Stepping up to direct the company their father started nearly 40 years ago are, from left, Mike, Tom, Terri and Dan Gleason.
Nothing goes out the door without the ELFCO logo on it — many of the basic nuts and bolts items go in a custom ELFCO box.
When ladders come in they feature the ELFCO name and logo imprinted at the factory. When they go out, they include the customer’s name stenciled in place as a finishing touch.
Custom cutting Unistrut channel and threaded rod is a significant service that ELFCO customers have come to rely upon. A section of the new warehouse has been set aside to make it easier and more efficient to accommodate the increased demand for this value-added activity.
The new warehouse with its spacious aisles and wide racks makes filling orders fast and efficiently, much easier than in the multiple building layout of just a few years ago.
The balcony area above the offices at ELFCO holds the slower moving items and those, like power tools, that require extra security.
A recent Milwaukee tool promotion turned the showroom into a "madhouse" according to the Gleasons. They sold more than 500 hammer drills in one day as buyers responded to the unadvertised special event.
With eight overhead doors in the shipping/receiving area of the new warehouse, moving inventory from the smallest fastener to a heavy load of steel has become easy and efficient.
Don Rigg helped to get the Electrical Fastener Company off the ground. The semi-retired comptroller still has his pulse on the financial side.
"And, we really appreciate the communications we get from the association. We use a lot of it as a basis for our business.
"That's especially true in helping meet competition from 'big box' stores," Tom continues. "We don't consider them direct competitors in most ways because our customers don't want to shop and most don't buy strictly on price. They want to order from someone they know and trust. They want a one-stop shop that delivers - literally and figuratively."
What's next? There are no immediate plans, but a second location could be in the cards. "We're doing very well with this one location, but a second one would be nice," the Gleasons agree. "Where? That's the question. We just aren't sure right now."
They are sure that business is riding a wave that doesn't appear to be peaking any time soon.
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