Fall 2023 Hardlines Strategies

CUSTOMER PROFILE

All 4 Corners

Family, Hardware and Waterworks Prove a Winning Combination for ESSCO Pipe & Supply

Tyler Dumas (left) and his father, Rocky Dumas, teamed up to expand the ESSCO Pipe & Supply business with the addition of two hardware stores.

I n 2020, Tyler Dumas returned home to New Mexico to join his father, Rocky, in the family business, ESSCO Pipe & Supply. The wholesale pipe and supply company had recently ventured into the hardware business with the acquisition of a local hardware store.

the company and quickly made it profitable by cutting expenses, examining nearly 10,000 store SKUs to adjust prices and offering a volume rebate to loyal customers. “What I do is grow companies,” Rocky says. “If you get in there, pay attention and look for unique opportunities in the industry, I think you can be successful by filling those niches.” In 2018, Rocky decided to expand to a second location in Aztec, New Mexico. During the renovation of the Aztec building, an opportunity presented itself when Rocky realized the scarcity of hardware supplies in the area. He approached the owners of Aztec Hardware, which had been serving

Driven by an ambition for growth, Tyler wasted no time in leading a reset of the Aztec Hardware store in Aztec, New Mexico, and successfully launching a new store, Kirtland Mercantile in nearby Kirtland, New Mexico. Cue the Waterworks ESSCO Pipe & Supply, the leading wholesale pipe and supply company in the Four Corners region, has been in operation in Farmington, New Mexico, since 1985. Rocky purchased the company in 2012 after initially serving as the general manager to assess its viability. Recognizing its potential despite $250,000 in annual losses, he moved forward and acquired

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