History
To answer your first question, H. O. K. stands for House of Kitchens. In the late 1960s, Ken and Ray Dodge decided to expand their retail business into the Manufacturers' Rep field and named the new division H. O. K. Sales. It could have been worse. They could have been selling gutters.
H. O. K. Sales enjoyed swift and continued success over the next 10 years. In 1976 the business was split and later, Ray teamed up with Joe Murphy to found Dodge-Murphy & Associates. Ken was joined by his son, Casey, in 1977, Patty in 1982 and Bob in 1988. Dodge-Murphy & Associates continued its growth by adding Mark Dodge in 1990. Ken passed away in 1993, still on the job, and Ray retired in 1997. The two agencies remained friendly; sharing industry updates, rides to trade shows and referring competing lines to each other.
By 1999 the respective principals of both companies decided the time had come to reunite as a single agency. The senior partners had a little trouble choosing a new president, so Joe and Casey flipped a coin. Joe lost and so he became the President. In short order, H. O. K. was reborn as a stronger, more comprehensive business entity, able to exploit opportunities available to a larger agency while enjoying the synchronistic benefits of two experienced staffs working together.
Since the merger, that process has been further refined so that today, every aspect of the way H. O. K. does business has been improved and updated. Most important of all, the valued personal relationships that each partner enjoys with manufacturers and customers have been enhanced.
Joe Murphy, Mark Dodge and Dan Nolan are equal partners. The team as a whole we consider "family" (not to far from the truth!)
In January 2012 H.O.K. Sales, Inc. moved into our current location here in West Chicago, almost doubling our office space and updating our warehouse facilities.
H. O. K. Sales enjoyed swift and continued success over the next 10 years. In 1976 the business was split and later, Ray teamed up with Joe Murphy to found Dodge-Murphy & Associates. Ken was joined by his son, Casey, in 1977, Patty in 1982 and Bob in 1988. Dodge-Murphy & Associates continued its growth by adding Mark Dodge in 1990. Ken passed away in 1993, still on the job, and Ray retired in 1997. The two agencies remained friendly; sharing industry updates, rides to trade shows and referring competing lines to each other.
By 1999 the respective principals of both companies decided the time had come to reunite as a single agency. The senior partners had a little trouble choosing a new president, so Joe and Casey flipped a coin. Joe lost and so he became the President. In short order, H. O. K. was reborn as a stronger, more comprehensive business entity, able to exploit opportunities available to a larger agency while enjoying the synchronistic benefits of two experienced staffs working together.
Since the merger, that process has been further refined so that today, every aspect of the way H. O. K. does business has been improved and updated. Most important of all, the valued personal relationships that each partner enjoys with manufacturers and customers have been enhanced.
Joe Murphy, Mark Dodge and Dan Nolan are equal partners. The team as a whole we consider "family" (not to far from the truth!)
In January 2012 H.O.K. Sales, Inc. moved into our current location here in West Chicago, almost doubling our office space and updating our warehouse facilities.