BM_FallStrategies2020-FINAL

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HARDLINES Strategies DISTRIBUTING RETAIL PROFITABILITY

FALL 2020, VOL. 20, 2

Mission: Rebuild

HowBurke Building Center Came Back Stronger After a Storm Page 28

Also in This Issue Logistics & Leadership During Crisis Page 4 Your Virtual Fall Market Resource Page 8 How Retailers Responded During the Pandemic Page 18

Only in your neighborhood. With a range of gas, electric and hybrid heat pump technology, you can feel confident that U.S. Craftmaster’s full line of water heaters will help you meet the needs of any customer. And they’re only available at local hardware stores, making you the best stop in the neighborhood for hot water.

THE PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Teamwork in a Crisis

W hen we had to cancel our in-person you—our customers, our priority—the same fantastic Market pricing we always do, as we know many of you count on that savings as part of your bottom line. Our response time was quicker than most distributors, and due to our size, we were able to be agile and swift. We were able to communicate directly with almost all of Spring Buying Market, we knew we had to act quickly. We wanted to be able to offer

Contents Ask the Expert 4 Fall Market Preview 8 Featured Products 12 Operations: COVID-19 18 Customer Feature 28 Burke Gregory Building Center Customer Feature 34 Wylaco Supply Co. Hardware House 40 News 42 On the Cover

our customers and each of our employees. Everyone stepped up—whether to take on a new role or challenge or adopt a new way of working. Our IT department developed the platform to transition to a Virtual Market. Some of our sales and office staff helped in our distribution center, and a few non-essential employees worked from home. And you know what? It worked. Well, let me rephrase that. We came together as a team and forced it to work. We had to think outside our routine to build new ways of performing, create new materials and carve new pathways. And—we did our best given the circumstances. This was an amazing learning experience for us. But—and perhaps most importantly—we realized how much we value our in-person connection with you, our customers. I am sure you also missed extended conversations and shaking hands with your customers. We missed seeing all of you and continuing our personal connections with you at our Market. We also missed our famous Jack Stack BBQ Customer Celebration! If there is one lesson we learned, it is that our best business is done face-to-face, and we treasure that time with each of you. Again, in early summer, we were forced to make another difficult decision. We agreed that taking our Fall Buying Market virtual would give us enough time to develop the best savings models for you and to eliminate the possibility of any of our customers and employees getting sick at our event or putting anyone at risk. We hope you will agree that this was a necessary course of action, given the news and circumstances. Adapting during times of instability is what our Featured Customer, Burke Gregory Building Center, did after rebuilding following a devastating South Dakota tornado. On Page 28, learn how their team pulled together and rallied the community to start anew. We were proud to be part of that process. We also feature other retailers in this issue who modified their business practices during COVID-19 to meet the ever-changing local and regional guidelines. We applaud them for their efforts. So much is out of our control, but we hope you have been able to turn this crisis into a connection at some point. We also want to reinforce our commitment to you. Should you have any feedback, please email me directly at the address below. We look forward to seeing you in person at our Spring Buying Market in March 2021 as we celebrate our 150th Anniversary. Stay healthy and essential! Jonathan D. Mize CEO and President jonathan@blishmize.com

Vern and Jason Witt, co-owners Burke Gregory Building Center, Burke, South Dakota

Blish Connor Blish-Mize

223 S. Fifth St., Box 249 Atchison, Kansas 66002 Toll free: (800) 995-0525 (913) 367-1250

(913) 375-2505 (cell) (913) 367-0667 (fax) e-mail: blish.connor@blishmize.com

Blish-Mize isamember-owner ofDistributionAmerica

Hardlines Strategies • Fall 2020 3

ASK THE EXPERT

Continue Moving Forward Exceeding Expectations and Leading During Crisis

The entire team at Blish-Mize has been working diligently to continue the movement of products to customers. In some cases, employees who previously worked in the office transitioned to Distribution Center positions to contribute to the goal of consistent service.

