Door Shop
The two lumberyards are about 15 miles apart, and between them is what Matthew calls, “The Door Shop.” There, the company manufactures its own doors, handles millwork and offers installed sales. As a Do it Best member company, the facility also serves as a reload location, where the company can buy in bulk and stage deliveries for its two lumberyards when needed.
“The door shop is not a walk-in friendly facility,” Matthew said. “There’s nothing on display, and it was set up that way on purpose.” The door shop services the two lumberyards as well as the two satellite storefront locations. About 90% of Holmes Building Materials business is done through professional contractors and builders throughout the Baton Rouge area and the door shop is a centrally-located facility to keep products in the hands of the builders who need them.
Matthew and his father employ 132 staff between all five locations, including five dedicated to outside sales, which accounts for about 70% of the company’s business.
“The outside salesmen are a huge deal for us,” Matthew said. “We have the best outside sales team in the city. They push what we can do. Without them, we couldn’t do close to what we do now. They have very loyal customers.”
Part of what first draws in those loyal customers is the company’s custom-built doors. “It’s easier for our outside guys to go after newer business when they have something that no one else has,” he said. “We can get a door turned around in a day. Everyone else is two weeks. If we can do that good with just doors, then they trust us to do the lumber and the rest of the materials well.”
Through a good sales team and word-of-mouth business as members of Capitol Region Builders Association, Holmes Building Materials is able to keep a full-time team of installed builders on staff.
Even with a number of big box stores in town and four other independent lumberyards within city limits, Matthew said revenue is still continually growing at Holmes Building Materials. With operations centralized in Baton Rouge, two satellite showrooms extending their reach in the market, and the door shop able to service the lumberyards and the satellite locations, as well as a professional installed sales crew, Matthew said Holmes Building Materials is poised to grow right along with the Baton Rouge area for years to come.
