Lyons Specialty Company

History

History

In 1945, LSU auditor William E. Davis, Sr. began selling 10-cent pecan rolls to local stores from the storage room behind his garage. He named his side business Baton Rouge Wholesale Candy Company.

The next year, he purchased Lyons Specialty Company, which had been founded in 1923, from the owner’s widow for $7,690.61, leaving Davis just $75 in the business bank account. He continued operating under the Lyons name in order to keep the company’s existing customers. Davis’ grandson Hugh Raetzsch Jr. is CEO of the company today.

Derek Johnson worked as a project manager and estimator in the commercial drywall feld for many years until his company downsized and pulled out of Louisiana. He and his wife Jodi took a leap of faith and decided to build a family-oriented company that could make real changes in the construction industry. They started out with just a few resources—a business plan, a little bit of cash, some tools and a few elite employees who shared their vision.

WHAT VALUES OR PRINCIPLES GUIDE YOUR BUSINESS?

WHAT VALUES OR PRINCIPLES GUIDE YOUR BUSINESS?

HOW HAS YOUR BUSINESS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS?

HOW HAS YOUR BUSINESS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS?

For a family to work together successfully, everyone must pull their own weight. When I began working in the business over 30 years ago, I was given an opportunity by my grandfather and my mother, Jane Dunlap. It was my job to make the most of that opportunity. Now that my kids are entering the business, they have the same opportunity.

Our core values have always been strong communication, trust in our ourselves and our people, and reliance on our faith. We also try to keep a sense of humor. What we do is risky and overwhelming at times, so we need to rely on each other’s strengths to overcome adversities and help us achieve and maintain success.

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO WORK WITH FAMILY?

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO WORK WITH FAMILY?

Early on in my career was a difficult time. There were some strained relationships and even today, there are scars from those times. But over the last couple of years as my two older sons have graduated from college and entered the business, it has been extremely rewarding. I feel very fortunate to see my kids every day and share the successes of running a 100-year-old family business. Not many people get that opportunity. It is truly special.

It’s stressful at times, but we always strive to find that balance between work and family, and make time for both. It’s rewarding to have family and those who are as close as family, help us build on the foundation we’ve laid. We are able to show our children that by working together, with a dream and a lot of hard work, you can still build something out of nothing.

So much has changed compared to when I began in the business over 30 years ago. One of our core values is adaptability … it has been key to our success and the success of our customers. What’s important to our customers today is different than it was just a few years ago and what will be important to them five years from now.

We started our company with just two contracts, so we had to build it from the ground up and keep it running with the same intensity that we started with. We are now a $12 million dollar-plus company, and we have continued to grow. We’ve grown from 10 employees to (depending on current jobs) over 50.

WHAT’S ON THE HORIZON FOR YOUR COMPANY?

WHAT’S ON THE HORIZON FOR YOUR COMPANY?

We are comfortable at this size, so we’re not necessarily trying to keep growing. But we would love to continue to help build all the new schools in our area and aid in the recovery efforts that have arisen from the recent natural disasters. We have always believed in the ability of a few good people to make great change … in fact, we’re proof of it.

We completed an expansion project in 2018 which doubled the size of our warehouse and office. This gives us the necessary space and added efficiencies to more than triple our current sales at our existing facility. We will continue to focus on growing our food service category, growing our MAX12 customer membership program, and growing our Marketing Advantage Monthly in-store marketing program.