S ince the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the independent home improvement industry has been deemed essential, which means many of you have been working nonstop to develop systems to make sure you can keep your employees, your community members and your families safe.

You have undoubtedly handled this situation with urgency and with the intention of keeping things as normal as possible. You may have expanded contactless pickup or delivery options and delved into e-commerce to give your customers another way to access necessary goods. While you were making those decisions and changing operations, Blish-Mize was doing the same. On the following pages, read a conversation with Greg Lutz, executive vice president of operations, and CEO and president Jonathan Mize, who talk about how the whole team at Blish-Mize worked hard to provide seamless service while shifting operations internally. Finally, get some tips on leading during crisis from Dr. Rob Mathews, executive director of the Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute at Ball State University.

4 Fall 2020 • Hardlines Strategies

Q&A

Strategies : What operations changed initially? What was your strategy for keeping lines of communication open with internal team members at the beginning of the pandemic?

Greg Lutz: We stepped up our housekeeping with added staff and frequent cleaning of common areas using CDC recommended cleaning chemicals. All employees were required to wear face coverings early on in the pandemic. We really worked hard to be sure our distribution staff felt safe in our environment. We regularly communicated one-on-one with our staff and posted updates at our entrances. We continue to stay in touch with our internal team members and our sales representatives out in the field so they have the most updated information to remain safe and healthy and keep serving our customers.

Strategies : How did Blish-Mize staff adapt to new working conditions and how will that improve the business in the future?

Gary Lutz: As a management team, we focused on keeping a consistent rhythm within the day-to-day operation. Our staff became very flexible during this process. We reassigned employees to jobs outside their comfort zone, including office staff who helped in our distribution center. This helped us prevent any backlogs during the day and keep a consistent flow of the work. Our staff did a great job identifying which employees could transition their roles and how to make it seamless. Everyone was happy to take on any task they were assigned. These newly learned skills had a very positive effect for many of our staff members and will be useful as they grow with our company.

Strategies: What has been your biggest takeaway during the pandemic from an operations perspective? How can we be prepared for the next big disruption?

Jonathan Mize: There will be much to learn after this is over. We will all need to study over the next 12 months if the crisis response was sufficient and what we would and would not repeat. Only from this careful analysis will we learn how to handle the next crisis—although we hope it doesn’t involve a shutdown of the economy. I encourage our customers to do the same, and we are happy to help in any way possible.

Starting on Page 18, read stories of how your peers have excelled during this time. If you have feedback for the Blish-Mize team or want to share your own story, send an email to Blish Connor at blish.connor@blishmize.com.

Hardlines Strategies • Fall 2020 5

ASK THE EXPERT

Managing & Leading 3 Ways to Manage Crisis Through Leadership

G reat leaders rise up in times like this. They elevate because leadership excellence in times of crisis is very much the same as it is in normal times.

including safety gear. Your employees need to feel safe to give you their best. Many leaders are taking the edge off by having friendly competitions, such as dance-offs, singing duels and costume battles, and then posting the videos and photos on social media. Let your team be the stars of the show! Finally, consider dressing up harsh reminders of crisis moments. For instance, employees at one store cut shapes (such as fish and animals) out of paint chips and placed them on sneeze guards to create themed “windows” at the checkouts and paint and service counters. Themes included an aquarium, zoo and celebrity photo booth. This festive idea has lightened the mood and provided conversation pieces. Finally, give employees regular opportunities to take a break and vent as needed. Be cognizant of their body language and anticipate what they may need from their leader in a moment of uncertainty. Prioritize Self-Care and Collaboration Remember to take care of yourself. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you have to come up with all of the solutions. Talk to other leaders, store owners and friends in and out of the industry. Share your frustrations, vent and collaborate on innovative solutions. Continue to exercise and eat healthy. Foundational research that came out of the Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute at Ball State University revealed that the most productive entrepreneurs and leaders who also had the greatest longevity in their businesses exercised regularly and stayed healthy. Great leadership is “exposed” in times of crisis. Listen to your team’s ideas, meet their needs, regularly communicate with them, be intentional about taking the edge off and don’t forget to take care of yourself. You won’t be perfect, but you can have a great impact on your team, your business and your communities. You were made for this!

