Progress with purpose and precision with PAC
Iain Hoey
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DJ Kuenzi, Marketing Director at Performance Advantage Company (PAC), discusses customer outreach, evolving communication tools and the balance between product longevity, catalogue design and user engagement
With a reputation built on dependable, long-lasting solutions, Performance Advantage Company (PAC) continues to prioritise its relationships across the fire industry.
In this interview, DJ Kuenzi, Marketing Director at PAC, speaks to International Fire and Safety Journal about the company’s steady path through 2025.
PAC’s efforts are focused on strengthening communication, improving user experience and staying present within the community through events, refreshed materials and a new online platform.
DJ outlines how the business balances consistency with progress and how even small updates can keep a trusted brand moving forward.
DJ, to start us off – can you tell us a bit about your background and what your role at PAC involves day to day?
I come from an IT background and was fortunate enough in my previous career to explore opportunities that expanded my skillset into other areas of business.
I am also a military veteran and feel my different experiences have helped me grow into a well-rounded professional – almost a jack of all trades, if you will.
On a day-to-day basis, my current role at PAC as Marketing Director involves maintaining our media presence across multiple business lines, using all different types of media.
My ultimate goal is to educate.
I want to ensure all our customers, new or existing, understand how we can assist them in safely and securely maintaining their equipment.
Ultimately, it’s about building brand awareness and trust in PAC’s products and our customer service.
PAC’s products are built to last – how do you keep things moving forward when your gear doesn’t need constant replacement?
You’re right – our products can often outlast the apparatus they’re mounted to.
Many departments regularly update not only their equipment but their apparatus as well.
So, as new apparatus are put into service, we can generally outfit the new rig.
Or when new equipment enters the market, we may have something specific for that particular piece.
We try to stay current with industry trends so we can provide the most up-to-date and adaptable solutions.
We know you’ve got plans to refresh PAC’s website – what prompted the update and what are you hoping the new site will deliver?
Yes! We’re really excited about our new website.
The framework and design are complete and we’re currently working on the product content.
Like everything on the internet, technology keeps evolving.
There are features now available that weren’t accessible to us during the last rebuild.
We also listened carefully to feedback and critiques from our users, aiming to address their concerns.
Our goals are to make the site visually appealing, easy to navigate and detailed without being overwhelming.
You’re also refreshing the product catalogue this year – what changes are being made and how do you see it supporting both sales and field teams?
Personally, I’m just as excited about the new catalogue as I am the website! As you may know, we support more than just the fire industry.
In the past, we’ve had a separate catalogue for each business line – one for fire, one for law enforcement, landscaping, etc.
While we do offer industry-specific mounting solutions, many of our products are adaptable across sectors.
Our aim now is to build a single, comprehensive product catalogue showcasing everything PAC can offer – from brackets and aluminium extrusions to hardware.
It’ll be robust and informative and we believe it will help our customers understand the full scope of our product line.
How do you approach keeping the company’s look and message current without losing what people already trust?
We pride ourselves on two main things: quality and customer service.
I believe the quality of our products, combined with outstanding service, is a better marketing tool than anything I or anyone else could create.
Long before I joined PAC, my predecessors and colleagues built the PAC brand into a globally recognised and trusted resource.
Our products – and the people behind them – speak for themselves.
As I said earlier, I see my job as educating potential and existing customers and partners.
Just showing them how we can help.
PAC has also been active on the event circuit – how important are trade shows and in-person demos for PAC?
I can’t overstate how important the trade show circuit is for us.
It gives us a chance to showcase our products to new audiences, introduce innovations and most importantly, engage with the people who actually use them.
Many of our current products started as conversations or ideas shared at these shows.
No one has all the answers, but getting in-person feedback and hearing about real-world scenarios is invaluable.
It helps us innovate and genuinely deliver what customers want.
Can you tell us about the upgraded show truck – what it’s used for and how it fits into your broader marketing strategy?
We’re extremely proud of all the hard work that went into our new show truck.
It was built by the team at Ward Apparatus, fitted with lights from SoundOff Signal and wrapped by VSP Graphics.
We handled the product installations in-house.
The benefit of having a truck like this is being able to demonstrate exactly what a real-world install looks like.
Seeing a product in a catalogue or on a display table doesn’t always show how it will work in practice.
Another plus is how adaptable it is – we can tailor the layout for different audiences.
For example, if we’re attending a landscaping or construction show, we can outfit the truck to suit that industry.
It’s definitely an eye-catcher and the feedback so far this year has been fantastic.
Outside of trade events, how does PAC keep in touch with the wider fire and rescue community?
We regularly attend dealer meetings and keep in contact with those handling installations.
We’re members of several manufacturing associations, which helps us reach people who might not attend trade shows.
Our partnerships with publications like IFSJ and FSJA have broadened our reach and we’re very grateful for those relationships.
We’ve recently begun emailing quarterly newsletters to our customers.
And of course, social media is hugely important to us.
We’re proud to have such a diverse and loyal fan base.
From a marketing perspective, what’s been the most effective way for PAC to keep long-standing customers engaged while reaching new ones?
It’s hard to pinpoint a single most effective tactic, but we’re most proud of our personal interactions.
We want every customer to walk away satisfied from every encounter – whether that’s a conversation at a trade show, a phone call, a quick email reply, or a tour of our facility.
We wouldn’t be where we are without each and every one of them and we do our best to make sure they feel appreciated.
When you hear from users in the field, what are they asking for most and how do you act on that?
As you can imagine, we hear a wide range of suggestions.
When we receive ideas for a new product or changes to an existing one, we bring it in-house and discuss it with our teams.
We ask ourselves: is it practical? Will it have broad use? Can we make it safe, secure and cost-effective? If the answer is yes, our engineers begin working on a design and eventually a prototype.
Finally, what’s next for PAC?
As I mentioned, the new website and catalogue redesign are both on the way.
We’ve also got some new products launching soon – more details to follow.
But for now, we’re focused on what we do best: attending shows, educating our customers, meeting new ones, supporting first responders and delivering the best customer service we can.