It’s a huge plus for Durato dealers like Ed Kaplan, owner of Floors Unlimited, Garden City, NY, who receives container loads direct from port with backup out of Durato’s warehouse in Langhorne, Pa.
Ditto for King of Prussia, Pa.-based Floors USA, a Durato customer since its inception. “We get service the next day or within two days,” said Scott Erlbaum, owner. “Plus, our mechanics love it; it’s easy to install.”
Ken Borden, owner of Carpet Mill Outlet in New Windsor, NY, is another satisfied customer. “Durato is the only line we carry,” he said. “We stock every color of the entry-level lines and special order the rest with two-to-three-day delivery service.”
Pyon estimates that roughly 50% of Durato’s business is direct container business from China to the client. “It never touches my warehouse,” he said. The other half of its shipments to customers is facilitated between LTL deliveries via a third party with the remainder delivered through Durato’s company-owned fleet.
“We have the ability to mitigate a lot of customer’s issues regarding transportation, despite the ongoing issues at the ports,” Pyon explained. “It’s getting better, although it’s not completely resolved. There are still some problems with availability of triaxles, but we have always delivered in spite of that. That’s what makes us different.”
Another plus for Durato’s customers, according to Pyon, is the fact that its retailer customers can enjoy some measure of exclusivity. “They don’t have to worry about competition because not everyone has our products,” he said. “That means less people haggling for pricing, which means more margin for them. More importantly, we don’t supply the box stores; our commitment is to small business owners. I have a small company mentality, so we want to grow our business with them. We will never sell to the big boxes, no matter how much money they offer.”
A winning formula
Durato USA’s philosophy in building its business over the past eight years—providing quality product on a consistent basis at a competitive price and backing that up with fast delivery and local inventory—has turned out to be the right recipe for success. The company went from nothing in 2013 to roughly $80 million in sales last year, and it’s on track to generate $100 million in sales by 2023.
While the bulk of its business, roughly 70%-80%, is attributed to multi-family and heavy commercial projects, Durato is seeing more movement on the residential replacement and new home construction side. Pyon attributed the growing awareness in residential to the reputation the company has built in the commercial arena.
“We’ve grown significantly as a company during the COVID-19 era,” Pyon said. “Every two years we are doubling the business and growing by 30% or 40%. We’re not perfect, but we take care of problems quickly and our client base is very happy with us. Our goal is to be the best at everything we do. That’s our guiding light.”
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