 1
[00.34.00]
Yeah, yeah. And I and I found to it's like, you know, not everyone. Like sometimes you may have a guest on and everybody wants to hear from them. Other times you may have somebody and they're not appealing to a broad audience, but for that specific niche that they are talking to, it's very, very value added. It's it's very important. So if you have if you have a podcast, I have a podcast with, uh, you know, automation or a WMS or AI. Well, not everybody cares about those things, but the people that do, they're definitely going to tune in and listen and they really say, oh yeah, for sure. I mean, uh, I think these podcasts are great just in the warehouse industry. Um, yeah. Anybody that's researching a certain topic or whatever, I mean, there's so many different resources out there now to, you know, become more knowledge rich, I guess, in a, in a certain topic. I mean, the stuff we're talking about is super niche, right? Not everybody. You're all, you know, you're not in the supply chain where you don't even know really what we're talking about. But if you're in the day to day like yourself or an ops manager, general manager, I mean, you understand the stuff we're talking about and the pain points that we're. That's
Speaker 2
[00.35.11]
right. We're addressing. So it's, you know, it's definitely hitting home.
Speaker 1
[00.35.15]
That's right. If you if you want broad podcasts, you just listen to the Tiger team show at the warehouse underground. Right. So selfish. Plug there. If you want niche, you know, you listen to the very professional professional podcast like we're doing right now.
Speaker 2
[00.35.29]
Yeah. Yeah. Cool.
Speaker 1
[00.35.31]
So where can people find out more about you and Marco Depot? And what do you got on the horizon? I mean, I know you're out there at the shows and on LinkedIn like you talked about, but what's coming down the pike?
Speaker 2
[00.35.44]
Yeah. So you can find us at, uh, BCD for.net. Uh, that is our website. You can follow me on LinkedIn, just Cliff Hardesty. You should be able to find me, uh, Barcode Depot or on LinkedIn as well. Try to stay active there, uh, with just different insights and things that are going on in my day to day. And, um, so, yeah, I would definitely, uh, you know, welcome a follow on there. And, you know, uh, um, trying to just build a presence for myself there on LinkedIn. So, um, and then you can find our, uh, The Warehouse Insider podcast on Spotify as well, so you can find us on there. And, um, we've already done a few shows, uh, in 2025. Um, and then we're looking at doing some more, uh, down the road. So, um, you might see us at an industry show, um, sometime down the road. So we're, uh, cool. We're excited to hit the road and start attending some more shows and, um, you know, see where it goes.
Speaker 1
[00.36.49]
Oh, very cool, my friend. Well, thank you very much again for kind of coming on the show and chatting with me. And like I said in the intro, I am a customer, the Barcode Depot, like I have used it for a lot of stuff and I, I can vouch for everything that you said about the quality of product and the service and relationship. All very good things. And so I hope, I hope others out there can, can, uh, can share in that sentiment that, that I have. So thank you again. Yeah,
Speaker 2
[00.37.17]
yeah. Thanks for having me, Ben, I really appreciate I hope your audience got some value out of this.
Speaker 1
[00.37.24]
Good. All right, man, we'll. We'll go Braves. Yeah. And, uh, hopefully they can do something. Yeah.
Speaker 2
[00.37.32]
They need to man. Slow start. So anyway, thanks again. I appreciate your time.
Speaker 1
[00.37.38]
You got it, Cliff. Appreciate it. Have a good one.
Speaker 2
[00.37.51]
All right, guys, that concludes today's show. Thanks again for Cliff and, uh, Barco Depot for coming on some very cool stuff, uh, with them and a very good, um, foundation of a fantastic, um, relationship that you can have with a very critical, uh, supplier. So, uh, I really appreciate him coming on the show. And with that, if you are interested in more about what's going on out there in the warehouse world, that is in a not professional manner, I don't want to say not professional, uh, but more in a lighthearted manner. Check out my new show. It's the Tiger team at the Warehouse Underground. And as always, please sign up for the community. Uh, in the message boards there. Lots of cool stuff. Events, um, content, uh, you name it. I think you guys will really like it. Right? So with that, I will see everyone at the next podcast next week. Thank you.