However, no one is perfect, and there are some nuances to crisis management. After talking to dozens of retailers and drawing on my own experiences, I’ve come to the conclusion that great leaders excel at communication, reducing stress and promoting self-care and collaboration in times of crisis. Communicate With Your Team First and foremost, solicit ideas and solutions from your team. Give them a voice and leverage their unique perspectives. You will not use all of their ideas, and that is alright, but let them know you want to hear from them. In the same vein, talk with each of your employees one on one. Find out what their personal needs and challenges are—such as family, scheduling, energy, stress, health concerns and perhaps even their reluctance to want to work with the risks of the current situation. Show them you care by listening and meeting those needs the best you can. Make sure you ease their concerns by reassuring them of paycheck security and the long-term sustainability of the company. In addition, communicate changes in policy and procedures often. Finally, don’t forget to regularly acknowledge their accomplishments and show genuine appreciation for their work and commitment. Take the Edge Off Uncertainty, change and chaos can trigger stress for your employees. Work with your team to create systems and processes to reduce stress and meet potential moments of chaos head-on. Many retailers have done a great job creating systems for efficient checkout queues, traffic flow, physical distancing and customer interaction. It is also important to properly equip your team,

This article previously appeared in the June/July 2020 issue of Hardware Retailing magazine. It has been reprinted with permission.

Dr. Rob Mathews is the executive director of the Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute at Ball State University. Mathews holds a doctorate in higher education from Ball State. He also has owned and managed home improvement operations and serves as an instructor for the North American Retail Hardware Association’s Retail Management Certification Program.

6 Fall 2020 • Hardlines Strategies

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MARKET PREVIEW

Let’s Get Back to Business Access Deals and Favorites at the Fall Virtual Buying Market

E njoy special buying opportunities with extended show dates at the 2020 Blish-Mize Fall Virtual Buying Market, which will be held Sept. 17-28.

with the Blish-Mize Virtual Buying Market platform—and will know how to place orders and take advantage of Buying Market deals. The Market ordering process mirrors the regular Blish-Mize monthly promotions. “Ultimately, it’s the customers who need to be taken care of, and ease of ordering is the best way Blish-Mize can allow them to make the most of this event,” Lee says. “Ease of ordering is where we really shine.”

Whether you are looking to bring in a new assortment to your store, or you are stocking up on deeply discounted mini pallets and stackouts—there is something for everyone at the Fall Virtual Market. “We came away with positive reviews from our first Virtual Buying Market,” says Blish-Mize vice president of purchasing Sarah Lee. “This Market, we are enhancing our focus on new items.” Blish-Mize customers who regularly place online orders will be familiar

8 Fall 2020 • Hardlines Strategies

Tips for Virtual Market Success RESEARCH Research the products you are interested in before the start of the virtual event. DISCUSS GOALS Have a conversation with your sales representative to discuss your goals and needs. They are your best resource for the latest Market information and offers! PLAN AHEAD Use your SmartBook to plan ahead and make smart buying decisions. USE TOOLS Use your sorting tools on the Blish-Mize website. You can sort products by discount, vendor, product type, frequent purchases and more. CUSTOMER SERVICE Take advantage of the friendly and knowledgeable Blish-Mize customer service team by calling 800-995-0525 or sending an email to customerservice@blishmize.com.

Shop the Different Ways to Save

Stackouts Assortment Central

THE 24 Pallet Buys

ShowStoppers Margin+ Coupons Featured New Items

The 2020 Fall Virtual Buying Market is available to all Blish-Mize customers—no pre-registration is necessary. Connect with your sales representative for additional details closer to the Market dates or email us at sales@blishmize.com.

