True to their roots

f r's ,r LUMBERMAN's version ol Buck f-.to rhc Ftttttre. In 1946. BennY Friedman opened a building center in Petaluma. Ca. In 197 l, he launched a second Friedman's Home ImProvement in nearby Sanla Rosa. shuttering the Pctaluma site when the building's dilapidated state and insurance hassles forced a decision upon htm.

By 1993, his son Bill-next uP at bat-had opened a store in Sonoma, then another in Ukiah in 1996. But a soft spot remained in everyone's heart Petaluma, where it all began.

Well, as they say in the movies, they're baaaack! After years of watching, scouting and waiting. a suitable location at last arose when a proposed Lowe's failed to materialize. Backed by strong support from the town fathers. Friedman's in Petaluma's new Deer Creek Valley Shopping Center opened in May-in time to welcome Bill's son, Barry, as the companY's new president-cum-c.e.o. (Bill retains his seat on the board and post as premier mentor.) So, full circle: Store #4 re-blossoms in location #1.

Never mind that Barry is just 30something. He's been around the block a time or two. Just as his dad did beiore him. he grew up sweeping sawdust, bagging purchases, and corralling carts. But, after earning a business degree in college. wild oats prevailed over white pine. "I spent three years on the NASCAR team in North Carolina. then with a whitewater raft- ing outfit in Montana. But I alwaYs knew I'd come back. When mY fblks called, in 2004, and said, 'No Pressure-but we'd love to have you,' that sealed it.

''I started from the ground uP, cashiering, then spent time in each department, including the suPPort functions," gaining more and more responsibilities, including assisting with the remodeling of the Sonoma store, Barry says. He earned a management position in 2008, then advanced to v.p. of operations the following year. So when the time came, with the blessing of his dad, he took the helm of the whole enchilada. "I'd been mentored by so many here, and they all believed in me, or I would not be in this position."

His management style is all his own. "My grandfather was a PeoPle person, loved the place. And Dad's a products guy, an amazing merchant." For Barry, it's all about the staff, 600strong by now. "I believe in the team concept (l was captain of my college football team)-doing things together, seeing people grow. We're in the relationship business," he denotes his line of work. "We've built a strong reputation in the community for honesty, treating the customer right, and people appreciate that. We do business like it used to be...."

That works, and works well, if the staff has absorbed the message. At Friedman's. that critical criterion is achieved "through modeling-how to handle situations. And," Barry is quick

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to acknowledge, ensuring that the company's ethos is passed on and absorbed by its employees "gets harder and harder as you grow." With the addition of the Petaluma store, staff surged from 400 to 600-"so it came down to, how do you translate that to the new hires? (We hired in all our locations.) We looked for attitude, rather than skills or experience-the desire to be here! We decided to have one designated person screening all applicants before sending the best-qualified on to the managers, to find the right fit for the culture."

The new Petaluma complex has an 85,000-sq. ft. footprint, which includes a dry shed and greenhouse. In designing it, what lessons were addressed that had been learned in the three existing stores, arreporter queried. Says Barry, "We knew we wanted to go in with a full offering for our customers, to build that expectation. Having an outdoor lumberyard was a critical factor for us, because we serve a dual path-retail (6OTa) and pro (40Vo). We needed that [yard] for the contractors, to compete with the boxes: accessibility of product. But, we'd also learned, that very factor can be intimidating for retail consumers. So we located the dry shed closer to the main store than in our other locations. It's reached by a short path-really, just an extension. But"-a savvy "but"-"we still have a contractor entrance, with special parking, for a quick in and out. ' "SKUs were enhanced in some departments, but some are displayed differently," including the new Express Yard on Display feature-a 68-ft. display corridor of products actually out there waiting in the lumberyard, planned with the aim creating a "less-intimidating feeling. The customer is inside, looking at it, before heading outside. Unique!" Barry exclaims.

Another innovation: a mezzanine level of 4,500 sq. ft. voted to kitchen and bath. "In our other locations. thev not a maze. It's easy to navigate. Plus there's lots of bright signage and super-graphics, like the ones depicting scenes of Sonoma County. Others sell the 'dream,' like in our outdoor living section." right on the retail floor. But we felt that, by changing And there'll probably be another at environment, it would offer a different experience-no generation of Friedmans being groomed to step in. Barry's istractions, more intimate, no shopping carts. Plus," he in a smart merchandising move. "we elevated the level fourth child was born two weeks before the fourth store opened. I'm just sayin'.... products up there-another move to improve the cus' experience"-and. ahem. profit. Adding to that experience, the whole layout is more n. "It's easy to clutter a store," Barry knows. "You want to sell product, fill the space. But we were very disciplined. So you walk in, look left, look right, look ahead, and it's

And customers love it. But, let's face it, what they're talking about most is Friedman's new Living Wall: four of them, actually, planted in greenery. They were planned to break up the building's concrete facade, but-bonus-pull their weight as a marketing tool, too. "They're beautiful, they're dramatic, and they've turned into a destination. People drive over to see them." And see what's within, of course. Plus, Petaluma is the poster town for uber-green California, "so it shows what we, as an organization, represent in environment-friendly products, too."

The recent grand opening party sounded just as Californian: 900 guests-staff, vendors, key community members-at the preview event. "Petaluma's been an under-served market, and we'd tried to come back to town for years." When that dream was finally realized, it represented an emotional moment for all the Friedman's clan.

So, what's next? Or, is there a next? "Having a fourth location definitely changed the organization to be more efficient in how we handle things. But"-short answer-"yes, we're always looking for opportunities to pursue farther out."

Carla Waldemar cwaldemar@comcast.net

By fames Olsen