Within the next year, the organization will not only expand to a new headquarters building that's about triple the size of the original, but it will add a new branch store to mirror its 10,000-square-foot outlet in nearby Naples, FL.
The new headquarters will feature a 16,000-square-foot warehouse, an 8,000-square-foot showroom and more than 5,000 square feet dedicated to office operations — including a spacious training center.
"It's a bit of a scramble to get people ready to both staff our larger new headquarters and be ready to open the doors at the new branch in Port Charlotte (FL)," Brown points out. "We'll have at least twice as many inside salespeople here as well as a completely new staff in the new store — and we expect our salespeople to be completely up to speed when the doors open."
As Brown says, his branches aren't "twigs" so this is an ambitious growth spurt to be completed all in one year. The magnitude of the task is compounded by the challenge of finding good people. "In our area the housing market has taken off, but the service economy hasn't kept pace. That makes for a challenging, difficult environment to work in," he adds.
Spread the word
Competing in such a competitive environment puts a premium on name recognition, building a solid customer base and strong marketing.
When Brown bought out his partner, in 1995, he was able to refocus his energies on the new business plan. He brought in Bryan Cassell as general manager and Barklow as sales manager. At the same time the company took on the Muro line of tools — taking it from virtually no sales in Florida to a multimillion dollar line in about 10 years.
"A lot of things came together for us," Brown admits, "good timing and good people."