Hardlines Strategies • Fall 2020 9

MARKET PREVIEW

Don’t Miss These Buying Opportunities Although the Market is virtual, your favorite special buying opportunities are still available. “We’re offering the same deals our customers are used to at a physical Market, but we’re doing it virtually,” says Blish-Mize vice president of sales and marketing Clay Uhrmacher. “We have put together a strong dropship offering along with our competitively priced warehouse deals.” Be sure to check out the following areas of the Virtual Market. • Warehouse Special Programs offer huge individual item savings on programs such as THE 24, ShowStoppers, Stackouts, Surprise Buys, Margin+ Coupons and the SmartBook. • Assortment Central features a variety of assortments with spiffs and deep discounts. Take advantage of exclusive discounts and deals on the new product lines. • Pallet Buys include special discounts on quantity buys. The full listing is available on blishmize.com. • Featured New Products showcases the latest items from your favorite vendors and some new faces. Browse Hardware House View a full lineup of Hardware House products that are available to Blish-Mize customers, including fixtures, ceiling

Virtually Connect With Your Peers The North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) has hosted virtual town hall sessions to help independent home improvement retailers and channel partners stay informed amid COVID-19. Retailers from across North America have shared their experiences and solutions with their industry peers. You can now stream these town hall sessions—and stay virtually connected with your peers—by visiting hardwareretailing.com/nrha-town-halls. “We’re offering the same deals our customers are used to at a physical Market, but we’re doing it virtually.” —Clay Uhrmacher, Blish-Mize vice president of sales and marketing

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fans, lighting, locksets and more. See Page 40 to learn how Hardware House helps retailers like Bloedorn Lumber. Use Your SmartBook The Fall Buying Market offers exciting opportunities for you to plan ahead for your business. Before the Market, consult your SmartBook. This online tool is customized to your store and can help you make smart buying decisions before and during the Market. The SmartBook includes your purchases out of the warehouse for the past 12 months. It also offers suggested ordering amounts for the next three and six months to help you better plan your purchases before you shop the Virtual Market. The SmartBook is broken into three groups of items. • Key selling “Market Featured” items. • New items Blish-Mize has added from the vendor in the last year. • The balance of the items you have purchased, sorted in quantity order. If you haven’t already, visit blishmize.com to get your SmartBook and start planning your time at the Fall Virtual Market.

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OPERATIONS

Staying Strong Combating COVID-19 With Resilience

At McGuckin Hardware in Boulder, Colorado, employees wipe down the shopping carts and baskets after each customer as part of the store’s new cleaning protocols to protect against the coronavirus.

D uring the COVID-19 pandemic, retailers have demonstrated their resiliency by adapting how they do business. Retailers everywhere have relied on their ability to be flexible as independent operators, which is made easier by strong partnerships with their distributors.

Read on to learn how these Blish-Mize customers are protecting the health of their customers and employees while delivering essential products and services to their communities. McGuckin Hardware BOULDER, COLORADO McGuckin Hardware has been a staple of the Boulder, Colorado, community for 65 years—they are still located in the same shopping center where they first opened for business in 1955. The store carries all of the cleaning and home maintenance products that customers have come to need and expect from essential

businesses during the COVID-19 crisis, along with a vast range of other products—their slogan is “Boulder’s favorite everything store.” When there were reports that the coronavirus was spreading throughout the U.S. in mid-March, McGuckin’s leadership team introduced new safety measures to protect customers and employees. They reduced their store hours, implemented curbside pickup and continued to offer delivery to customers. The store also began accepting phone orders, revamped its online ordering system and added more products to its online offerings. Store associates increased the frequency of their cleanings, sanitizing

