A decade ago, Harry and Deb Laurent decided to purchase Arcola Building Supply from John McDonald and on Tuesday, Sept. 15, the Laurent’s celebrated with a community BBQ hosted at their store.
The business first began on Main Street. With determination and a want to successfully grow the company, the couple began working towards a the goal of expanding. Expand they did as they went from a 26 by 65 square foot office and store with a 50 by 100 square foot cold storage space. This was all set up on three lots.
“Now we’re on two lots, 2.5 acres each,” Harry explained. “The store is 80 by 160 square feet and we have 5,000 square feet of cold storage attached, as well as another 50 by 120 square feet of cold storage and 76 by 64 square feet of heated storage.”
Being able to expand to this point is a great accomplishment, while the Laurents added that they’ve seen a financial increase of 300 percent since their start.
This success comes from Laurent having been a contractor for a number of years. He knew what he liked at a lumber yard, which included spaciousness, being able to find items easily, and having knowledgeable staff.
“From the start to now, there’s quite a bit of a difference,” Deb said. “We had two staff when we started and now we’re up to about 10, so we’ve added employment to the area, and we always employ a summer student and we often have an after school student during the school year as well.”
“It’s a great way for students to be introduced to the trades as a career future because they get experience working retail, but they get to meet and interact with electricians, plumbers, builders, and other trades people in the area, which creates opportunities for them.”
The pair are thankful for their amazing staff: “The staff is a big part of why we were able to grow the business,” Deb explained. “Harry and I don’t spend a lot of time working in the store, so our staff is key.”
A great staff and making sure customers are well taken care of are very important to the Laurents.
“We offer delivery because a lot of people don’t have vehicles that can take home 2 by 4s or shingles,” Deb said. “So, they can buy local and have it delivered.”
“Some of our staff is also into DIY [Do It Yourself] projects, so people who like to do this can come into the store and find what they’re looking for, for their project. We try to know what people need and have it here for them or bring it in for them.”
“That’s the bottom line really, phone or face-to-face we have people in place who are knowledgeable and if you come in with a question, they can help,” Harry said. “Customer service is number one.”
Their valued employees decided to make the10 year accomplishment a special one as they surprised Harry and Deb with a congratulatory plaque.
One of the employees who started working for Arcola Building Supply in 1997, who transitioned with the business when it was sold from McDonald to the Laurents, is Cara McNair.
McNair said, “They are generous to their employees. They have staff lunches every Friday for us to show their appreciation and they’re very understanding of employees’ personal situations and are very accommodating.”
