We Help Moms

We will help your mom move a couch. We actually will. We have a truck and a strong back. It’s no problem at all. What time do you need us there?

I visited Starin HQ in Indiana for the first time recently. I had made up my mind about a lot of things based on Zoom calls, websites, emails. I made a lot of wrong assumptions.

Starin was founded as a rep firm. As Jim Starin was really getting his distribution business established, he personally suggested that I do the same in my region. He was sharing his best ideas and plans with me. He asked for nothing in return. Yup. He would have helped my mom move her couch. For whatever reason, I had not remembered that kindness. Starin grew in my mind as some monolithic audio distribution monster. They and Music Tribe were threats to all I held dear. I could not have been more wrong, and Starin’s departure from Music Tribe and all of their money makes it clear that kindness is still on the menu. It is who Starin is.

Starin would get in their collective pickup truck and help your mom move a couch. Period.

At the same time, Starin is operating some of the most cutting-edge warehouse management systems available. They make their Salesforce CRM stand on its head and do tricks. Starin advises some of the biggest tech companies on the planet. And Starin will show up and shovel snow for your uncle that is under the weather.

This is why we are here. This is why I am at Starin and am proud as heck to be here. We are not a small company. We have all the trappings of a big organization, but we still have time to bring over a casserole. When I walked into the office, it was clearly a team focused on only one thing: the customer. Team members are working together to solve credit, logistical, and design challenges. Nobody was complaining. Everyone was happy. Everyone was happy.

Chesterton Indiana is a short way from Chicago. It is on the shore of Lake Michigan. It is really nice there. Really nice. Starin is not “saving” anyone by giving them a place to work. Starin just happens to honestly be a great place to work as everyone is working for a common goal, and that is positive customer outcomes. It also means hooking up the ice-maker in your neighbors fridge.

– John Hood