18 Fall 2020 • Hardlines Strategies

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OPERATIONS

high-traffic touchpoints in the store and wiping down shopping carts and baskets. Employees were screened for COVID-19 symptoms before they clocked in for their shifts, and in April, the store began requiring customers and employees to wear masks inside the store, even donating masks to the local businesses in their shopping center. In the months since, McGuckin Hardware has installed plexiglass guards on registers and has implemented one- way store entrances and exits to allow Thursday mornings for at-risk customers with medical conditions and for those over 65 years of age. Although the pandemic has had a serious impact on their day-to-day operations, sales remain stronger than ever. According to store manager Bernadette Tillis, McGuckin is ordering in larger quantities than they ever have at this time of year, and Blish-Mize continues to deliver merchandise to the store each week. “Their stock levels and selection have been good,” she says. “We are offering our customers the same choices we always have, but the customers are just buying more.” McGuckin Hardware continues to do what it can for the Boulder community, providing essential products in an unprecedented time. for social distancing. In May, the company also added designated shopping hours on Tuesday and

McGuckin Hardware has implemented one-way store entrances and exits in an effort to follow social distancing guidelines. The store also created designated shopping hours for at-risk customers.

“Their stock levels and selection have been good. We are

offering our customers the same choices we always have, but the customers are just buying more.” —Bernadette Tillis, McGuckin store manager

Employees at McGuckin Hardware are screened for COVID-19 symptoms before they clock in for their shifts, and the store requires customers and employees to wear masks.

20 Fall 2020 • Hardlines Strategies

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OPERATIONS

McGuckin Hardware has been a customer with Blish-Mize for over 40 years. Store manager Bernadette Tillis credits this long-standing relationship to Blish-Mize’s ability to deliver quality brand name merchandise to the store on a weekly basis.

22 Fall 2020 • Hardlines Strategies

OPERATIONS

Wylaco Supply Co. DENVER AND GYPSUM, COLORADO For Colorado-based Wylaco Supply Co., business is booming. “I thought we were going to have the conversation about being able to keep the doors open due to government regulations,” says Denver branch manager Frank Curry. “But we just kept getting slammed.” Both Wylaco's Denver and Gypsum, Colorado, branches reduced store hours from March to mid-May and posted signs promoting social distancing and mask wearing. And in April, the Gypsum branch shifted to curbside pickup only for about a month, with customers calling in their orders. According to Curry, there were some customers who questioned the rules in Gypsum, but Wylaco is the only supplier in the area. “You would have to drive to Denver, which is a three-hour commute, to get what you need from somewhere else,” he says. “So everyone stuck to the rules.”

Read about Wylaco Supply Co. in the story “Expanding the Reach” on Page 34 .

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“We have the same core group of customers that comes in, and I’d like to help those guys out and make sure they are still coming in the door.” —Frank Curry, Wylaco Denver branch manager

Wylaco’s website shows that masks are out of stock, but that doesn’t stop people from calling the stores. Curry says he ordered a few thousand cloth masks from a local t-shirt company, which they handed out to employees and have been selling to customers. “We have the same core group of customers that comes in, and I’d like to help those guys out and make sure they are still coming in the door,” he says.

to Blish-Mize when they had trouble sourcing it from another supplier. Still, they haven’t been immune to the challenges of doing business during a pandemic. As a business in the construction supply industry, Wylaco would typically sell tens of thousands of masks a year. “I could take you back to my warehouse right now and show you one big empty shelf of nothing but bare wood,” Curry says.

The Denver branch remained open to customers, however, the will-call area was limited to four customers at a time. And all entrances to the building were blocked except for one to discourage customers from walking through the warehouse. Curry says others warned him he would run into supply issues during the COVID-19 crisis, but for the most part, he says it hasn’t been an issue. He transferred their orders for trash can liners, hand sanitizer and paper towels

Hardlines Strategies • Fall 2020 25

OPERATIONS

“Blish-Mize has been excellent throughout all of this,” he says. “So far they have had very little disruption to their supply chain and have always been good about communicating the issue when they do. The same cannot be said for some of our other vendors.” Wright says while it’s not business as usual, business has settled into a new normal. Curbside pickup has slowed down as people now prefer to come into the stores to shop. The operation plans to remain vigilant as the situation continues to evolve. In the meantime, Wright says Home Lumber and Supply has decided to step up its support of charities in the communities it serves. “Some other community businesses have not been able to provide the same level of financial support as they have in the past,” he says. “So we have increased our sponsorships to help offset the loss to the organizations.”

