Beronio Lumber
Beronio Lumber Stands Strong on Tradition
By Kay Wilthew
In 1911, as the city of San Francisco steadily rebuilt from the 1906 earthquake, Antone V. Beronio opened his lumber store near the shipping docks on the city's waterfront. Nearly 100 years later, Beronio Lumber still furnishes high-quality wood products to the Bay Area's home building industry. While the location changed in 1942, the company is still family-held, and today, Mr. Beronio's grandson, Mike Casassa, runs the business with the company's origins and traditions firmly in mind.
Windows, Doors and Flooring Showroom (Photo courtesy of Beronio Lumber)
Casassa, President of Beronio Lumber since 1987, recognizes the building market is far different than in his grandfather's day. "The gradual evolution in San Francisco started with an emphasis on single-family homes in the '30s, '40s and '50s. In the '60s and '70s, as the housing market became more mature, our emphasis became maintaining that inventory." Although Beronio Lumber caters to all types of residential and commercial construction, they specialize in selling to remodeling contractors focused on high-quality restoration and remodeling work. "Our bread and butter has been maintaining everything from traditional Victorian rustic sidings to putting Marvin windows in old double-hung frames." Licensed contractors partner with Beronio Lumber, performing the professional installation of Beronio's products.
Contractors appreciate Beronio's experienced staff. Tim Sullivan, Manager of the Windows and Doors Division, enjoyed a 10-year history with Beronio Lumber as a customer before ever working for the company. "I've been in construction for about 25 years. I actually did some work on site here at Beronio and dealt with the company as a customer prior to being employed to start a window and door program here." Sullivan's main expertise in the trade adds value on the job site. "I think an important trait of Beronio is that we will come out to the job site, perform onsite measurements and help work through the issues on the job." This type of personal attention generates repeat business and referrals for the company from within the contracting industry and strengthens long-term partnerships.
Lumber delivery truck from the early days of Beronio Lumber (Photo courtesy of Beronio Lumber)
Controller Kevin Hanley estimates the company currently has between 2,500 and 3,000 active customer accounts. Beronio's "drive in/drive out" sales model allows those active customers to purchase materials directly from the lumberyard, at hours consistent with industry schedules. Early morning hours of operation make it easy for a contractor to purchase materials and get out to the job site very early in the day. Understanding the demands placed on their customers equates to better service and inspires loyalty from their contractor customer base.
"We service contractors from the Bay Area, and some of our existing accounts are 20 to 30 years old," notes Carie Van Dusen, Sales Manager. "We supply lumber, windows and doors, flooring and specialty molding, in addition to a builders' hardware department." Catalogs of each of the product lines are available, and can also be viewed from the company's website. Van Dusen adds, "I believe the primary focus of Beronio is the quality of our customer service, and making sure we can deliver what our customers need."
(Photo courtesy of Beronio Lumber)
Superior customer service includes supporting contractors and architects who choose "green" building materials. Steve Lyss, Business Manager, explains the company's green philosophy: "There are a couple of components of green building that are important, and No. 1 is having a broad inventory of quality products." Another major consideration with green building, according to Lyss, is eliminating confusion related to available products. "Education and outreach are important because green building is a new area for many people. We are partnering with Build It Green in the East Bay and SF Environment (San Francisco's Department of the Environment) to enable us to provide customers with expert advice on green building," said Lyss. Beronio Lumber has also attained partner status with the San Francisco Green Home Center, a healthy living design center focused on the perfect balance between healthy home values and elegant design.
Green building products on display in the main showroom (Photo courtesy of Beronio Lumber)
Green building embodies longevity and sustainability, characteristics that also distinguish Beronio Lumber, and concepts not lost on Casassa: "The initial attraction of green for us is products that come from forests that are properly managed, and are going to be there from generation to generation. The forests provide wood fiber for the industry and habitat for the animals that are indigenous to that area. It's a nice handshake." Longevity is an ideal Beronio Lumber has irrefutably proven is attainable. "For peace of mind that a structure's going to be there for future generations, for us the dual attraction is the resource and the houses that are using that resource will be there as well. They're going to be properly built and will stand the test of time." For Beronio Lumber, the tradition continues.
Beronio Lumber's main showroom and yard is located at 2525 Marin Street in San Francisco, CA 94124. The Windows, Doors and Flooring Showroom is located at 196 Napoleon Street in San Francisco, CA 94124. Call (415) 824-4300 or visit beronio.com for more information.
September 2007 Builder Architect Edition Issue