PrimeSource plays to its strengths
The demand for innovation at the job site has never been higher. And, according to Scott Smith, a 36-year PrimeSource Building Products veteran, the ability to deliver innovative solutions is just part of what the company describes as its “PrimeSource Advantage.”
The other factors that play heavily into the Irving, Texas-based company’s mantra include the brand strength of Grip-Rite, the geographic footprint of the company’s distribution network, and the experience and track record of delivering value to customers—in fasteners and beyond.
As the Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer for PrimeSource Building Products, Smith has a front-row seat on trends affecting the fasteners business. Among them are the increasing popularity of screws over nails, time-saving pneumatic products and the development of building materials to efficiently meet stringent building codes.
Smith elaborated on the PrimeSource Advantage in a discussion with HBSDealer. Here are the highlights, edited for length and clarity:
On PrimeSource Building Products:
“We’re a specialty branded building products company, with a core deeply rooted in fasteners. We are laser focused on the professional contractor who naturally gravitates to our brand because we’ve earned their trust job after job, year after year. Generations of framers, roofers, installers and remodelers have grown up with the Grip-Rite brand.”
On the Grip-Rite brand:
“Data shows that we’re the number one commercial fastener brand in the United States. But DIYers, hobbyists and those just getting started want the brand trusted by the pros. Just ask somebody to check the fasteners on their workbench or in their garage…and follow that with “What color is the box?” The answer is usually: “Oh yeah, that’s Grip-Rite.”…known for the smart black packaging and signature red parallelogram. When you go to the local lumberyard or hardware store, you’ll likely find Grip-Rite packaged screws and nails. “Our tagline is ‘We Build America’, which is what we help contractors and homeowners do…especially in the face of natural disasters, tornadoes, and hurricanes — most recently Ian.” [See sidebar].
On the “PrimeSource Advantage
“With 35 distribution centers across the U.S, we can service any customer, no matter how many locations they have. It could be Home Depot, Lowe’s or Builders FirstSource. It could be your local lumberyard or hardware store …a single store or a chain with multiple locations across states. At the end of the day, PrimeSource Building Products is a simple, single-source solution for customers to purchase any of the products in our warehouse, take delivery on one truck with one purchase order. Whether an order is 10 pallets, two pallets or even half a pallet…we give customers the ultimate flexibility to mix all products in one delivery. It’s not uncommon for a shipment to include Grip-Rite along with Owens Corning, Master Builder Solutions, Mitek, GAF, Rockwool or GACO, among other leading building products brands. The PrimeSource Advantage is the simplicity we bring to our customers – one call gets it all.”
With a nationwide distribution network, the company is committed to growing their customers’ business, and is helping to accomplish this by adding complementary businesses under the PrimeSource Brands umbrella. Acquired by Clearlake Capital in late 2020, the company has made several acquisitions that have expanded its portfolio of high-quality brands and created an even broader product offering.
In the last year-and-a-half, PrimeSource Brands acquired Dimora Brands, a supplier of high-end hardware and home accessories, Nationwide Industries Enterprises, maker of specialty fence and gate hardware and railing for outdoor living; Wolf Home Products, a leading supplier of kitchen cabinets and building products; and most recently, Axxis, provider of specialty collated products.
Partner to Rebuild
The destruction from Hurricane Ian will take more than a year to rebuild to any semblance of normal, according to the data models that PrimeSource uses to help manage extreme events.
PrimeSource Building Products has seen hurricanes and other weather-related disasters over the decades, and it’s learned to predict, plan and execute to bring product to storm damaged areas with expediency.
“We have two DCs, one in Miami and one in Orlando, to help rebuild Florida,” he said. “Products are flowing in and delivering out every day…it’s a constant replenishment — not from Asia, but from “safe zones” unimpacted by seasonal storms in states like Oklahoma, Georgia and even Maryland.”
The company has created data models for weather events, to anticipate the impact and positions materials outside the hurricane zone, but close enough to relieve the pressure just after the storm. “Having that storm-reserved product already sitting there, staged and ready to go is just another example of the PrimeSource Advantage.”
“And then as a hurricane or a disaster hits, we’re able to release that product to the affected areas,” Smith said.
Smith describes the company’s global talent as another strength. Offices in Taiwan, in China and an engineering hub in Tampa, Fla., are continually at work delivering innovations and solutions. “Each of those teams are extremely talented in taking a concept and bringing it to fruition in a short window,” Smith said.
Ultimately, the growth of PrimeSource and Grip-Rite happens one-sale at a time, and one store at a time. Backed by a regionally based business-development team, independent sales representatives and regional managers, PrimeSource product managers are working hand-in-hand with the field team to bring its Advantage to the industry.
“We’re always looking for new customers,” Smith said. “ Regardless if it’s a big box, a local lumberyard, a STAFDA dealer—we touch a lot of them already.”
Asked to sum up the message the team brings to new prospects, Smith responded this way:
“Basically, it’s if you turn your business over to us, then we’re going to manage your business for you. We’re going to take care of all of our products, we’re going to give it to you at a competitive price. We’re going to retail your product for you to make you more money. We’re going to manage this part of your business, so you can take care of other things.”
PrimeSource Snapshot
Categories: Construction fasteners, building materials, fence & gate hardware, railing and perimeter security.
Distribution network: 35 strategically located DCs across the U.S.A.
Web site: PrimeSourceBP.com