Retailer's long road to recognition

F lt'TEI:N vears has seen Richert Lumber Co. of l- Pleasanton, Ca., go from the humblest of beginnings to being named the Lumber Merchants Association of Northern California's Most Outstanding Yard of the Year. lt earned the honor by a lot of hard work, patience and perseverance.

"(The award) is a great shot in the arm for us," says owner Tom Richert. "lt's tough to make a living nowadays, so it's real nice to know you're doing something right. "

It's been a long road to recognition for Richert. The company began in 1976 as Richert Redwood, working out of a l0 x 12 shed and making deliveries in a Volkswagen camper.

"lt's really hard to get a new business going," Richert recalls. "A big problem was getting suppliers to sell us product. We didn't look like we had any money and, in all honesty, we didn't. But after a while they figured, 'Well, I guess they're going to make it."'

It took five years before they could borrow the money to begin expanding. The company grew to cover four acres, including a 22,000 sq. ft. retail store, I 2,000 sq. ft. attached dry shed and two 200 ft. long lumber sheds on each side of the yard.

Story at a Glance

Retailer honored as Northem Califomia's most outstanding yard keys to suooess: perseveranoe, team wor*, personal selvice, specialization... holding strong despite new warchouse competitor.

Loyal customers took personal pride in seeing the company grow. "A lot of customers like to think they're partly responsible for our growth," he says. "We used to joke, 'This is the Dave Memorial Wing."'

"Be attentive to the customer" has been the anthem at Richert Lumber. Approximately 60i of sales are allotted to training. Once daily now weekly meetings address different areas of product knowledge. "We let the people who work here come up with the subjects," Richert remembers. "At first they were things like plumbing. We finally reached the point where the categories became finer and finer. And we don't have a lot of turnover, so it became redundant. Now it's mostly the older guy teaches the younger guy."

A team spirit is cultivated. Suggestions are welcomed from everyone. An incentive program allows employee salaries to rise in relation to store sales gains. Richert always talks of "we" not "1."

The atmosphere is non-threatening, more comfortable, more fun. "We don't hover over people. We give them a job and expect they'll do it," he says. "We've never had to lay anyone off. lf there are any conflicts, we take care of them immediately. Everyone's upbeat. If someone's in a bad mood, one of the guys will pull them to the side and say, 'Hey, you're ruining my day, too,' and that picks them right up."

The store is attractively designed, neatly organized and ever clean. "lt's important for bringing the women in during the day," said Richert. "But the contractors also like it. In a nice, clean store, everyone's easier and nicer to deal with."

Customers are "the nicest mix" of commercial accounts. homeowners and contractors.

And Richert Lumber is constantly reflecting. "Some of the older yards are closing," he says. "We're seeing a whole different type of business. We're always looking at ourselves, asking, 'Are we doing it well?'lf you come in for plumbing, can we answer your questions or do we need to find or train someone who can?"

One of the biggest challenges came last year with the opening of a nearby Home Depot. Other competitors, such as a local plumbing shop, came out with big ads touting rock bottom prices. Richert knew he couldn't compete on price.

The company held a series of meetings to plot strategy. "We did it as a company, together," he says. "We had to figure out what we did well and let people know about it."

The answer was lumber and upper grade materials. "We're not Home Depot or Orchard Supply where they have it all under one roof and lumber's kind of in the back somewhere," Richert explains. "We truly are a lumber yard. We had to concentrate on not letting that fold."

From the hardware store you go through electronic glass doors to the dry shed. The yard is bordered by twosided sheds, open faces opposite each other so, standing in the yard, you're surrounded by lumber.

Sales did dip when Home Depot first opened. "lt's like when a new restaurant opens in town. Everyone has to go try it out," he says.

Richert kept holding its margins and business quickly returned. Even though the Home Depot continues to perform well.

Richert knows there will be other tests ahead. "lf there's a message, it's just hang in there," he says. "You've got to live long enough to make it happen."

Taking the High Tech Out of Deck Design

In the age of high tech computerized deck design systems, some dealers and do-it-yourselfers may welcome a simpler alternative.

For lumber dealers in some markets, the dollars in decking or the space available doesn't allow for the investment in a state-of-the-art computer design system. And, too, customers may be intimidated by the new technology or simply want more hands-on control of their project.

Various companies now offer easy-to-follow design packets so d-iyers can take the basics home to create their project on their time and their terms.

Nu-Lines, Inc., Tyler, Tx., has introduced a deck planning kit incorporating its preassembled treated southern yellow pine Fast-Deck panels. The kit includes a large design layout sheet, 440 peel and stick scale model deck panels, 105 peel and stick landscape greenery pieces, sample configurations, panel and substrate blueprints, deck esti- mate worksheets and concise instructions.

Over 5,000 single and multi-level design and size variations are possible. Designers can send in completed plans to Nu-Lines for a free estimate. They may then install it themselves or contract the manufacturer to do it.

Lightning & Surge Protection

Power conditions and lightning are the number one cause of computer system failures and port problems. With warmer weather and summer storms approaching, power surges and electrical brown outs can result in down time.

Although AC power requirements vary by device, the following are recommended by Dataline for CPUs, peripherals and communication devices.

PLAlllllll0 kit from Nu-Lines. Inc.. allows homeowners to design their own decks using scale model deck squares. Over 5,000 variations are possible, without relying on a computer design system.

CPUs require power rated at l15 volts Rms at 60H2, a dedicated (hot, neutral and grounded) 20 amp power line with an insulated and isolated ground and an uninterruptable power source (UPS). The UPS maintains power temporarily so that the system can be shut down in an organized fashion rather than abruptly which can result in loss of data and corruption of the system's operating system.

As a rule, computer peripherals should not share the same electrical branch as inductive loads such as refrigerators, heaters, copiers, coffee makers and motors which generate electrical noise and require a separate circuit. Because they are susceptible to mechanical failure, electrical noise and unpredictable future performance, conduit-only grounds should not be used with peripheral devices.

Even with a reliable primary protection system in place within a facility, communication equipment can be damaged by transients (power spikes). These can enter electronic equipment thiough any pathway provided or generated within the building by sources such as inductive load switching and electrostatic discharge.

Protectors specifically designed to give added security to electronic devices with low tolerance for voltage rises can be installed. These can protect equipment farther than 30 feet from the primaiy protection or in high lightning areas. They come in standard sizes.