Greg Drouillard /Target Building Materials

Staff -- Industrial Distribution, 3/1/2007

How has business been lately? Being that we're close to Detroit, that the exchange rate is relatively low, and that the box stores are increasing in our area, it is a little more competitive than normal.

New house construction activity is not near what it has been—it's down about 60 percent in Southern Ontario—but because of the high inventory of pre-owned homes, the renovations sector is actually on the rise quite significantly.

Of course, the nucleus of what we do is commercial construction, and that is stable and looks like it's going to grow.

What do you expect for the remainder of the year? There are several [sports] arenas being built in our area. One is to house our Junior A hockey team, and will hold 6,500 people. And there will be another arena in East Windsor that will hold 6,500 people, as well.

Along with that, it's going to be a year in which we're going to have to identify areas of new potential, such as the greenhouse business. That is a $3 billion market here; it's bigger than automotive. ... So, there are some bright spots in our economy.

What's the best idea you've implemented in the last six months? We've started employee cross-training, and it's working very well. We're so fortunate to have an adaptable staff that's willing to do this. It makes them more valuable to me, and in customer care, because they can understand and empathize with what we do day-in and day-out.

If you had unlimited resources, what change would you make in your business? Well, with growth in mind, it would be nice to have more property to facilitate the growth we have planned.

What's the most misunderstood aspect of your industry? Probably that some customers think all the services that we provide in distribution are free. Everything costs money—delivery services, profit margins, inventory, training of staff, etc. It is costly to be in business.

Is distribution in Canada much different from the United States? How? I think there are subtle differences. In the U.S., you use [manufacturer's rep] agencies much more than we do in Canada. Also, we have more buying groups than you do in the States.

If you could have any other job in the world, what would it be? I've always wanted to be an airline pilot, NASCAR driver or a professional hockey player. I'd love to do any one of those three things.

You became president of the Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Assn. last fall. What's been your best experience as president to date? The work with STAFDA is so enjoyable. In particular, it's been very gratifying to interact with all the categories of membership in STAFDA [distributor, manufacturer, manufacturer's rep, etc.]. I was recently at the World of Concrete [trade show], and we met with the various STAFDA liaison committees and had the opportunity to talk with them. It was probably one of the most informative things that I've done to date.

What do you hope to accomplish as STAFDA president? I believe the world is getting smaller, and as a Canadian I think I can help promote the awareness of my country and all [STAFDA's] international members to grow the association. We have to better understand the dynamics of international business. That includes me, it includes STAFDA—it includes all of us.

Greg Drouillard is president of Target Building Materials, a distributor of construction supplies based in Windsor, Ontario, targetsupply.com. He is also president of the Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Assn. Contact Greg at gregdr@mnsi.net.