Central Valley Builders Supply, the No. 62 LBM operation on the ProSales 100, changed its name to simply Central Valley this month as part of a rebranding effort that company president Steve Patterson says will give all a better idea of how multifaceted the dealer has become.
The company’s new website details (in both English and Spanish) services that stretch from lumber and hardware to equipment for agriculture; Central Valley is particularly active providing irrigation and related equipment to Northern California’s vineyards. The site also promotes DIY products, a garden center, clothing, and household goods. The site doesn’t mention a side import-export business that Central Valley also has been involved in for several years.
The name shift comes as Central Valley celebrates its 60th anniversary, having grown from a single store in Napa County to five units that collectively racked up $99.7 million in sales last year, an 8% improvement from 2013. One sign of its multiple roles comes from it pro/retail mix: Only 72% of its revenues come from building contractors.
“This brand reinvigoration is simply the outward sign meant to signal change, positive change, to our marketplace,” Patterson wrote in an e-mail to ProSales. “Central Valley represents a shortening that was desired by all stakeholders. Most everyone referred to us as “Central Valley,” as the previous name was cumbersome. Additionally, it became a somewhat limiting factor as we had become much more than just a ‘Builders Supply'”
The positive change Patterson cites comes in several forms. The more than 50 trucks, forklifts and other heavy equipment are getting new paint jobs, and by year-end all will meet new pollution standards set California’s Air Resources Board. Central Valley also is switching to a more sophisticated telephone network, it’s installing a new software, and it will add a new offering to its framing packages designed to speed construction.
All this “should be a sign that we’re not planning to play ‘second-fiddle’ to anyone in our little neck of the woods,” says Patterson. Central Valley’s competitors include Golden State Lumber, No. 18 on the ProSales 100, and Meek’s Lumber, No. 23.