When the statewide stay-at-home order expired on May 4, Home Lumber and Supply reopened its stores to the public, but with changes, including reduced hours, social distancing, enhanced cleaning, mask protocols for employees and plexiglass shields at the counters. Wright says employees were eager to see the stores reopen to customers because curbside pickup and delivery options were more strenuous on the employees themselves. “Many stated the number of steps they took per day had more than doubled while closed,” he says. “I heard reports of 14,000 to 15,000 steps per day by some employees.” Wright says the only stock changes have been products they can no longer source from vendors—and the addition of items like toilet paper and additional cleaning supplies. He also says that inventory turns have been markedly higher.

Home Lumber and Supply 14 STORES, KANSAS Home Lumber and Supply is a full- service building materials and lumber dealer headquartered in Ashland, Kansas, with more than 100 employees and 14 stores located throughout the state, primarily in rural communities. Hervey Wright, Home Lumber and Supply’s general manager says their locations transitioned to curbside pickup and delivery within days of the declaration of a nationwide state of emergency. “Most of our customers were appreciative of that move,” he says. “In fact, many other businesses in our communities followed our lead after they found out what we were doing.” The operation’s leadership team provided safety guidelines and procedures, but managers were given the autonomy to take additional steps to protect employees and customers as needed.

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Home Lumber and Supply has been a Blish-Mize customer since 1905 and is the distributor’s oldest customer. Its 14 Kansas stores installed plexiglass shields at the counters to help protect employees and customers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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CUSTOMER PROFILE

A Chance for a New Start South Dakota Business Thrives After Devastating Tornado

After a tornado destroyed Burke Building Center in Burke, South Dakota, Vern (left) and Jason Witt (right) and the rest of the family came together to build their business back up. The new location was remodeled and stocked with help from the team at Blish-Mize. I n the small town of Burke, South Dakota, locals don’t stress

Jason graduated from South Dakota State University in 2003 and returned to help his parents run Burke Building Center. About 8 miles away, the Gregory location is run by Jason’s brother, Bryan. It services more DIYers, while Burke has the design showroom and is more contractor focused. However, both locations can serve any customer and get them what they need. Between the two stores, there are 11 employees. “We’re very close with our staff,” Jason says. “When you live in a small town, you kind of know everybody. We’re lucky to have the team we do, which was especially true in the aftermath of the tornado.” Jason says there was no warning the night of the tornado. After the storm hit and he knew his family was OK, he took off to help with his fellow firefighters.

“I got the call from the fire department and ran from my house to the station about a block away,” Witt says. “The power was out all over town, and we took to the roads, which were covered in trees and debris. As we went to go help someone trapped in their garage, we passed Burke Building Center. It was flat on the ground.” In the months to follow, Jason worked with his family, his employees, his support system at Blish-Mize and the entire Burke community to pick up the pieces. Weathering the Storm Burke Building Center has been serving its community since 1904. Jason’s parents, Vern and Carol Witt, bought the business in 1993. The family bought a second location, Gregory Building Center in Gregory, South Dakota, in 2000.

While no lives were lost, the damage to several homes and businesses was great, especially for Jason Witt, co-owner and manager of Burke Building Center. Witt also serves as a volunteer firefighter, and he was one of the first firefighters on the scene after the tornado struck. an EF1 tornado hit on Aug. 6, 2019, nobody was prepared. about tornadoes striking the community. So when

28 Fall 2020 • Hardlines Strategies

After an EF1 tornado hit Burke, South Dakota, in August 2019 co-owner JasonWitt was the first one in his family to discover the destruction the building faced. To keep the operation up and running, he relied on his second location, scouted a replacement location and began remodeling it immediately.

