Greenville-based DeMoulin Brothers & Co. is in the enviable position of being the national leader among manufacturers of marching band uniforms and accessories.
Six students on a Greenville University Experience First team worked with company officials this spring to explore how they achieved that “golden” No. 1 ranking. The team also suggested things the company can do to maintain its leadership position.
Letters seek feedback from customers
Students partnered with the company by crafting a letter and sending it to about 60 current DeMoulin Brothers customers – primarily band directors, who typically are the drivers in uniform purchases. They heard back from 10 of those customers.
“We wanted to learn about the experience those directors had with DeMoulin Brothers,” said Karleen Rheaume, an accounting and business management major. “Those that responded said many positive things about the company and its products, but the number of responses was disappointing to us.”
Chris Jackson, a criminal justice major, also had hoped for more responses. “DeMoulin representatives are very passionate about being at the top of their industry,” he said. “They keep a keen eye on the industry and know what their competitors are doing. We were hoping to have a good sampling of current customer feedback to help them retain that leadership position.”
Nevertheless, the team members considered the exercise valuable because of what they observed of the company’s approach to business.
“We learned a lot about how the manufacturing process works, and how a company like DeMoulin Brothers positions itself to be an industry leader,” said Morgan Wendling, a psychology major. “And on a personal level, I learned how to work better in a group ... to do my part, but not try to do everyone’s job.”
Similarly, Garrett Johnson, a business management major, learned valuable lessons about working in a group. “I learned to trust the group,” he said. “As we each did our part for the project, I came to trust and depend on them. We can accomplish so much more as a group when that trust is there.”
Students praise customer-service commitment
Several students also praised DeMoulin Brothers’ commitment to customer satisfaction, particularly in a field that has changed significantly during the company’s 130-year history.
“Their designers have come up with many unique uniforms for their customers,” said Meggie Pallme, a business management and marketing major. “That really distinguishes them from the competition.”
Devin Oregon, a music industry studies major, served as emcee for the group’s presentation. He said that he gleaned many valuable lessons through his participation in the exercise. “I learned a lot from my team,” he said. “One of the important lessons was to listen to them more, because that shows love to them. We all have important things to bring to the table.”
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