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CoverStory
•THE WHOLESALER® — MARCH 2011
Mean Green — Pacific Plumbing Supply banking on green focus
BY MARY JO MARTIN Editorial director
O
ne might think that the mid- dle of a recession is not ex- actly the best time to make
significant capital investments in your business — especially when much of it is for a higher-price point product niche like green plumbing and heating. But that’s exactly what CEO and
president Larry Solomon and his team at Pacific Plumbing Supply have done. About two years ago, as residen-
tial construction — which had been the meat and potatoes of Pacific Plumbing Supply’s business — fell
ness as a partner in Sherman Supply Co .in the mid-1920s. Unfor- tunately, shortly after the doors opened, he fell ill and passed away in 1952. Maurice’s son Ernie had just earned his degree at the Uni- versity of Washington and stepped in to manage the company. His brother Eddie joined the company in 1959 after earning earned his degree at the University of Washington. Product sales were focused on traditional plumbing products; pipe, valves, fittings, fixtures and water heaters. The Shermans’ mission was to have a broad inventory available at competitive pricing and to take great care of their cus- tomers. As the plumbing products market broadened, the partners committed shelf space to new products with a focus on residential products. They also listened to their customers and established locations where there was both customer demand and land development. In 1976, Eddie Sherman moved to Honolulu with his family “for a short trip” to establish a plumbing branch in the islands. This “short trip” took about four years, but today there are three Hawaii Pacific Plumbing Supply locations on the islands of Oahu, Maui and the big island of Hawaii. Today, the family-owned company employs 145 and operates 20 branches in Washington, Alaska and Hawaii. This includes nine traditional wholesale plumbing branches in Washington, three in Hawaii and three in Alaska; four dec- orative showrooms have been established in Maui, Hawaii; Anchorage, Alaska; and Bellevue and Kent, Wash. The company also operates a 30,000-square-foot Master Distribution division, named Master Source, that distributes decorative plumbing products to both wholesalers and decorative showroom retailers. Within that facility is a 4,000- square-foot showroom that is open to the public and primarily sells products to showrooms and plumbing wholesalers, regionally and nationally.
The nuts and bolts P
acific Plumbing Supply Co. was founded in Seattle in October 1949 by Maurice Sherman, who got his start in the family busi-
Management team: • Ernie Sherman and Eddie Sherman, owners • Larry Solomon, President/CEO • Jon Stafford, VP-CFO • Ron Abramson, VP-GM • Tom Powers, VP-Operations • Brad McDonald, VP-Sales • Dan Sherman, VP-Marketing • Dave Sokoloski, VP-IS
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off dramatically, the company began developing a new growing revenue source. As a result of listening to their customers, they initiated a very focused approach for responding to a growing demand for green plumb- ing, hydronic and radiant heating products.
The Green Room The first step was hiring their
highly qualified and industry-re- spected department leader, Joey Longo. The second step was trans- forming 2,100 square feet of space at the company’s flagship location in Seattle to The Green Room. This showroom’s flexible display space features solar and tankless water
heaters, boilers, fully functioning in- floor radiant heating systems, PEX piping and water conserving toilets and fixtures. “We have an entire wall of con- densing boilers and another of tank- less water heaters,” said Ron Abramson, vice president/general manager. “We’ve also found that our in-floor radiant display is a great way to give customers an idea of the com- fort level they will experience with this type of heat. Rolling pods in the middle display HET toilets, fire- places, solar faucets and other green products. These pods are great, be- cause they can be easily moved, and the product can be changed out very quickly.”
A counter/will call area is manned
by knowledgeable members of the Pacific Plumbing Supply team who can provide design specs, heat cost calculations, and assist customers in selecting the right products for their applications. There is also a training area where manufacturers’ reps, local utilities and others conduct product training sessions for Pacific Plumbing Supply’s employees and customers. The training area features a built-
in screen with projector; within 20 minutes, the room can be fully set up with chairs and tables that seat 40 people. It’s also been wired so par- ticipants can access their own com- pany’s computer system through their laptop and use it as a webinar for their people back at the office. A training course calendar that is listed on the Green Room website as a convenience to customers also al- lows them the option to RSVP through the site. “Our Green Room business is
growing nicely,” said vice president- marketing Dan Sherman. “In the Pa- cific Northwest, there is a fairly large segment of the population that is very environmentally active. So, a seg- ment of our demand comes from their ethical position. It is becoming com- mon for people to think globally and act locally. “We continue to bring in new prod-
ucts and vendors at a fairly rapid rate. This is a new market for us and we just followed what our customers were asking for. So far, it’s rolling along pretty well. It’s fun for us be- cause the products are very new, tech- nical and there’s incredible product innovation.” Added Solomon: “Our customers’ primary goal at the Green Room is to understand the equipment well enough to articulate it to the con- sumers so they can improve their heating efficiency — whether that be radiant, tankless, tank type, etc. They (Turn to Green Focus, page 42.)
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