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FEATURES
Vortex –
drawing in customers
When a group of highly experienced members of the industry
join forces to create a new company in the plumbing sector and
name the company Vortex, one can expect a mass of activity
that will make the industry spin.
By Rory Macnamara
The purpose of Vortex Sanitaryware is “to deliver
water to consumers in the most sustainable way and
to create the highest enjoyment of their bathroom
purchasing experience.”
As with any start-up business, one needs to look at the
people behind such a company to formulate a good idea
as to its success.
Brett Solomon
Solomon is the founder and a shareholder of Vortex.
He enters the business with 21 years of senior
executive experience in the R&D, manufacture,
supply, sales, and marketing of plumbing products
to the sub-Saharan Africa market.
Brett Solomon, the founder
and a shareholder of Vortex
Sanitaryware.
Solomon is a mechanical engineer by trade, and
started off his career as a design engineer at Isca.
Closely mentored by Avi Shachar (founder and former
owner of Isca and an engineer), Solomon moved
through the ranks of the Isca factory and business to
the position of operations director, where he controlled
the overall supply chain of the factory, from R&D and
procurement to production and outbound distribution.
In 2008, Solomon was appointed as the managing
director of Isca, where he and his team significantly
increased the size of the business during their tenure.
Solomon is enthusiastic about plumbing products,
the industry’s innovation, and building successful
businesses through the design and implementation of
a functional team and business.
Solomon strongly believes in surrounding himself
with the best minds in the industry who have the
same value system as the business he develops. He
believes people buy from people, and delivering the
correct value proposition, both for the customer and
the consumer, will be key to developing a successful
Vortex business through the years.
June 2017 Volume 23 I Number 4
Caryn Korner is a shareholder and has
been appointed as the project sales and
marketing director of Vortex.
Caryn Korner
Korner has worked in sales and marketing
management for over 25 years. Starting her career
at Isca in 1991, her focus and speciality were on
the marketing and project specification side of the
business. Her evolution into the plumbing world
was coached and mentored by Yigal Jaretzkey
(founder and former owner of Isca).
Through the years, Korner has shown her passion
for the industry and, most importantly, she is
passionate about her customers and the service
they receive. Most recently, she was in charge of
sales in Gauteng for a brand in the Grohe Dawn
group, and had a large team of sales staff reporting
into her.
Korner’s passion for the plumbing industry and her
customer-centric approach to doing business fits
well with the culture that Vortex wishes to instill in
the business — these attributes are some of its
key pillars of success.
Korner is a shareholder and has been appointed
as the project sales and marketing director of the
Vortex business.
www.plumbingafrica.co.za