After five generatiohsr itts time to grow

fN rnvlNc rrMES LrKE THESE, a little lhistory lesson can help. "A hundred-year-old company flike ours] has seen downturns before-the Great Depression and two world wars," says David Marling, millwork manager of Wisconsin-based Marling Lumber. The business was launched by his great-great-grandfather in 1904 and his father. Kurt. now serves as c.e.o.

David calls himself "a rookie"-a young, l0-year employee in the firm he grew up in-a company that's seen it all and survived. No, scratch that: Make it "grown and prospered." And this round is no different. "We're getting ready for the rebound-we're building for that. Good times," he's sure, "are coming back. "We're different! No way are we hunkered down. We're looking to the future."

Not just a pretty metaphor, Marling has seized the opportunity to expand. It recently completed a $2-million, 17,000-sq.-ft. HomeWorks showroom in Janesville. Wi.. and relocated company headquarters to the site.

"Our former headquarters in Madison," half-an-hour distant, he notes, "was an 80-year-old building: worn out, inefficient. We'd run out of room. The new location gives us opportunity for growth, plus the ability to consolidate our operations under one roof-manufacturing, human resources, managers and such."

Marling also has operated a lumberyard in Janesville (and a second one in Madison) and a door plant in nearby Edgerton in addition to the original Madison HomeWorks, launched in 1996, and satellite HomeWorks showrooms opened in February in Waukesha and Green Bay, Wi. The manufacturing plant, which was the first in the region to produce hollow metal doors, turns out wall panels and more to add to the company's offeringsand profits.

But HomeWorks-a showroom we'll visit in more detail in just a minute-was the big motivator in looking for a longterm anchor as Marling planned ahead, a habit it's fostered for five generations and counting.

"We decided that home improvement was the wave of the future, the way the market is going," affirms David. "The traditional lumberyard of 50 years ago is a thing of the past. You've got to diversify to stay ahead, and Iall-inclusive, one-stop-shopping] showrooms are the way to go. People-especially women, the decision-makers-have done research on the Internet. Now, they want to touch and feel the products."

Furthermore, he predicts, "the current recession will result in a reiurangement: a sorting-out of manufacturers and suppliers. Some will drop out. So you've got to anticipate that in planning your showroom." Thus, among its 100-plus Janesville employees, Marling has hired certified designers who can turn out complete home blueprints; others who can assist with kitchen, bath, and decking remodeling projects; and several who are uniquely schooled in demands likely to mushroom in the near future: handicap-access and aging-in-place specialists, who can advise commercial and home builders alike in matters from elevators and stairlifts to wheelchair-width aisles, knobs and grab bars. "You've got to diversify," David seconds his own motion.

And that can mean finding new partners. Marling's new building adjoins a grain elevator, so to expand into lawn and garden products, the new site displays gondolas, gazebos and barbecues, while their neighbor handles plants and landscaping materials. "We've also partnered with a local flooring company," David adds. "We choose partners that are like us-family-owned. three or four generations. And it's been very successful for everybody involved," he testifies. Marling also partners with its contractor customers, whom it refers to homeowners seeking installation.

Monitoring consumer trends is vital, David maintains. So, picking up on the growing popularity of staycations, HomeWorks has pumped up its patio and deck capabilities, as well as indoor amenities such as fancy fireplaces.

That's in line with what Marling has decided is most important for future viability, and that's dealing directly with homeowners. "In the past, our business was almost 1007o pro, and we still offer contractors special staff, services, pricing and credit terms," he adds. But the new showroom was expressly designed to entice homeowners directly with elaborate displays, including a functioning kitchen. closet. bath and office cabinets, and energy-efficient productsanother huge growth area.

Marling has also fingered the pulse of the region's demographic, and it's-duh!-growing older. So the company has become a leader in new services, such as those handicapaccess and aging-in-place features.

To get the word to consumers that they're welcome here, the company buys "all sorts of advertising, from print to TV." But maybe the best ad was the new building itself, whose progress people noted daily as they passed it on the busy highway. Thinking ahead once again, Marling is wooing the younger, tech-savvy audience of today and tomorrow with use of Facebook and Twitter.

Right now, while others falter, remodeling has kept the company solidly in the black. "Looking ahead, it's been our focus for the past few years; today, it's 80Eo of our business," David says.

When the company undertook its new building, it expressly added a seminar room to conduct classes-not only for its own employees, but also for its customers. Contractors can gain education credits in classes like coding changes and the stimulus package. Then these same pros are tapped as instructors in seminars for homeowners in everything from decking to energy-efficiency, which goes beyond window replacement to features they may not have considered, like re-insulation. "We're out to inform them. not just sell the product," David underscores.

Competitors? Sure. Menards and Depot reside just down the road"and they have their purpose," David allows. "But our prices are the same and sometimes even cheaper, because, with our various locations, we have buying power. Even more important is our knowledgeable customer service. Many of our employees are contractors who've hung up their hats, or former city inspectors. We'll not only sell you something, but tell you how to install it. maintain it. and clean it. And if ever there's a problem, we don't hide. We say, 'Come back to us."'

Marling treats those employees like family, giving them their say in decision-making. "We ask for their input because they're the ones who deal with things, hands on. Many have been here 20, 30 years."

That's David's life plan, too. "My mom and dad never said I had to go into the business; I'm here because I Iove it. I'm a nostalgia guy. very sentimental. I like being part of history. Very few businesses can boast a fifth generation. That's neat to be a part of tI."

And the story doesn't end here...

Carla Waldemar cwaldemar@ comcast.net

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