HBSDealer Q&A: Guardian of the New Business Model
It was a pivotal decision in the long history of Guardian Building Products, but it paved the way for what new President and COO Jim Becker describes as a focused and committed company.
It was a pivotal decision in the long history of Guardian Building Products, but it paved the way for what new President and COO Jim Becker describes as a focused and committed company.
That transformation – the sale of the company’s fiberglass insulation business – has given GBP a unified vision and a clearer purpose, according to Becker, who came to the company just after its move to divest its manufacturing interests. Becker replaced former GBP President Tom Highly in July, and now leads Guardian’s efforts, which are planted firmly in the two-step-distribution business.
Becker spoke with HBSDealer in September from Guardian's headquarters in Greer, South Carolina.
HBSDealer: With a new CEO, what kind of changes are in store for Guardian?
Becker: Because I was part of the company for the past year, I have been working on the new vision for the company as regional vice president. So, I already believed in the direction of the company – a dramatic change was not necessary. There will always be tweaks and modifications, but our vision is clear today, and I’m going to push that message.
HBSDealer: How would you describe that vision.
Becker: We want to be, and we believe we are, the premier provider of exterior building materials and wall system products, and we want to be the number one supplier in the markets we serve.”
HBSDealer: There is no shortage of competition in that area.
Becker: Yes, there’s always competition. Pick whatever category or business you want, and you’ll find competition. You have to find out what’s needed in the different markets and how to be better than your competition at supplying it.
HBSDealer: What would you say is Guardian’s sustainable competitive advantage in this area?
Becker: The people who are at Guardian today – we have as much talent as anyone in the industry. We have a very service-minded approach to the business. We try to keep it simple, responsive and convenient to our customer.
HBSDealer: Is there a difference between how Guardian is perceived and how you would like it to be perceived?
Becker: We’ve seen a dramatic change in how we’re perceived by our customers, our vendors and our employees in the past two years. When we were a distributor and a fiberglass insulation manufacturer, it was sometimes difficult to understand our business. Now that we’re a stand-alone distributor, we have a clear model. And our vendors that we deal with, they get that. This model is very well accepted.
HBSDealer: What changes will the customer see in the coming months or year?
Becker: They are going to continue to see our assortment develop, and that development is really coming from conversations with our customers, plus new products that our vendors will be introducing. We want to be the first to market with new products. And customers will continue to see a larger presence both inside our building and out in the field.
HBSDealer: This corporate transformation doesn’t come at the flip of a switch. Can you describe how it happened?
Becker: Actually, it was a little bit easier than you might think. In 2012 and 2013 when Guardian went through a number of changes, we had a lot of good people here already who were looking for a direction. I think the people were starved for information and a direction, and that’s what made the change very easy.
It’s never easy trying to get 30 branches and 500 people around the country to move in one direction. It’s too big for an email. It takes believing, it takes being out there talking about it everyday, visiting our branches, visiting our customers, visiting our vendors. That message takes time to deliver and receive.
HBSDealer: So what’s the current status of Guardian today?
Becker: We are more focused on our talent, assortment and service we provide than at any other time in Guardian’s history. We’re trying to treat all of our vendor’s products as number one. I’m very optimistic for the next several years. Nothing has me necessarily concerned, if we continue to follow our vision.