The saying, “No man is an island,” indicates that everyone depends on others. We all need to feel connected, supported and given opportunities to grow and thrive. When we are able to find others who help us do so, we bring out the best in ourselves. In doing so, changes are made for the better within individuals, families, companies, communities and industries — we all thrive.

The individuals who lend a hand, help us clear a path ahead, and help us define, refine and provide support to achieve our goals are what we call the changemakers. They help others in realizing their full potential and, in turn, create opportunities for others along the way. The Wholesaler magazine celebrates these change-making trailblazers as our Person of the Year. For this reason, and so many more, we are honored to award Hugh Hornsby, vice president of sales at EVERFLOW, as our Person of the Year.

Growing Up

Hornsby grew up in Newport News, Va., in a household where both parents built their careers in insurance, having their own company and making it stand out from others. “Surround yourselves with great people,” says Hornsby, who would hear it from his parents. It made an impact and impression on the Hornsby children —   Chip, Hugh and Steve — and Hugh Hornsby credits the family unit helping them be the best they could be and setting the standard of excellence for and within others. 

He was bookmarked with two amazing brothers, and growing up in the pack, they were close. At the age of 10, Hornsby hit his head and was diagnosed with epilepsy (he thought he heard leprosy!), and it was a turning point for him. 

“I remember my mom saying to me that it was all going to be OK,” he recalls. “She said that people don’t understand the disorder, so you will have to fight through and realize that epilepsy is not a disorder; it’s a gift.” She was talking about his fighting spirit, not to change others, but to change himself. “Never let anyone hold you back, especially yourself,” she told him. 

“My mom started putting underdog books under my bed; she was building my mindset to overcome,” says Hornsby. 

At age 10, this foundation started its course on helping others find their gifts and changing their underdog mentality to believe in themselves and others. 

“People are going to tell you who you are and who you want to be, but the bottom line is the only one who can tell you that is yourself,” he states. With an incredible foundation of love and support, Hugh Hornsby soared, excelling in sports, such as water skiing and football, and becoming a competitive slalom skier. He turned his challenges into springboards, not only for himself but also for others.

After high school, Hornsby attended junior college and then Radford University. Known for his charisma and natural talent for connecting with others, he wanted to join a fraternity and become its president. However, with only two years on campus, fraternities told him that was unlikely. Undeterred, he found a flyer for a new fraternity in the process of being established.

“If I wanted to become fraternity president, I had to figure it out myself — and this was my chance,” he notes.

He knew the kind of community he wanted to create — one not defined by labels like jocks or brainiacs. He contacted the group, made his own business cards and began recruiting by knocking on doors. He focused on building a member base centered on individuals. “I wanted to know from each potential member, ‘What are your goals, what do you want to do? — because I’ll help you get there.’”

He was creating a different fraternity culture, based upon his earlier years when his mom reminded him that nothing could hold you back except yourself. This people-based model was the foundation of his leadership style, and it worked. 

“I realized that to build strong teams, you need to find people who are ‘stuck’ and have a burning desire to find their personal and career goals,” Hornsby explains. In return, his commitment to them is to understand the power of being part of a team “and tying their personal goals into that of the fraternity. We took the underdog mentality and built their brand while building the fraternity’s brand.” 

Within a year, Alpha Sigma Phi was twice the size of any other fraternity on campus.

This is Bigger Than Us

“It’s the model I use for business today — it’s all about the people,” he says.

Hornsby entered the industry working for a wholesale distributor, and it didn’t go as planned. “I failed miserably,” he says, because he didn’t know what he wanted or where he wanted to go, contradicting what he was guiding others to. “There is a saying that you ‘fail forward,’ and I knew how to do that because I had to learn it growing up,” he says. So he took a dynamic sales training course. Unable to pay the course fee, he agreed to bring others to the training. He did — he brought in two others who became the company’s largest clients. 

He continued in the industry with NIBCO as its regional sales manager for national accounts. He would apply the selling techniques from the training school and other experts he followed. Hornsby combined all these ideas and formed his approach, which was widely successful. His success would take him to other companies; in 1998, he was vice president of sales at Sunroc, and it was here that he found his mojo.

“I gravitate toward people who are stuck,” he says. At Sunroc,  he was able to build his team by “shifting people and putting them in the right place.” He took the underdog approach and built the team together by employing his sales training and personal style. He smiles and adds, “ I always wanted a sales leadership opportunity; that is where my gift of making everyone the best they can be really occur.” It was during this time that he mentored those in business and in life that “this” is bigger than  us.    

Hugh Hornsby would continue his path with other companies, always looking for opportunities to use his people-first empowerment. It was during his rise within the industry that he found people gravitated toward his approach. It wasn’t unusual for him to chat at a coffee shop with an individual and find out their “gift” that may be holding them back: lack of higher education, personal troubles, etc. Whatever those underdogs were facing, Hornsby encouraged them to take a chance on themselves and join the industry —taking them under his wing and guiding them along the way. 

EVERFLOW: A National Success Story

Established over two decades ago, EVERFLOW has grown into one of the country’s leading manufacturers of premier plumbing and industrial products. With a reputation for quality and innovation, its comprehensive product line serves the national plumbing and industrial supply chains, making it a respected name in PVF and specialty products. 

