Zumwald & Company announces publication of revised and expanded edition of ‘The Spirit of Opportunity’ written by Rick Schwartz with Teresa Zumwald

ENGLEWOOD, Ohio, March 20, 2026 — Zumwald & Company announced the publication of “The Spirit of Opportunity: How Free Enterprise Capitalism Helps Entrepreneurs at Winsupply Earn Their Own Success,” written by Richard W. Schwartz, chairman of the board of Winsupply Inc., with Teresa Zumwald, the CEO of Zumwald & Company.

The book explores the why and the how behind Winsupply’s higher calling to eliminate obstacles and provide support to help courageous, capable, hardworking entrepreneurs succeed.

It is a revised and expanded edition of the first book written by Schwartz with Zumwald, his writing partner, that was published in 2020.

Schwartz, who joined the Winsupply organization in 1972, pioneered the company’s internally developed enterprise resource planning system, oversaw the launch of Winsupply’s first regional distribution centers, led the services and support organization, and served as the company’s president and CEO. He has been board chair since 2011.

Zumwald is the speechwriter, executive speech coach and executive communication adviser at Zumwald & Company, the firm she founded in 1989. Schwartz’s “Spirit of Opportunity” is the seventh book Zumwald has been a part of over her 40-year career, either as a writing partner, or as the author, ghostwriter or contributor.

About ‘The Spirit of Opportunity’ book

Since Winsupply’s founding in 1956, thousands of entrepreneurs from across the United States have joined the Winsupply organization to capitalize on The Spirit of Opportunity — the chance to risk your own money, gain equity and run your own wholesaling company to pursue the American Dream, with help from Winsupply. Through their own desire, drive and hard work, these entrepreneurs have been able to earn their own success.

“What makes this work so well is a set of fundamentals — grounded in free enterprise capitalism — that you won’t find in any textbook on business or business management,” Schwartz said.

“Our unconventional approach … is the essence of this book. My hope has always been that if future generations know and understand how and why our fundamentals came to be, they will be better equipped to sustain them,” he said.

That hope led to the first edition of Schwartz’s privately published book, used internally at Winsupply for onboarding, training and reinforcing these fundamentals, and outside the organization to teach vendors, customers, potential acquisition companies and others why and how Winsupply is different on purpose.

However, a couple years after the first edition’s release in spring 2020, feedback made it clear that a revised and expanded edition was needed, Schwartz said.

The 2026 edition not only includes the perspective of Winsupply local companies — more than 680 wholesalers across the United States — but also adds important details about the vital role Winsupply’s support services organization plays in the Winsupply business model.

In addition, the book features:

• Seven new stories about people at Winsupply who have earned their own success
• A chapter on Winsupply’s enduring purpose, which has transformed ordinary people into extraordinary business owners
• A chapter exploring Winsupply’s future and the challenges ahead

Because the first edition was used often as a reference tool, the revised and expanded edition includes chapter summaries, a glossary, a recommended reading list and an index.

“Over the past few years, it was my honor to work closely with Rick and his book committee — Monte Salsman, Robert DiTommaso and Hannah Poturalski — to help re-envision what this revised and expanded edition could be and then help guide it, based on Rick’s perspectives, experiences, teachings, lessons and stories on paper, all the way to a 354-page published work,” Zumwald said.

“This book is not only Rick’s legacy but also a guidebook for the entire Winsupply organization and its stakeholders,” she said.