This company has been in the IT game since early 2000 and sees the value of it and, as a result, we are very strong in that area.”Ĭurrent day, Somerville isn’t afraid to lean on its past and is definitely not afraid to keep looking into the future. Somerville values IT and has made great strides. A customer can order something online and come to the branch 30 minutes later to pick it up. “We’ve integrated the online with our brick-and-mortar presence. “We have a number of initiatives in place to help increase online revenue,” Vice President IT Pete Misiewicz states. Somerville also is ramping up its IT and back-office processes via the installation of a new ERP system, as well as expanding its online presence. We can control their experience when that happens and we believe that raises customer service to the next level - regardless of time of day.” We want our customers to use us as trainers, as their tech support resource and as product specialists whenever possible. “Our goal is to make our customers’ lives easier and solve problems with the push of a button. “If it’s after hours, all a customer needs to do is leave a detailed message and we guarantee a callback in 15 minutes,” he explains. On the heating and air-conditioning side, Vice President HVAC Ray Mikell touts the company’s new 24-7 HVAC hotline that currently is in test mode in certain territories. We take conservative risks, making sure we aren’t investing in particular inventory too heavily or stretching out too much into a new category.” This company makes smart decisions and is not afraid to take risks on products that seem promising. The likelihood something is going to sell 24 months later is next to nothing. “We manage our inventory better than the average,” Vice President Purchasing Scott Weir says. They know what the customers are looking for and can assist vendors in helping us achieve those goals, as well as help our purchasing department make a decision on which way to go on a product.”Īt the same time, the company has an intricate handle on the inventory sitting on its shelves. “They are instrumental in choosing new products where we see opportunities. “Besides driving sales, they also serve as liaisons between the salesforce and the purchasing department,” Somerville Vice President of Plumbing Sales Joe Pioli says. In addition to taking some risks on more involved product lines that offer some sort of exclusivity and present greater opportunities for profitability, Somerville has put measures into place to make sure its customers have the greatest amount of information at their disposal via the addition of sales and product managers for plumbing and HVAC. It’s important to get in on that custom homebuilder or risk losing a lot of market share.” As things have evolved over time, many in the plumbing trade have relinquished the ability to buy their own product and have turned it over to the builder. We are involved with the custom builder and into cash sales transactions, something we needed to do to maintain market share. Now we’re in double digits and are hopefully headed toward 25%. Somerville Executive Vice President Dan Kelly adds: “Back in 2007, we didn’t emphasize showrooms - it was low single digits in terms of overall revenue. The message is the showroom is not intimidating and anyone can make a purchase.” “We thought the word showroom had acquired a bad name with the perception it’s just a lot of expensive things on display people can’t afford,” Somerville Marketing and Communications Manager Samantha Sauerhoff says. In fact, Somerville has made an invigorated push across its retail showrooms by rebranding them as “The Somerville Bath and Kitchen Store.” ramshackle building in the Little Italy section of Baltimore and turned it into a thriving Kohler Signature store. “Having that many people available and skilled to promote and not missing a beat is a tremendous accomplishment,” Riley says.Īnd last April the company purchased a 6,200-sq.-ft. Michael made sure that facility will set us up for the next 50 years and not the next 10.”Ībout two years ago, Somerville had its eye further pointed toward the future when it restructured the company and promoted 13 people to the branch manager level and above. If we ever outgrow it, we have the capability to expand. It gives 21 places access to $20-plus million in inventory. “If you ask for something up to 5 p.m., you’ll have it the next morning. “Every day, each location gets a delivery from the CDC,” he says.
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