Hardlines Strategies • Fall 2020 29

CUSTOMER PROFILE

“It was very surreal—my whole life was on the ground. My house is only a block from the business. There was no power in town, people couldn’t come into Burke, and I couldn’t do anything at the lumberyard immediately after as we waited on our adjuster to come assess the damage.” —Jason Witt, co-owner, Burke Building Center

buy or rent the facility since the store was gone. “Others were looking at the building too, but we were able to buy it because we reached out first,” Jason says. “We had quite a bit of renovations to do on the property, but we were in a great position because we had our second store where our employees were able to work and we were able to continue helping pick the town back up.”

“My house is only a block from the business. There was no power in town, people couldn’t come into Burke, and I couldn’t do anything at the lumberyard because we were waiting for our adjuster to come assess the damage.” The Witt family immediately began making plans to remain a fixture in town. After the storm, Bryan asked the owner of a building on the highway going into town and if they could

“When I saw the lumberyard completely flattened, I was in shock,” Jason says. “I called my dad and asked what he was doing, and he said he was going to go check on the business. I had to break the news to him that it was gone.” While Jason was very happy that no one was seriously injured or killed from the tornado, the days following the storm were a whirlwind for him. “It was very surreal—my whole life was on the ground,” he says.

In the days following the tornado, Jason Witt was surrounded by the devastation. In addition to cleaning up the town, the Witt family immediately began working on preparing their new location. After a year of work, he and his sons now enjoy being in the new Burke Building Center.

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CUSTOMER PROFILE

Creating a welcoming space with bright lights, nice floors and all the products people needed now and in the future was what Jason focused on in the new Burke Building Center location. The store was stocked and set up with help from the team at Blish-Mize, Jason says.

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“Blish-Mize helped us in all the ordering, from lighting displays to electrical. Then all the material came in, and Blish-Mize sent out a crew and set up all our shelving and stocked and labeled items for us.” —Jason Witt, co-owner, Burke Building Center

Putting It Back Together A month after the tornado hit, Jason and Bryan attended the Blish-Mize market to get ideas and get the new Burke Building Center location set up and fully functioning again. With help from their sales representative Scott Leech and regional manager Jason Drury, they were able to get all the questions they had answered and start making important decisions. “I really appreciated that Jason [Drury] let me do what I wanted to do,” Jason says. “He offered ideas and suggestions, but ultimately, it was my decision.” The new Burke Building Center location was under construction from August 2019 until February 2020. They did a full renovation, gutting and insulating the building. “We put effort into the design of the building so we have things where we want them,” Jason says. “When we did this, we also rebranded our logo to go

all our shelving and stocked and labeled items for us. It was great.” Looking to the future, Jason says the family is interested in opening a third location, and they will rely on Blish-Mize again when that time comes. From the aftermath of the tornado to today, he says the support they received from Blish-Mize made the difficult process easier to manage. “For us to set up our store in the time they did it would’ve been impossible,” Jason says. “It was a great team to work with. I was so happy they had their team come out and help us.”

with this new building. We’d wanted to do this for a while, and it was a great time to do it.” While they were still running Burke Building Center throughout the remodel phase, they officially opened in February 2020. “Blish-Mize helped us with all the ordering, from lighting displays to electrical. Scott Leech was great about finding them and letting me know what would fill spots for me,” Jason says. “Then all the material came in, and Blish-Mize sent out a crew and set up

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Hardlines Strategies • Fall 2020 33

