When Fred O'Boyle recalls that dark weekend in 1996 when 763-foot freightliner Bright Field rammed into a dock housing a Riverwalk mall and hotel complex in New Orleans, his thoughts immediately go to the industrial distributor that helped his general contracting firm spring into action to help.

As purchasing manager at Metairie, La.-based Broadmoor, LLC, which specializes in commercial construction, O'Boyle says he received several calls from insurance firms on the Sunday following the accident.

"They needed us to get in there pretty quickly," says O'Boyle, who turned to Metairie-based R.J. Marchand Contractor Specialties, Inc., for assistance.

"They opened up for us on Sunday and got us all of the safety products, ladders, flagging, tools and other stuff that we needed to start working that day," says O'Boyle, whose firm has been doing business with R.J. Marchand for more than two decades. "There aren't very many companies that will do that for you, especially on a Sunday morning."

Even when it's not an emergency, O'Boyle says the family-owned and operated distributor of construction equipment, tools and supplies stands out by providing in-depth training on its products, holding yearly festivals that include the distributor's suppliers, and providing customer service that goes beyond the norm.

"R.J. Marchand is one of the few privately owned supply houses left in the area," says O'Boyle. "Because they're not a part of a big conglomerate, there's a down-home business relationship feel to everything they do."

With one location and 12 employees (down from 19 prior to Hurricane Katrina), R.J. Marchand was founded in the early 1950s by Rivers J. Marchand, whose goal was to serve the construction industry with powder-actuated fastening tools. He started the firm with five employees, one truck and a 10,000-square-foot warehouse stocked with fewer than 100 items.

After 35 years in business, Marchand retired, selling his company in 1989 to Frank Sibley, current president and owner, and Leo Liccardi (who now heads up Marchand Interior Specialties). Today, R.J. Marchand operates from a 20,000-square-foot location that includes office, warehouse and showroom space.

Along the way, the company broadened its inventory to include more construction products, says Sibley, mainly in response to customer demand for the additional items. With more than 20,000 products in inventory, the company has five delivery trucks on the road servicing a customer base of residential and commercial contractors and subcontractors in the metropolitan New Orleans area.

Sibley, who came on board in 1959, worked his way up through the firm's sales side, starting with the Northern Louisiana territory, and later moved into inside sales and management. He became president in 1989 and today, at age 71, continues to play an active role in the company, often working 10- to 12-hour days alongside his son Greg Sibley, vice president.

Knowing that his contractor customers need more than just a tool and a smile, Sibley says his company differentiates itself through end-user training on the products that it sells. By working together with vendors, he says the distributor has developed an informal training program that ensures the tools are being used in the most effective, safe manner possible.

"We don't just throw a tool onto the counter and say 'okay it's yours, be gone with you,'" says Sibley. "We let them know that we're there to answer questions, particularly on new tools. We want them to know everything there is to know about the tool before they leave."

The distributor also does everything it can to ensure that its products are ready to use when they leave the warehouse. Take gas demolition saws, for example. In high demand in the Gulf region after the 2005 hurricane season, the saws go through a rigorous "pre-flight" inspection prior to sale by R.J. Marchand, which takes them out of the warehouse for a test run. Belts are tightened and stretched as needed, and the saws are tuned to perfection, to ensure that end users don't have problems with them.

"When it leaves here, it's ready to run," says Sibley, who knows that his customers don't always have time to implement the many different instructions and precautions involved with power tools and equipment. "Sometimes, it's just easier if we do it ourselves, and hand them a turnkey package that they can take on the job site and start using immediately."

Finding someone with whom you can do business on a handshake isn't easy these days, but R.J. Marchand's customers and suppliers alike say that Sibley is that kind of business owner.

"He's an honest businessman who is fair to his customers, and very easy to work with," says Michael Julian, a district sales manager for La Mirada, Calif.-based Makita, who has worked with the distributor for six years.

During that time, Julian says he's learned a lot from Sibley, who will often coordinate with Makita to line up training sessions for new products.

"If he wants to get everyone up to speed on rotary hammers, for example," says Julian, "then we'll get together and do a training session together for his techs."

These days, Julian says the distributor has its hands full dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which has created a high demand for construction supplies, equipment and labor in the region. Grappling with its own challenges (see sidebar), Julian says R.J. Marchand "is just so busy right now that it's crazy."

Complicating matters, seven of the distributor's employees were either displaced or "moved on to other opportunities" after the storm.

"You really can't find anyone to fill those positions right now," says Sibley, who watched his firm's sales volume double in November, compared to November 2004. "There's no one around."

R.J. Marchand has also found itself selling items that in the past it only dabbled in. While demand for its wedge anchors has leveled off, for example, the need for Tyvek suits—used for hurricane cleanup—is at an all-time high.

"We hardly sold any Tyvek suits in the past, and now we can't keep them on the shelves," says Sibley, who during his 47 years in construction distribution has seen a number of ebbs and flows, but nothing like what he's experiencing now.

"We're trying to meet the high demand for different products, and with fewer people," says Sibley, who knows that when business eventually returns to normal, customer service will continue to be his firm's strong point. "We don't carry anything different than anyone else, but we do have our eye on customer service. It's not just about selling something and moving on. We take care of them at the point of sale, and beyond."