Right Guy, Right Job

Dudziak attributes much of Erie’s success to the vision of Bob and Chris Neumann, particularly when it comes to putting personnel in the right jobs to succeed. “I think they have a God-given talent,” he says. “They probably saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself.”

Dudziak had worked for an area competitor for 20 years. Then, after meeting Bob and Chris, he mentioned that he might be interested in moving his career to Erie if the opportunity arose. About a year later, the phone rang, and it was Bob Neumann on the line with an opportunity.

465875Dudziak invited Bob to his home after an initial meeting and asked him if he might like something to eat. After Bob agreed, Dudziak went to the kitchen and returned almost immediately with a pre-made sub sandwich, ready to go. When Erie opened its Utica branch in 1996, Dudziak was named assistant general manager. Bob knew right away that Dudziak knew how to sell and take care of customers.

“If you have good people and you don’t use them, you’ll lose them,” Bob says. When the company has made bad decisions in appointing management positions, the personnel chosen usually were hired from the outside, he says. “People can be your biggest problem, but they can be your biggest asset, too,” Bob says.

A prime example of an employee rising to the top at Erie is Mike Dominikoski, branch manager in Albany. Bob says he won’t open a new branch or expand unless he has the right person to run the location. When it came time to open in Albany in 2006, Dominikoski, a former Erie truck driver, got the job. Syron also started his career at Erie as a truck driver.

“The vast majority of our managers, inside sales, outside sales, and corporate staff members have been promoted from within the company,” Chris says. “Our company will always provide opportunities for those seeking advancement.” The company has never lost a branch manager or corporate manager to the competition in its 35 years.”

Last year, the Albany location was second, behind only Syracuse, in branch sales at $30 million. The location might be Erie Material’s most dynamic, too. While most Erie branches reach within a 60-mile radius, Albany finds itself making deliveries into Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont, as well as serving
the New York state capital region. “We came into this area, we wanted to be No. 1,” Dominikoski says.

Both Dominikoski and Dudziak claim their siding and roofing showrooms are the best in their respective areas. The showrooms give each branch an advantage over area competition, Dominikoski says.

“The contractor can send the homeowner here, and we can help our customer sell the project to the homeowner,” Dominikoski explains. “We encourage homeowner visits so we can talk to them.”

Dudziak’s Utica branch had been second in the company in sales, and he’d like to reclaim that title from Dominikoski. “We are all in competition with each other, but we have fun,” Dudziak says, who claims he is still owed dinners by managers of several Erie branches since Utica trumped them in annual sales.

A Tradition of Giving

Erie is no stranger to giving back to the community. Last fall, the dealer donated materials in conjunction with the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” television show to help a family in Geneva, N.Y., that was living in a deteriorating 200-year-old home.

The family’s father was also using the house as a gym to teach boxing to needy children in the community at his own expense. The makeover culminated in a LEED Gold-certified house and a fully furnished training center and boxing ring in the backyard. With the help of vendors, Erie donated CerainTeed roofing and siding, CorrectDeck composite decking, Jeld-Wen interior doors, HB&G columns, Tyvek housewrap, and DuPont Roofline, among other building accessories.

In partnership with Homes for Our Troops, a charity that builds specially adapted homes for severely injured veterans at no cost to them, Erie Materials donated siding and roofing to a project for Sgt. Jeffery Guerin of Marcellus, N.Y. Guerin was left with two broken legs, a blinded left eye, and minimal vision in his right eye after combat in Afghanistan.

Erie also donated a truckload of exterior and interior doors, windows, and decking boards to a flood relief giveaway in 2006, done in conjunction with the Southern Tier Home and Builders Remodelers Association, a building and remodeling industry group in south central New York.

“We like to help out, but we gravitate toward a local perspective,” Bob says, referring to the three projects in central New York.

Erie gives back to its employees and customers, too, holding trade shows and barbecues and contributing to an employee pension fund. Each location also gets funds to plan outings for employees and their families.

‘Out There and Prominent’

Several years ago, Chris updated the look of the trucks with a navy-blue paint scheme and more vibrant logo. Although Bob originally argued that company would see a limited return on the investment, Chris says the newer look was “a challenge” to make sure Erie Materials’ name was “out there and prominent.”

“I wanted Erie Materials recognized as a brand in itself,” Chris says. “Image can make a difference, and this gave us instant recognition with our customers and the community.” Similarly, both agree that all of Erie’s locations are kept immaculate to convey pride to both customers and employees while preventing damage to materials.

46588It has become more common for Chris to lead the decision-making these days, now that Bob, 67, escapes the infamous winters of Syracuse six months a year for the sunshine of Florida. But that doesn’t mean Bob is hands-off. Far from it: He continues to maintain an office in Florida, putting in 30- to 40-hour weeks.

“When he started to spend time in Florida, it did force some people to step up,” says Chris. He says the company will maintain a tradition that Bob established: keeping a focus on higher-end and high-margin products while offering a good/better/best selection. “We have economy products to the top of the line, but we put an emphasis on selling the best,” he says.

The father and son make a good team. While Chris enjoys dealing with day-to-day operations, personnel, strategic planning, and the IT department, Bob prefers to deal with vendor relations, sales and marketing, and credit.

“There is very little overlap,” Chris says.

In a recent presentation to the staff, Chris made it clear that Erie is in no way up for sale. Not only is the company “his passion,” as he explains, but he also made a promise to his mother about Bob.

“She made me promise that he always has a place to go, even if we have to pick him up in the morning,” Chris says. “There are a lot of things I love about this business, but none more than working with my dad.”

“We are pretty serious about what we do, but we have fun doing it,” Bob says. “I want my employees to enjoy themselves. … It’s not me, it’s not Chris. It’s the other 370 employees.”

“We owe everything to our employees, new and old,” says Chris. “We can’t thank them enough.”