SPOTLIGHT ON KEW FOREST MAINTENANCE SUPPLY
It was a Saturday afternoon and the seventeen year old sat diligently in the corner of his parents’ lumber yard, carefully cutting one scallop mold after another.
It was 1949 and the residents of the fledgling Forest Hills area relied on the Kew Forest Lumber and Supply for their lumber, hardware, plumbing and electrical needs. Scallop molding was particularly popular and young Jerry Blumberg spent his Saturdays creating the molding that was in such high demand. At this young age, he understood the importance of meeting customer demands with quality work.
Today, celebrating fifty years in the business, Jerry Blumberg has never swayed from his first lessons in meeting his customers’ demands with quality. As the area grew, the business grew. As the customers’ needs changed, the business changed. As Jerry matured, he eventually took over the mature company. In 1979, the decision was made to terminate the lumber supply portion of the company, and concentrate on total supply and service for the janitorial and maintenance trade.
CHANGING INDUSTRY
It’s often said that to be successful, you need to change with the times and adapt to new ideas. Throughout his fifty years in business, Jerry Blumberg has seen many changes, "Today, there is merger and acquisition fever in the air. Because of the many conglomerates, competition is tougher in the area of price, " explains Blumberg. "But there is one distinctive thing that a company such as ours can provide-we provide the security and quality of doing business with a family-owned company. In a family-owned business, we place the highest priority on each transaction and every customer. It’s our name on the door and it’s our reputation."
And, when it comes to sensing the needs and demands of the customer, some might say Kew Forest has a sixth sense. Sure, everyone considers the chemical or equipment needs of their customers. But what about the communication needs of the maintenance crew? To meet those communication demands, Kew Forest has expanded its line of products to include Nextel mobile phones and Motorola two-way radios.
"I have always tried to anticipate the next level of customer needs," says Blumberg. "And to make sure I don’t miss anything, I always listen carefully to our customers and how they are conducting their business. When I can do that, and provide the next level of service or product, then I help our customers reach their next level of success."
RAISING THE TRAINING BAR
Whether it’s intended or not, one might say that Kew Forest has raised the bar for quality customer training. "Years ago, customer training was done ‘on-the-fly.’ There was nothing really structured. Today, our customers look to us to help them best utilize the chemicals and equipment we sell to them."
Each month or so, Kew Forest holds a training seminar at its headquarters for a group of 10 to 12 customers. The number is kept at this amount so that each participant can actively take part in the training and learn as much as possible. The flooring in the training area is a collage of carpet, marble, vinyl, wood and tile. With the space accommodations and the variety of surfaces in the training area, there is no end to the types of workshops and demonstrations that can be conducted.
"Our staff conducts most of the training seminars," Blumberg points out. "Our customers know our staff and this is an excellent opportunity for them to interact with each other. Our staff is highly trained in the intricacies of our product line and does an outstanding job in conveying that knowledge."
Of course, after fifty years in business, Blumberg does have a favorite training story. "There are times that our customer wants us to come on-site to demonstrate a product and procedure," relates Blumberg. "One time, one of our customers, who is an airline contractor, had a shift change in the wee hours of the morning and requested an on-site demonstration at 3 AM on a Saturday. My wife and I were committed to a black tie dinner that Friday night. So there I was, in the middle of the night, demonstrating current stain removal techniques and the Von-Schrader Carpet Cleaning Machine dressed in my best formal attire."
KEEPING KEW IN THE FAMILY
Kew Forest Maintenance supply is now into the third generation hands of the Blumbergs. Jerry’s son Howard, is the company’s president, while Jerry holds the CEO title. Howard is following in his dad’s footsteps cranking out the same hectic daily schedule.
And what about Kew Forest in the next 20 years? Well, Howard’s son is just eight years old but it wouldn’t be surprising if you soon found him sitting in a corner of the office, fervently creating a new inventory control program and absorbing the values of quality and customer service from his father and grandfather.
You can reach Jerry Blumberg, Kew Forest Maintenance Supply at 718-268-0040 or visit his showroom at 68-90 Austin Street, Forest Hills, Queens.
