2-J SUPPLY A Better Way of Doing Business

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What goes hand in hand with training is having the people who can answer a customer's questions. “We feel that this is part of the value that we're supposed to bring,” Greg says. “It's not sending you to an 800 number but hopefully have the answers readily available and give the guys the technical support they need.”

2-J Supply’s Wall of Fame.

At the 2-J Supply headquarters in Dayton is a Wall of Fame, and that, says Greg, goes to the heart of why the company has built such customer loyalty. “These are people who have been with us for 10 years or more,” he says. “We recruit and retain really good talent.”

To ensure that 2-J Supply will continue to succeed, the Trimbachs created a Board of Advisers about two years ago to serve as a sounding board and help better prepare where they want to take the business. The board comprises three outside executives in sales, human resources and HVACR distribution and their advice and counsel have been “invaluable” to the business, Greg says. “They have been a tremendous help to us, making us more accountable and do a better job of planning where we want to go.”

Jeff Runyon

As the Trimbachs look to the future of this family-owned business, they look toward the third generation. Two of Greg's sons, Kevin and Jason, have joined the business — Jason is the branch manager of the Dayton location, and Kevin is the inventory and logistics manager. The Trimbachs have also been working with Aileron, a nonprofit organization that helps business owners lead and manage their businesses. To further support the transition to the third generation and to bring more structure to the business, Greg and Larry also brought on a chief operating officer, Jeff Runyon, and a sales manager, Nathan Borders. “We had a plan of how that transition was going to take place, and this ensures that the transition plan we have in place will succeed,” Larry says.

The Trimbachs also count on strong relationships with their manufacturing partners. They partner with manufacturers Maytag and Westinghouse to sell dealer-based products and Ducane for their open line. Bard, Lau and White-Rodgers have been associated with 2-J Supply since its founding. Their manufacturing partners provide training opportunities for both 2-J Supply's employees and their customers. “They'll spend a whole day at a branch and work with counter people, salespeople and many times they'll put on lunches or dinners and work directly with contractors to bring them the product knowledge they need so they can succeed,” Greg says.

While the branch locations are similar in terms of their composition and products, the eight stores are in different market areas — from rural to urban — and that plays into how the stores are structured, Larry says. Smaller-market locations in Piketon and Huntington, for example, have a higher percentage of delivery sales, due in large measure to geography. “That's incredibly important to our customers there,” Larry says of customer deliveries. Stores in the larger, suburban and urban markets rely more heavily on counter sales.

2-J Supply's software allows them to look at sales from each branch, down to specific classes of products and items to ensure the stocking of appropriate items in each market. While its Dayton location is the primary transfer point, Greg says there are also a lot of direct shipments to the individual locations.

The Trimbachs say they still struggle with how much independence to give each location. “We're still kind of evolving in that area, trying to determine what is the best way to do that,” Larry says. “We want to give them the authority to do what they need while maintaining certain standards and requirements.” While branch managers do have some leeway in terms of credit and pricing, it is limited. The managers can request new products that they think will work in their market. “They can say that I'd like to try this product, and we'll allow that,” adds Greg.