Kansas Country Living

‘I got all of this from ATCHISON ’ B Y M E L I N D A S C H N Y D E R

ONE OF THE COUNTRY’S OLDEST wholesale hardware distributors started in Atchison 148 years ago and is still headquartered there, family-owned and operated by the fifth generation of descendants from the founders. Blish-Mize Co. serves independent hardware stores, lumberyards, home centers, industrial supply and paint store retailers in 13 states throughout the Midwest, the Rockies and the Southwest.

Fifth-generation, family-owned Blish-Mize Co. delivers reliability and profitability to independent hardware stores

In 1871 three brothers-in-law founded Blish, Mize & Silliman after making the long journey from Chicago to Atchison. David Blish, Edward Mize and Jack Silliman built a respected distributor to outfit wagon trains headed west from the Missouri River.

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Constant family involvement has kept the business in Atchison—its head- quarters are in the original downtown building, just a few blocks from the Missouri River—while a focus on inno- vation and customer service has kept it relevant. The business has evolved from the early days of providing axle grease and horseshoes for pioneers heading west to carrying power tools, something the founders never could have imag- ined, to today’s technology-driven ware- house stocked with 60,000 SKUs/items. “Inventions have constantly kept us on our toes,” said Jonathan D. Mize, CEO and president. “Remember, we started outfitting wagon trains going west. Our business has seen the inven- tion of the automobile, the computer and even just a few years ago Google and Amazon. Each new invention revolutionizes the way we do business. We’ve been able to adapt and stay at the forefront.”

Above: Blish Mize Connor, communications director, with her father, John Mize Jr., who retired from active management after 56 years of service. He still serves as chairman of the board. Right: Jonathan Mize, CEO of Blish-Mize, is the son of John Mize Jr.

and D.P. “David” Blish, a farmer, to join him in the venture. Silliman and Blish went west to make the deal, followed a few months later by Mize. In 1871, they formed Blish, Mize & Silliman using $4,500 as a down payment, plus personal notes at 1% per month interest for the remainder. They worked hard to build a respected distributor to outfit

Fast Start in 1871 Sets the Tone for a Family Culture

On a trip to Kansas in 1870 for Marshall Field and Company of Chicago, J.B. “Jack” Silliman learned that a retail hardware store was for sale in Atchison, which had become a city just a few years earlier in 1855. Silliman saw unlimited potential for outfitting wagon trains headed to the expand- ing west from the Missouri River. Back in Chicago, he enlisted his brothers- in-law E.A. “Edward” Mize, an insurance man,

wagon trains and in just a couple of years the company was distributing all types of goods to more than 800

“Remember, we started outfitting wagon trains going west. Our business has seen the invention of the automobile, the computer and even just a few years ago Google and Amazon. Each new invention revolutionizes the way we do business. We’ve been able to adapt and stay at the forefront.”

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hardware stores, lumberyards and general stores throughout the Midwest. In 1888 it was incorpo- rated as The Blish, Mize and Silliman Hardware Co. The second generation of the founders to helm the company was Edward’s son A.E. Mize, followed by A.E.’s son John Mize Sr., then John Mize Jr., who retired from active management in 2018 after 56 years on the job and was succeeded by his son, Jonathan. John Mize Jr. also has a daughter, who he named Blish Mize to preserve and honor the Blish name, as the Blishes did not have children. Blish Mize Connor is the company’s communica- tions director. When he retired as CEO in May 2018, John Mize Jr. reflected on his tenure, which started in 1962 when he joined the company full time after college working sales territories in Colorado and Nebraska. He was later promoted to field sales manager and traveled the company’s entire servic- ing area. He held the position of executive chair- man, president and CEO for about 35 years, and the company saw incredible growth and acquisi- tions under his leadership. “We are a family-owned, employee-focused company, and we are extremely dedicated to our customers,” he said when he transitioned out of active management and into the sole role of chairman of the board. “I look back on our history and feel gratitude to so many who have shown their faith in us.” He added, “There’s plenty of competition, and we have to prove ourselves worthy every day. Strong customer service and making sure our