When Hornsby joined EVERFLOW in 2019, he came on board to foster the growth of a company already thriving. His mandate: to develop, mold, and coach a national sales team capable of matching EVERFLOW’s rapid growth and national success. Hugh’s unique talent for building teams—guided by his philosophy of hiring for personality and passion—proved invaluable in scaling its operations.  And to build the team, he had one mantra, “They had to have a burning desire to want more,” Hornsby said. And adds, ‘Tell me your career goals and your personal goals,’ — which no one ever talks about.”

He empowered a new generation of sales leaders, acting as a mentor and guide and finding the right personalities to propel the company forward.  “You can’t coach desire, but you can find it in others,” he says. As he helped individuals build their brands, they were also part of something bigger  — bigger than themselves. 

Hornsby was brought into EVERFLOW as the right fit to build a robust sales force in line with the company’s national ambitions. Leveraging his skills in team development, he crafted a sales strategy that not only supported but drove its expansive growth across the U.S. Through mentorship, he has instilled confidence and resilience in his team, encouraging them to take ownership of their roles and align their personal growth with the company’s vision.

“Hugh Hornsby has been an invaluable mentor, coach and friend to me throughout my career.” says Britt Thomason, regional sales manager at EVERFLOW. “His guidance and support have been instrumental in my professional and personal growth. Hugh has a unique ability to inspire and motivate others to reach their full potential. I’m extremely grateful for his time, mentorship and, most of all, friendship.”  

Here’s the Punchline

Hornsby believes that if you can overdeliver, it’s a “punchline” approach: “If you only provide people with what they expect, that’s ordinary. If you can surprise a client or customer with something they are not expecting — by going over and beyond and them knowing you care — that is the punchline. “

For Hornsby, it’s about zeroing in on a vulnerability, identifying it and helping others overcome it — in business or life. His core belief is that “Gratitude is Attitude” and understanding the gifts one might think can hold you back actually propel you forward. “People spend way too much time on the negative, and it goes back to the law of energy,” he explains. “What you put out in this world is what will come back. I focus on the positive.”

Hugh Hornsby has honed his skills by leaning into those who are his mentors, such as his older brother, Chip Hornsby, executive chairman of Reece USA, and his younger brother, Steve Hornsby, who had also spent time in the PHCP industry, but left to follow his passion of running a College Prep Golf Tour, supporting kids to follow their dreams. One can tell that helping others runs deep in the family. 

“If we are going to change, we need to begin acting like the people and the company we want to become!” Hugh Hornsby beams. To do so, he finds his North Star in those individuals and companies that guide him, such as The Napoleon Hill Foundation, a nonprofit educational institution dedicated to making the world a better place to live. 

“It is truly a pleasure to know Hugh,” says Don Green, executive director of the Napoleon Hill Foundation. “He is an avid supporter of Napoleon Hill and the Napoleon Hill Foundation and exemplifies the definition of success. I believe that Hugh has used Napoleon Hill’s success principles and has achieved a life many only dream of.” 

Last year, Hornsby established his own coaching and consulting firm, drawing on his experience overcoming challenges and reshaping the way one can turn a disadvantage into an advantage. “My biggest achievement is helping others realize they can find their dreams, then helping them figure out a path to reach them,” he says. This goes back to his belief that there is no “I”. It’s “We,” and in doing so, the magic happens.

Earlier this year, Hornsby was diagnosed with prostate cancer and took on the challenge to not only fight the disease but also raise awareness for others. At an industry event, he shared his story with Clayton Fletcher, a professional comedian and author of the book ROI of LOL, who encouraged him to bring his story to the stage, turning a challenge into something we can all relate to — comedy.

In late September, having completed his cancer treatment and now on the road to recovery—with coaching on timing and delivering punchlines—Hornsby took center stage at the West Side Comedy Club in New York. His routine was based on his mission “to use humor and gratitude to kick cancer’s butt!” He was wildly successful, demonstrating that one can overcome almost anything, turning those “gifts” his mother spoke about into forces that help us grow, not hold us back. Hornsby and Fletcher are now collaborating to develop workshops that integrate Fletcher’s book and Hornsby’s “Gratitude is Attitude” approach, guiding others along the way.

“Hugh has an unmatched gift for finding potential in others and helping it shine. He is a rare leader who combines strategic skill with genuine compassion, building resilient teams and uplifting each individual—a true testament to his impact as recognized by this award,” says Brennan Doherty, Director of Siphonic Drainage, MIFAB, INC. He continues: “ I was fortunate to cross Hugh’s path when he took a chance on me over a seasoned professional and advice to stay the course, seeing potential I hadn’t even recognized in myself.  

Since then, Hugh has been more than a mentor—he’s continued to check in on me, offering guidance and encouragement with the same energy that lifted me up from the start. It’s an honor to see his dedication recognized, and it’s a privilege to count myself among those deeply shaped by his extraordinary guidance.” 

Everyone needs a guide like Hugh Hornsby, who makes not only the industry but our communities and world a better place. “I hire personalities,” he explains. “I look for people who are stuck and want more — and have that burning desire. You can’t coach desire. Then my first questions are, ’What is your dream? What do you want?’ Then I say, “If you can tell me what you want, I can show you how to get it!”

Cheers to you, Hugh Hornsby, and we celebrate you as The Wholesaler magazine’s 2024 Person of the Year.