CUSTOMER PROFILE

Expanding the Reach How Wylaco Supply Co. Built Its Product Assortment

By using the products and services available from Blish-Mize to build its online store, expand its product reach and strengthen its operations, this Colorado business with two locations has increased its Blish-Mize purchases from $100,000 to $1 million over the last five years. Half a Century of Family Wylaco Building Supply Co. first opened for business out of the back of a trailer in Denver in 1972, selling hardhats and hammers. Its three founders came up with the moniker Wylaco by combining their respective birthplaces—Wyoming, Louisiana and Colorado. The company is still family-owned and operated. Company owner and co-founder Terry Carpenter has stepped back from day-to-day operations, but still works part time in sales. His daughter, Katie Black, is the CFO, and his son-in-law, Frank Curry, manages the Denver location and is the company’s web specialist. Wylaco’s reach now extends throughout Colorado—a second location was added in Gypsum in 1994 when Kiewet, one of the largest construction and engineering contractors in North America, Katie Black (right) serves as Wylaco Supply Co.’s CFO and controller. Frank Curry (left) acts as her right-hand man, managing the Denver branch and serving as Wylaco’s web specialist. F or Wylaco Supply Co., partnering with a regional distributor that can give the operation personalized attention has made all the difference. approached the company for supplies for the Glenwood Canyon Project. “Any large-scale project you see in Colorado, we’ve probably dabbled in or supplied a lot of it,” Curry says. A Tale of Two Branches The Denver Wylaco branch serves contractors and industrial contractors. The property takes up almost an entire city block and has its own trench shoring yard and multiple warehouses. According to Curry, they carry “every hand tool and power tool known to man.” The Gypsum branch features a rebar bending facility on 2 ½ acres and a main building on 2 acres. It serves contractors, and it also features a showroom and carries feed and tack. Customers can shop for boots, saddles, birdseed and cat and dog food.

34 Fall 2020 • Hardlines Strategies

Building an Online Brand Curry has worked in the home improvement industry since 1994. He worked as a building inspector for the town of Parker, Colorado, and also owned his own plumbing business. In 2009, when the opportunity arose for him to join Wylaco, he began working in outside sales. Soon though, he found his niche creating the company website after teaching himself how to build webpages on nights and weekends in a friend’s basement. “As funny as it sounds, the brick-and-mortar Wylaco operation started out of the back of a trailer, and wylaco.com started out of a basement,” Curry says. When he launched the Wylaco website in 2009, it was a simple information page with a shopping cart. Within six months, online sales became a focus for the website when Curry realized they could make money from it. “I started devoting more and more time to the website and adding products to it. It’s just grown and grown,” he says. “Right now, we offer more than 15,000 products online.” Curry says online sales grew by 20 percent once he began listing Blish-Mize products on the Wylaco website. Nine times out of 10, he says, he can find a better price from Blish-Mize. And also nine times out of 10, the products will ship the next day.

Wylaco Supply Co. first opened for business out of the back of a trailer in Denver in 1972. Its three founders came up with the company name Wylaco by combining their respective birthplaces: Wyoming, Louisiana and Colorado.

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CUSTOMER PROFILE

A Personal Touch Every Friday, Blish-Mize sales representative Jim Coley visits the Denver Wylaco branch. “Jim knows our company inside and out because he’s been calling on us since day one,” Curry says. “Having Jim call on us weekly to keep the different opportunities in front of us has been huge.”

“We sell all kinds of one-off stuff that we don’t stock in our stores because of all of the products Blish-Mize offers,” Curry says. “I wanted wylaco.com to be a one-stop shop, and they have allowed us to do that. We have more variety and diversity of product than we’ve ever had before.” A Change in Purchasing When Wylaco’s purchasing manager left the company three years ago, Curry and Juan Marquez, the Gypsum branch manager, saw an opportunity for growth. The company had done business with Blish-Mize for two years, but most of the business was limited to the Wylaco website offerings. “Our former purchasing manager was resistant to change. Wylaco has

been in business for a long time, and it had long-standing relationships, but sometimes you need a breath of fresh air,” he says. “When Juan and I took over purchasing for our locations, we streamlined our purchasing, and now instead of buying from 20 vendors, we buy from Blish-Mize that already has those vendors.”

“I started devoting more and more time to the website and adding products to it. It’s just grown and grown. Right now, we offer more than 15,000 products online.” —Frank Curry, Wylaco Denver branch manager

Using the products and services available from Blish-Mize, Wylaco Supply Co. has grown its product offerings and strengthened its operations. In 2019, the company made $1 million in purchases from Blish-Mize and received a new commemorative plaque to add to the collection.

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