customers know we care about their business is a huge part of that.” Customers Feel the Family Focus A fellow century-old Kansas business, Home Lumber and Supply headquartered in Ashland since 1905, says the family attitude makes a differ- ence and has continued with the next generation of leadership. “We have a nice relationship based on mutual respect,” said Hervey Wright, assistant general manager for Home Lumber and Supply, which operates 14 full-service lumber and building mate- rials stores in rural markets across the state. “They do what they say they are going to do. A phone conversation is as good as a handshake deal would have been back in 1905. A lot of our store manag- ers and sales managers have business relationships as well as friendships with the Blish-Mize team. And when you go to the buying market, it’s a dif- ferent feel than you get with other distributors, where it’s strictly business and there’s little interac- tion. At the Blish-Mize market, you see Jonathan Mize, Blish Mize and their dad there, shaking hands, talking to folks. In the evening, it’s like sitting down to a family dinner together.” Brent and Megan Melby have leaned on the Blish-Mize team for everything from purchas- ing inventory at prices that maximize profit- ability to redesigning the store they bought four years ago in Scandia in far northcentral Kansas. They say their sales rep for Melby’s Home Center visits often enough to be able to call their kids by

“A phone conversation is as good as a handshake deal would have been back in 1905.”

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The business has evolved from the early days of providing axle grease and horseshoes for pioneers heading west to carrying power tools, something the founders never could have imagined, to today’s technology-driven warehouse stocked with 60,000 SKUs/items.

name, and they appreciate working with a like- minded business. “It’s nice to have another family-owned business take care of our family-owned business,” Megan Melby said. “They have a better understanding of how important it is to have correct product shipped, having your store set up properly and they always have great marketing tools ready to show us at their buying markets. Probably the most important is that they are in rural America like we are. It’s a big selling point that I can say I got all of this from Atchison.” Nearly 150 years of family leadership has resulted in longtime customers who look to Blish- Mize for reliability and profitability for their inde- pendent stores, which range from one-off mom and pop shops to mini-chains. From pliers to paint to power drills, Blish-Mize distributes more than 60,000 different hardline products. Beyond distribution, they offer a variety of retail profitability services like marketing, pricing, planning and store design. “We treat our customers like family,” Jonathan said. “We view our work as a partnership. We also pride ourselves on our generations-old ethos of ‘the customer is always right.’ That sentiment is a rarity these days.” Longevity Among Customers and Employees In addition to long-time customers, it’s not unusual for employees to retire with 30 or 50 years of service at Blish-Mize. Corporate offices are in Atchison as well as the company’s main 500,000-square-foot distribution center. They employ 150 people in Kansas and in the other states where they serve customers on their own company equipment: Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, northwestern Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Dakota,

Texas and Wyoming. They also operate cross dock facilities in Denver, Dallas and Houston. Their reach is even farther, though, as they ship nationwide to other hardware retailers, as well as provide e-commerce fulfillment services to some of the most well-known online retailers. The family counts embracing e-commerce as one of the turning points in the modern era of the business. Other adaptations that have allowed Blish-Mize to remain competitive include adopting a digital, rapid-turnaround warehouse; acquiring competitors when they go out of business in order to expand into more states; and offering online sales via Hardware House, the private-label brand that Blish-Mize recently took full ownership of and continues to offer thousands of high quality products in the major product line categories. As they evolve, the family said, they stay grounded in their roots, including staying in Atchison. “Atchison is more than our home” Jonathan said. “We are one of the strongest supporters of the Atchison community and many local causes such as United Way, Relay for Life, Chamber of Commerce, Amelia Earhart Festival, YMCA, local schools, churches, food pantry, just to name a few. Our company actively promotes volunteerism among employees by allowing time off with pay for certain community volunteer work. The town’s success is very important to us.” He started in the business at 24 and turned 50 this year, so it’s likely that Jonathan has many years remaining at the helm of the business. When asked if there is a sixth generation to continue the tradition, he enthusiastically said yes. “There are lots of great options to choose from in the next generation.” KCL

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