Salter’s Distributing in Chowchilla is expanding its warehouse, and adding new offices.
David and Cheryl Salter, owners of the company, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on September 2.
David Salter welcomed everyone to celebrate this new expansion, noting how blessed they feel, and how grateful they are to be in Chowchilla.
He told the story of how they found the piece of property at 711 S. Third Street in Chowchilla nine years ago.
“We feel like God brought us to Chowchilla, and it’s been a great nine years so far. We’re looking to the rest of the time here,” he said. “I say it’s a God thing, because when Cheryl found this place for sale, I told her there’s no way in hell I’m moving to Chowchilla.
“Three months later, I found it for sale. And I said, ‘look at this place I found.’ So, when it was my idea, we bought the place,” he said, smiling at Cheryl.
Before the ceremony began, Salter asked Pastor Tomas Portillo to to pray for the business, for their community, and for the employees.
Portillo first spoke of the Salters’ strong faith and relationship with God, and that they have prayed much over their business. He quoted a passage from Psalms 127, which is often used for the family and home. “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain, and unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” The passage is Psalm 127:1.
“And we don’t want to do anything that the Lord has not blessed,” Portillo said, before he prayed the Lord’s blessing over the groundbreaking.
David Rogers County Supervisor for District 2, who lives in Chowchilla, presented the Salters with a certificate of recognition from the Madera County Board of Supervisors. He began his speech with the title of the song, “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!”
“We’re here on a beautiful morning to celebrate an achievement that is kind of rare in Chowchilla,” he said. “About 10 years ago the Salters decided to move their operation to Chowchilla with about, plus or minus 30 to 40 employees. Today, they’re at 99.”
Rogers spoke of how amazing it is that Salters Distributing has grown so much in such a short time, and how unusual these entrepreneurs are.
“If I could describe them, David could sell refrigerators to the Eskimos, and probably could sell canteens to the lizards, too. This guy is great at sales. And then Cheryl is the brains and brawn behind the sales. She is the business mind,” he said. “Together, they are a perfect couple. God brought them together for a reason,” he said.
To the Salters, he said. “God has really blessed you. He’s going to continue to bless you because you do the right things. You’re honest people. You’re good people. You’re fighting for the right things. And you’re just going to continue to prosper. Thank you for your service for our community. And may you continue to be successful.”
Joe Ballas, district representative from the office of State Senator Anna Caballeros, also presented the Salters with a certificate of recognition for their growth, and congratulated them on their groundbreaking of about 20,000 square feet of expansion.
The Mayor of Chowchilla, Kelly Smith, made a few comments to the Salters about the business they have built in Chowchilla, congratulating them on their investment in their business and in the city of Chowchilla.
“It’s one thing to build a business in a community, but it’s another thing to make your family here in the city. You guys chose to live here. You served the community as much more than just a business. You made Chowchilla your home. We’re so proud to have you as members of this community. Thank you for choosing Chowchilla,” he said.
Cheryl Salter welcomed everyone, thanking them for coming to celebrate this expansion. She gave a brief history of how the company came to be.
“My husband, David Salter, was a father at 17. He dropped out of high school and went to work for Valley Sales in Modesto. His first job was blowing up balls in a warehouse. They soon moved him to a delivery truck and he began to learn the distribution business,” she said.
“So, after working for a few different distribution companies, David knew he wanted to work for himself, and build his own company. He moved to Fresno so he would not compete with his former employers, and he opened Salters Distributing in 1990 with $200.
“He used the $200 to buy toy inventory, sold his 1970 Chevy Chevelle to buy his first delivery truck and went to work,” she said.
She spoke of how the company kept growing, expanding from selling toys to selling general merchandise. The company now sells toys, work gloves, bandanas, hats, sunglasses, mops and brooms, stationary tools, batteries, summer inflatables, winter hats and gloves, flashlights, and more.
Salter’s Distributing now has several lines of its own.
The Salters have immersed themselves in the community. David has served on Madera Workforce Investment Board for six years. He currently serves on the board at the Trinity Pregnancy Resource Center and is a member of the Chowchilla Chamber of Commerce.
David and Cheryl were married in 1998, blending their families. They raised their four kids together. They moved to Madera Ranchos, and built the business there for 17 years. The business continued to grow, and they ran out of space on that property.
In 2017, they purchased the warehouse in Chowchilla.
The company now services over 3,200 stores in the Central Valley and the Central Coast. The Salters run the company along with their son-in-law Billy Lawson.
They have been in business now 36 years, and they are thankful to God, their staff, and the city of Chowchilla for their success.
David Salter spoke of the expansion itself, but first talked about how he began the business.
“When I first started it, I was living on my brother’s couch for a few weeks between his couch and another friend’s couch. I was couch surfing because I only had $200 worth of merchandise,” he said. “I’d already tried getting the business going once. It wasn’t working, and I was cleaning carpets for a living. My dad called me, and he said, come get these toys out of my garage and sell them.”
If it hadn’t been for those couple of pushes, he may not have gotten started.
He rented a house out in the country, working out of a three-car garage, and he met Cheryl.
“She loves business. I love business. We hit it off real quick,” he said. “And I told her, now if you marry me, I’ve got dreams.”
The two of them got married, and he said he has been blessed all his life. It all started with $200.
“We’ve just been blessed with friends and family for 36 years,” he said.
David spoke of his son-in-law starting at 18 years old, and now he’s 37, running the company with him. He shared a couple of stories of others who have been with him for many years.
“I could sit here and tell you story and story and story about it. all my different guys working on this team. We don’t just have employees. We got teams,” he said.
Just before the groundbreaking, David Salter gave a quick explanation of what the expansion will be. The warehouse will expand, and they are building 3,900 square feet of new offices, with warehouse room above the offices to store seasonal items.
“We’re building it and designing it so everything will flow a lot easier. And maybe in nine years, we’ll expand again. We’re on 10 acres, and we love it out here.,” he said.
Their motto for this expansion, “Here we grow again,” was printed on the backs of all the t-shirts of the staff who were present at the groundbreaking ceremony.