Shifting Philosophies
A company striving to be all things to everyone has a rough road ahead. After the downturn, Bavry decided it was high time to do things differently.
“We have survived the ‘Great Recession’ fairly well,” he says. “We got pretty low at one point, but we didn’t come out of it weak. We came out of it strong and we’re gaining ground fast.”
Bavry attributes this to one thing— seeing opportunity in what other companies weren’t doing.
“When the economy worsened, we determined that we had to really diversify and carry more products,” Bavry explains. “We took on drywall in a fully implemented way. We supplied boom trucks so we could handle the product; we hired an expert and offered the appropriate inventory. We didn’t just nibble at it—we became fully invested.”
Locked into a bright future, Kimal Lumber started making changes. First, above everything else, the company began to truly emphasize its mantra “super service.”
Adds Bavry, “Today, businesses, in general, just supply reliable service (e.g. returning phone calls, keeping promises, delivering on-time, etc.). We see too much of the lack of service all around. We continually work on better ways we can service our customers to make our brand stand out.”
With a strong customer base backing its name, Kimal Lumber began to define its market. Realizing the operation was a true niche building materials company, Bavry says that by adding more hardware components throughout its locations, it was able to really appeal to its remodeler and DIY customers. Within the last five years, Kimal has added hardware components at its Nokomis and Englewood locations, as well as its 8,400-square foot Sarasota location.
Next, learning from past ghosts through his experience at Wickes, Bavry decided on the importance of quality vs. quantity in all aspects of the business. Kimal honed in on niche markets, striving to not compete with the big box stores or dabble into production builders.
“Kimal has done well at what I refer to as ‘The Three Leg Stool.’ We have our basic contractor customers; we also have what I would like to call our true ‘Weekend Warriors’ or DIYers, and the component of retail business.”
After experiencing the wrath of the downfall, Bavry knew there was only one way to recover: “We have to sell ourselves out of the recession,” he told employees. By identifying Kimal’s niche areas and working to build its way back up truly brought the company back to its core lumber business. “We went out to not be the cheapest with commodity items; we’ve been good at seeking out the best suppliers and manufacturers, and we deliberately created a product model that’s a step above the competition,” he says. “There may be a higher cost, but the value of that better product is being recognized daily by our customers and mitigates price concerns.”