Two years ago, it didn’t exist. Now, Heritage Pool Supply Group has 109 locations spanning the U.S. and is well on track to achieving its goal of being the fastest growing network of pool and spa supply wholesale distributors.
“We have grown so fast, but we still have a lot to do,” said David Cook, President of Heritage Pool Supply Group. “We work hard every day building our team, stocking our branches, and making sure we’re adding value – the value a national distribution company can offer.” Cook explained that their growth strategy is through acquisitions and opening of greenfield locations. With 17 acquisitions in just one and a half years, it’s a strategy that is certainly working.
It’s good news for the pool service side of the industry, because Heritage knows who their primary customer is.
“The people who work in repair, maintenance, and the service trade — we want to be their distributor of choice,” Cook said. He says they’re going to get there by concentrating on offering profit-making products, training, and special programs that support service pros and their businesses. But perhaps most importantly: “We are a wholesale distributor to the trade only. We don’t want to compete with our customers, we want to support them.” Cook said.
Cook says that as a company, people come first. From their customers to their employees, it’s the people who matter.
“Our motto is ‘Work hard, make money, have fun, and give back’ and it shows every day. Our employees love Heritage,” Cook said.
Heritage also gives back to the community through fundraisers and charitable programs like their Raise the Roof Foundation, which helps military service members, helps rebuild and restore disaster-struck communities, and helps support children and their families through a variety of programs.
As a service professional, this is a company you can feel good about supporting.
From the perspective of an existing pool and spa distributor, there’s a lot about Heritage that makes getting acquired an attractive proposition. For one thing, you keep your family legacy name. So if you are Florida Water Products, doing business since 1986, or Pool and Electrical Products, serving the West Coast since the early 90s — both recent Heritage acquisitions — your brand remains unchanged. And that matters, because the brand reflects decades of relationships in the pool and spa industry.
With the financial backing of a national distributor like Heritage, wholesale pool supply stores suddenly have greater reach and purchasing power on products, compared to what they had at a regional level. They can pass that savings on to their customers.
And with Heritage’s singleminded goal for growth, wholesale distributors looking to expand their brand can look forward to new store locations, where Heritage backs the brand’s equity owners.
Their winning formula for expansion lies in looking for industries that are resilient to ups and downs in the economy — industries that have heavy presence in the aftermarket. So even though there may be fluctuations in the construction industries, the service and repair side remains steady.
It’s a strategy that has served Heritage in the past. Its parent company is SRS Distribution, the second largest roofing company in the country. Four years ago, SRS decided to expand into landscaping, and now Heritage Landscape Supply Group is the second largest network of distributors in the country.
And as a private company, they also don’t have to worry about ups and downs in the stock market.
“We are a private, people first, relationship-driven company,” Cook said. “We value everyone involved in helping our customers succeed, if they win, we win. And our employees are our greatest asset. We are all part owners, empowered to make decisions, and invested in a shared future with our customers.”
For more information and to learn how Heritage can help your business grow, visit www. heritagepoolsupplygroup.com,
email info@heritagepsg.com or call 214-491-4149.
