Beaver Woodworking: bucking the odds
Beaver Woodworking Supplies thrives despite pressure from mass merchants and a changing customer base
By John R Johnson -- Industrial Distribution, 3/1/1998
It's no secret that many of today's most successful businesses got their start in the founder's basement or garage. When Larry Fortin founded Beaver Woodworking Supplies he had a distinct advantage; he started the firm in a two-car garage.Even so, many in the business -- albeit mostly his competitors -- doubted Fortin's ability to maintain the fledging business he started in 1947. Ironically, Fortin has outlasted them all. A specialty woodworking supplies distributorship located in Brockton, Mass., Beaver Woodworking Supplies had sales of approximately $1.5 million in 1997.
The company, a dying breed that services another vanishing breed -- America's cabinet making industry -- is led by the 62-year-old Fortin, who is far more comfortable handling the phones or giving customers product advice than he is behind his cramped corner desk in Beaver Woodworking's shop area. Fortin boasts that he likes to make his customers feel comfortable, and that includes trying to make them laugh a bit, too.
"They gave us two years at the most when we started," Fortin recalls of his doubters' predictions for Beaver's success. "But we worked hard to build a reputation. We stick with quality stuff. If it's not a good product, we don't want it."
And while Fortin modestly says he's not sure how his firm has been so successful, he admits it is mostly due to a huge inventory totaling more than 20,000 SKUs, in-depth product knowledge displayed by all 10 employees, and a solid reputation for carrying innovative, quality products that competitors don't always stock.
"You always have to keep changing how you go to market and the products you bring in," he says. "I have a feel for what's wanted. I know I won't sell a lot of these products tomorrow, but I know I'll eventually sell them and the customer will be glad we had it. You can't please everybody, but the majority of customers appreciate us."
That's easy to see by taking a quick look at Beaver's customer list. The firm draws business from most of Massachusetts, but also ships UPS throughout New England and as far south as Florida. In most cases, it's word-of-mouth that spreads the Beaver Woodworking name.
Kevin Reilly, district manager for Powermatic, a division of Devlieg-Bullard, Inc., has seen that in action. Although he's been calling on Beaver Woodworking for less than a year, Reilly already has an understanding for the reputation the company has established.
"I only have five or six guys like this left in my territory," says Reilly, referring to the old fashioned, full-line woodworking distributorships. Reilly covers New England and upstate New York. "They take care of their customers. The guys coming in here want to be told what products to use, and then to get back to work on the job. Reputation is everything, and I hear the Beaver name mentioned regularly up in Vermont and New Hampshire."
Loyal customers
Half of Beaver Woodworking's revenues come from what Fortin calls industrial accounts, which include cabinet shops, hospitals, local schools and universities, even race tracks. Another 30 percent is comprised of contractor sales, while the remaining 20 percent of sales is to home owners.
Bob Savilonis, owner of a woodworking company that bears his name, and Al Saluti, of A. Saluti & Sons, a cabinet maker in Quincy, Mass., both say they are steady customers of Fortin's because of the wide product selection and expertise offered at Beaver Woodworking Supplies.
"I do a lot of odd jobs and when I need some strange kind of hardware they will go through the catalogs and are willing to spend time with me to find what I need," says Savilonis. "I buy all my tools there, even though I can pick them up cheaper somewhere else. They are committed to giving me service, and so I'm committed to giving them my business."
Saluti, the third generation owner of his company, began buying from Beaver Woodworking almost a decade ago.
"Before we found out about them, we were tracking down product at about six different locations," he says, "but Beaver has everything we need under one roof. They respond to our needs as well as they can and they get things for us in a hurry. Their prices are fair and they offer very personable service, which we weren't getting from other places. Larry is always willing to give information and advice when we need it."
That is one of Fortin's specialties. He recognizes that in order for him to make money, his customers need to make money as well. So when Fortin saw the quality work one craftsman was doing -- and the rock bottom prices he charged for it -- Fortin talked to him for well over an hour about getting more for his services.
"This kid had talent he didn't even realize, and he was giving his work away," says Fortin. "If these guys don't make money, I don't make money. I was really impressed with his work, and I've always promoted getting your worth for your projects; if people don't appreciate the workmanship they put into it, then they won't make any money. I always promote getting your worth for your projects."
Fortin realizes that happy customers are his best partners. That explains why he delivered and set up a table saw for a 65-year-old customer who had put together a small woodworking business out of his cellar. And why he spent so much time with the maker of musical instruments who traveled to Beaver from the Canadian border in order to find the perfect product for the job. In this case, it was a sander that would allow him to sand wood nearly razor-thin in width, in order to achieve optimum acoustical performance.
Not only do happy customers make for cheap advertising in the form of word of mouth promotions, but they almost always turn into repeat customers -- something cherished by all distributors.
"One bad customer will tell 10 people they were unhappy, and a happy customer will only tell two people, so the odds aren't great," says Fortin. "So my reputation means a lot. You have to stand behind your product and solve problems. There's nothing worse than selling the wrong tool to a customer; I'd rather not sell it to them at all.
"The biggest enjoyment is helping people. I'm a problem solver, really. I like helping people, and then seeing them accomplish their goals."
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