THE FOLIO
Profile
NEW HOME, NEW LIFE Rick Magliocca of New Life Building Supplies brings together the community through his humble approach to work. by SARAH GALLO photos JOE PURVIS Rick Magliocca has been serving Charlotte since 1977. As the owner of New Life Building Supplies, Rick helps construct high-quality spaces for his customers—who are more like the most loyal of friends to the widely successful supplier.
was young I did a little bit of everything... I had built treehouses my whole life and frequently replaced shingles on the roof. Even though I wasn’t gifted with much, I was mechanically inclined and taught myself all I know.
What made you go into this particular industry, and how did you end up starting the business here in Charlotte? I was born and raised in Charlotte. When I was a junior in high school I decided I didn’t want to work for the other man. So, at 17 I started working out of my 1944 Ford pickup truck until dark five days a week.
When you work on a non-local project, do you use vendors in those areas? We use all of our own vendors because we know we can trust them. Over 19 years I’ve developed what we call “Rick’s List,” which is a list of our roofers, electricians, plumbers who can do everything short of building the house.
How did you start in the beginning? How did you meet vendors and people you could work with? My father was the manager of a building supply company called Keller Building Products, but I wanted to do start my own venture. When I
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Is there any particular aspect about the job that you especially love? There’s nothing like going into a customer’s home and watching them excitedly pick out supplies for their dream marble countertops or tile backsplash. When we start the building process, I tell