better times

By Carla Waldemar

E[OW do you weather a grueling Ilrecession? Well, if you're in Detroit, you lay off workers, curtail operations, and fly your jet to Washington to beg for a government handout.

But if you're running Humphrey's, a longtime lumberyard in Rhode Island (the hardest-hit of the New England states, by the way), you add another store.

WHAT were they thinking?

Well, the company's been a family business in Tiverton, R.I., since 1885, so there's got to be a pretty good business sense in the DNA. When the fifth generation of Humprheys, Jay (now 48) and brother Scott, took over the company in 1992 (Do the math: Jay was all of 31), they marshalled a fivefold increase in business over the ensuing years, so they're not the kind to be stopped by something like the R word. ("We're blessed," says sales manager Tim Llewellyn. "It would be silly to say we're not impacted, but we're not feeling a pinch, like the competition"-even in the high-end mahogany and ip6 decks he markets and installs.)

But wait: back to the new store in Middleton, R.I., with its long, strong line of Ben Moore paints. "The owner was retiring," explains Jay, "and we saw the opportunity to take it over, including the experienced staff. With paint as the draw, the store will still bring people in. For $200, they can paint a room, even in these tough times, and feel better, get some satisfaction."

Works for me. What also works is the brothers' evolution of the family business. "We set a vision of where we wanted to go." Jay begins, "and started by growing individual segments, like our Marvin windowssomething in which we had expertise and could handle." Next came an expansion of the kitchen department involving a total retrofit, which now attracts both the builders who represent90Vo of Humphrey's business and walk-in homeowners with kitchens on their minds.

"Next, and this was Scott's idea, we added installed services, starting off with garage doors" and growing to include kitchens, decks, exterior wanted the control [of salaried rather than subbed workersl," Jay explains, "and we were doing enough volume to keep them busy." doors, and new and replacement windows. "At first we used subs," he says, but that system came with too many drawbacks in the brothers' minds, so now installation is handled by a salaried, in-house crew, headed by a former remodeler customer with 20-plus years of experience who'd gotten tired of answering his own phone at 10:00 in the evening. "We

You start with garage doors and before you know it, it's mushroomed into one-stop shopping. That came about when a customer wanted an entire new kitchen. "He told me,'Jay, quite frankly, I want someone to handle everything; I don't want to call the plumber, the electrician, the carpenter....' 'We can do that!' I told him," and from then on, that's exactly what they did.

That one-stop mantra now includes everything from power tools (lousy margins and lots of competition, but a convenience to customers) to paint ("Our strongest retail department, along with kitchens") and specialty hardware, another strong and lucrative niche.

The going wasn't always smooth. Boxes moved in, but it didn't take Humphrey's pros long to figure out who took good care of them. Competition with longtime, strong independents also was fierce. "Plus, we learned that we had a reputation of being highly overpriced," Jay notes. Belonging to LMC buying co-op lowered what Humphrey could charge, "so we made adjustments and improved our service level and then got the word out" via the company's in-house marketing director, working in tandem with Scott at home shows, buying print ads and leveraging referrals. Today, Humphrey's outside sales force "working 2417 ," says their task master, drives kitchen sales. and three designatcd salcs reps call solel-v- on architects "all clal' long" to sell thcm the nrerits of Marvin Wintlows. Thc conll)an\1 still (or nruke that. oncc rrglrirtr ollets I't'ec dclirc11 :errit.'. "Wc adclccl a charge lutc in '0li whctt fuel costs cscalatccl. nhich ntet with no rcsistance ('What took t'ot-t str Ion-s'.'' thc1"ci ask). bLrt rvhcn priccs camc back ckrwn. wc rcscinclccl it" lunothcr move to pass savings on to custonrcrs, which thcy are cyuick to noticc.

Within thc storc. Hunrphrey clesignated insiclc salcs peoplc declicate-cl solelv to u'olking vuith pros, so thosc tinrc-starvecl builclcrs ncccl not stltncl in line bcliincl the cl-i-1'cr u'ith I'ris can ol'paint. "Wc werc thc first yarcl rrlrttnttl ri ith tltlrt 'Il() \r'r'\ iLc r'()tlccpt"" Jay' clainrs braggin' rights.

Anothcr first: "Wc startcd trackin-t on tirne clclivcrics; no onc elsc was doing it. Our cxpcctations are high. ancl that rnitkcs our custotncls cttnfident in us." Rcrnodelcrs. too. get special scrvicc: "Their trccds at'c di11'erent. and wc undclstancl that."

Thc conrpanv has hostecl its share of llurnphrcy Expo clinners. backcd by sLrpplicrs u ith nen products to clisplal'. "Thcn we acldecl prodttcl knor'vlcclgc se minars in the al'tcrnoot.tlirr instancc. how cocle changcs wet'e being acldresscd b1- Sinrpson's lastcn crs.".la1 sa1 s. "Now. wc've shiftccl strictly to wl'rat thcv sccnr trt valltc rlost. the educational offering wc spollsor fbr our contractors ancl itrchi tccts. We also bring clicnts to Murvin's factory in Minnesota. whicli thcse buildcrs applcciate. It's an au'esonre erpcricncc, and thcy're blowrr away.''

