INDEPENDENT | BUSINESS STRATEGIES
Bidding & branching out How to become a supplier on large-scale projects
ith the current economic climate and the repercussions of COVID-19, ensuring a diverse business stream is important to your store’s success. If you’re a small or medium sized business, consider becoming a supplier on large-scale, commercial, or government projects. Your store’s participation will allow for steady industry sales across all sectors of the industry, including retail, professional home and commercial, and larger projects, helping your business stay sustainable in all economic times. We glean the expertise from three ALLPRO members with a wealth of experience as suppliers on large-scale, commercial, and government projects. They reveal their own strategies and offer advice for other independents interested in expanding their business offerings and getting involved in large projects.
1. I D EN TIFY KEY PLAYE R S & CUSTOM E R S If branching out and building your business is on your to-do list, determine the top companies for large-scale projects. These organizations are part of the design and building team that report directly to the owner, or the company delivering the project. The Color House has plenty of experience when it comes to bidding, participating, and partnering on large, commercial, and government projects. According to Doug Caniglia, Director of Sales, Industrial/Commercial Coatings for The Color House, the store studies the market to see what projects are forecasted and who their target customers are. “We meet with architects, designers, developers, housing authorities, property managers, corporations that do manufacturing, facility maintenance companies, as well as state and local agencies so that they can understand the power of our supply chain and service,” Caniglia says. “We approach all customers with a ‘can do’ attitude so that we can deliver a clean sophisticated supply chain that offers real value.” When Jon Dazey started working at White’s Lumber, his role was to diversify the business’s current offerings and expand to federal government contracts. In doing so, Dazey began identifying top-tier companies for each project. “I meet with architects and general contractors specifically about paint. It’s good to have a relationship with the general contractors as well.”
30 | September/October 2021 | ALLPRO INDEPENDENT
