Action Meat Distributors

Action Meat Distributors Co.'s fleet of trucks is constantly ready to delivery fresh meat products to customers across Texas. "The company might close a total 100 hours a year," says Lantz Howell, a co-owner and vice president of sales and marketing. "We're always open, always shipping, receiving and taking inventories." The company carries a large... variety of inventory in meat, poultry, cheese and seafood products purchased from producers across the United States and from as far away as Australia and China. Customers include supermarkets, food service providers, restaurants and processing facilities including major Texas markets such as Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and Action's home base of Houston. One of Action Meat Co.'s largest clients is Hartz Chicken Buffet, a growing restaurant chain with more than 60 locations in Texas and Malaysia. Action supplies the chain with shipments of fresh chicken three times a week, Howell says. "We're basically box in, box out; the company specializes in distribution," Howell adds. While Action Meat carries a variety of products including poultry, lamb and cheese, its specialty is beef. Action Meat's beef products range from steaks and ribs to specialty items such as marinated fajitas and beef tongues. "The company has a large, ethnically diverse customer base," Howell says. The company's product knowledge and diversity of offerings are helping it grow during difficult economic times nationally. While the company has needed to adapt to rising gas prices and a decline in business from the restaurant sector, it has been able to keep up business by knowing its customers' needs. "We've done a pretty good job knowing the company's customers, helping them write the proper advertisements and putting the right items on the shelf and passing the company's expertise on to them," Howell says. Howell says he works closely with retailers on price points and helps them determine how much product to stock at certain times of the year to both meet seasonal demands and prevent overstocking.Read More