I Iurrrltlrgl': :litl'l' rttelit: trlrirting. Ioo. of (()ur\L'. hoth i iu lr ntettltrt'inq s)'stcm and throu-eh the Northeast Rctail Lunrber Associltion's senrittars ancl nebinars.

So. rlclcls arc goocl (scratch that: makc it "!rfeat") that the longtinte conrpanl, rvill withstarrtl thc builclin-c tsunanri ancl mavbc induce thc kids in tlie riings to follow tlicir dacls' firotsteps tirrwarcl. Sa1,s J11'. "l stlrtecl in as s()on as I r'vas old cnough, at 13. and haven't lookcd back sincc. I cnjov seeing sonrcthing being built l'r'om nothing ancl giving hotucou'ct's thut sltisfhction."

A .lorrrtt'r t'it url-tt irtrtitt,q LIIXI tt'urlt' r r t,gtt : i t' c d i t t t', (l u r u \l' u d c n t r n' r 1 a.t .fi ctluerttl_t on tltc irulu.ttn'. CorttttL t lter ul t t tt l de ttttt r @' t ( )nt ( a.\t.n ( t,

R:rrrrrrs

Bayview Building Supply is closing its Kirksville, Mo., yard late this month ...

Danek Hardware & Lumber, Jarrell, Tx., was destroyed by an April2l fire

Builders Support & Sapply, Erie, Pa., is relocating truss/component operations to the l5-acre former Bradco/Wickes Lumber yard in Saegertown, Pa., closed since last June

Stock Building Supply closed its regional DC in Green Bay, Wi. ...

Ace Hardware has relocated to a larger 23,ffiO-sq. ft. facility in Park Rapids, N.D.

Ace Hardware, Cherry Hill, N.J., and two adjoining businesses were leveled by an April 9 fire

Hansen True Value Hardware, Des Plaines, Il., is liquidating its inventory after 31 years, with the retirement of owner Conrad Hansen after 58 years in the hardware industry ...

Howard Lumber Sales, Alexandria, La., remains open, as the owner has placed its building and property up for sale

Menards opened new locations April 28 in Warsaw, In. (Scott Fitterling, general mgr.); April 21

- CORRECTION -

AWPA has nor studied micronized copper-treated products and was not involved in any studies by the chemical companies, which may have used AWPA test protocols, to confirm the presence and amount of micronized preservatives (as erroneously reported in April, p. 10).

in Evansville, In. (Craig Mills, general mgr.), and April I in Columbia, Mo. (James Hilkemann, general mgr.) the chain has backed out of plans to build a new store in Wichita, Ks.

Wilke-Donovan True Value, Kearney, Ne., opened its newly rebuilt store, after operating in temporary quarters since a fre one yearago...

Trojan Hardware, Troy, N.Y., is closing this summer after 94 years, with the retirement after 44 years of owner George Sheehan

Habitat for Humani4r relocated its ReStore discount LBM outlet in St. Augustine, Fl., and opened a new branch in Lapeer, Mi.

Reinhart Retail Group has sold Rainbow Home Center, Rice Lake, Wi., to longtime employees Byron and Jodi Bunnell and Stephen and Christine Smith; the Bunnells will serve as general mgr. and sales mgr., respectively

Wrorrsn:ns/trrutlcu r:ns

Bradco Supply Corp., Avenel, N.J., has acquired Quality Rooftng Supplies, Schenectady, N.Y.; the facility, which includes a DC, metal fabricating operation, and door/ window plant, will continue to be managed by Fred Bogdon Jr. and Lori Bogdon Appel

Roseburg Forest Products, Dillard, Or., is closing its wood panel cut-to-size operation in Eupora, Ms., May 8, eliminating 25 jobs; the facility was one of six Roseburg acquired from GeorgiaPacific in 2006

N.E.W. Plastics Corp., Luxemburg, Wi., has acquired the assets of Tnrruex Building Products, Anderson, In., and will integrate TRIMAX's structural lumber products into its RENEW Plastics business unit ...

Ainsworth Lumber Co. is investigating selling or converting to bio-energy production its shuttered OSB plants in Bemidji, Grand Rapids and Cook, Mn.

Hedstrom Lumber Co., Grand Marais, Mn., is operating at twothirds capacity following a twoweek shutdown to reduce unsold inventory...

US Block Windows, Pensacola, Fl., has acquired the assets of fellow acrylic block manufacturer Hy-Lite Products, Eatonton, Ga., fromFortune Brands...

Gre enTe c h Manufacturin g will build a 103,000-sq. ft. manufacturing/distribution center on 9 acres in Douglas, Ga., to produce molded building materials, including roofing, siding, decking, flooring, lumber and fencing

Infarge Group has started up a new joint compound manufacturing plant adjacent to its gypsum wallboard facility in Silver Grove, Ky.

Cedar Siding ^Inc., Rochelle, Il., is now distributing TUF Board PVC trim and mouldingfrom Inteplast Group, Livingston, N.J.

Cambia by Greenleaf thermally modified lumber is now distributed in New England by North Pacific's locations in Conrad, N.H., and Springfield, Ma., and distributed in N.Y., N.J., and eastern Pa.by Nash Lumber Merchandising C orp., Bay Shore. N.Y. ...

Housing starts in March declined IA.8Vo to a seasonally

(Please turn to poge 29)