Though the economy is slowly picking up and more dealers are reporting a favorable outlook for 2011 — 82 percent of SDM 100 companies expect improvements over the next year — 2010 still saw companies struggling to keep their bottom lines from dropping. Mountain Alarm, an Ogden, Utah-based dealer ranked within the top 50, kept its profits up despite weak sales in 2010 by putting its business on a diet and making smarter choices.
Rod Garner, president and chief executive officer of Mountain Alarm, comments that the company was able to maintain profits in a down economy by becoming leaner and smarter. That involved a lot of evaluation of the business, some creativity, and making tough decisions.