In a nutshell, our commitment to safeguarding our independence is intended to avoid bias, predisposition, or conflict of interest. As consultants in material handing logistics, we are paid for the professional services we render. Our only allegiance is to the protection of our client's best interests.

By strictly avoiding "mutually beneficial" arrangements with vendor organizations, Gross & Associates may be walking away from additional revenue sources such as commissions or finder's fees. We may also be relinquishing business opportunities, such as cooperative advertising, and joint marketing efforts. But then again, this is nothing new for us. We have maintained our independence and integrity under this business philosophy for more than 35 years. Gross & Associates continues to grow based upon the quality of our work and the delivery of unbiased results.

Since there is no vested interest on our part in the sale of equipment or software, our recommendations are entirely based upon the development of the best process to support our client's goals. If equipment of software is needed, a wide variety of manufacturers, systems integrators, distributors, and dealers can be among those who bid based upon adherence to functional specifications.

This pragmatic and fundamentally equitable approach has been the basis for continued client satisfaction. We view client referral as the ultimate compliment and nearly 90% of our annual workload comes from satisfied clients who reengage us for subsequent projects or refer us to other firms.

What does the Gross & Associates "No Vendor Partnership" policy mean to equipment or software vendors?

As independent consultants in material handling logistics we do not participate in partnerships or alliances with vendor organizations. We do not accept commissions or finder's fees (so please pass the savings along to our client). As a result, we have no predisposition to particular equipment or software solutions. This means that you have as good a chance as any other vendor organization at earning the business of our clients based on your ability to meet the unique requirements of the project.

We encourage vendor organizations to introduce us to their companies and product lines as well as furnish catalogs, application guides, and technical manuals for our reference library and database.

We are representatives of our client and we are responsible for protecting their interests. In doing so, Gross & Associates pledges to be fair and equitable in our dealings with vendor organizations.