Since 1955, Basco has strategically acquired companies in the glass fabrication sector to vertically integrate and accelerate time-to-market for its renowned custom shower enclosures. Today, Basco’s portfolio includes standard and semi-frameless SKUs, supported by a robust go-to-market strategy tailored for Luxury Product Group (LPG) and IMARK customers. The company’s ability to fabricate glass in-house ensures a rapid five-day lead time from order to delivery.
“Our brand, well known for its custom shower enclosures, can turn dreams into reality,” said Ted Ley, vice president of sales and marketing. “Product depth, speed to market and American-made quality are our differentiators.”
Product Offerings
Basco specializes in custom shower enclosures, known for their five-star quality and European design flair. The wide range of options includes the popular Rotolo barndoor style and customizable heavy glass products with various handle and hinge choices.
“We like to think of it as the crown jewel of the bathroom—the shower enclosure,” Ley said. “It’s the most profitable product in the bathroom for LPG and IMARK members, allowing them to make more margin on this product than any other.”
Company Culture
Basco’s culture revolves around its 450+ dedicated employees, many of whom are longstanding members of the Basco family, fostering a familial and tenured work environment. The company prides itself on precision engineering and a commitment to quality, reflected in its daily operations and customer interactions.
“Company culture starts with our people: 450 strong, dedicated employees,” Ley said. “We recently celebrated a retirement after 45 years of service—a testament to our family-oriented work culture. Mothers, daughters, fathers, sons, husbands and wives have been part of our team, with an average tenure of 10 to 15 years. This commitment is crucial because we begin business every day crafting custom shower doors until we receive new orders throughout the day. The ability to maintain quality, precision engineering and configuration is particularly critical for our corporate culture. It’s not a shower door, it’s a customer.”
Recent Initiatives
Recent initiatives at Basco include significant improvements in packaging to reduce shipping damages from 8% to just 3%, ensuring product integrity and customer satisfaction. Basco is constantly expanding its product lines through new product development pipelines. Future enhancement offerings include the ever-popular Rotolo line with additional panels for greater opening width.
“In the past two months, we have shipped 500 shower doors a day on average,” Ley said.
Opportunities and Differentiators
Basco sees significant opportunities in catering to the aging-in-place market with zero-threshold openings in its products. The company also aims to expand its grid door capabilities, distinguishing themselves with unique technologies that embed the grid within the glass for easier maintenance.
Focus on LPG and IMARK Plumbing Members
Basco positions itself as the premier supplier of shower enclosures, offering IMARK and LPG members the most profitable bathroom product. The company emphasizes its ability to streamline projects by providing comprehensive solutions that integrate seamlessly into bathroom renovations.
“The shower enclosure is always the last piece of the bathroom renovation,” Ley said. “That’s why we emphasize speed to market for custom heavy glass enclosures. We’ve all had projects in our homes and want them completed as soon as possible. If there’s a three or four-week delay, a five-day lead time becomes crucial.”
Commercial Projects and Expansion
Basco excels in large-scale commercial projects, recently completing installations at high-end residences and hospitality establishments like the Westin in Chicago. The company aims to raise awareness among IMARK and LPG customers about their capabilities in handling sophisticated project work with shorter lead times compared to competitors.
“We’re the best-kept secret in hospitality and commercial projects. We excel in large projects,” Ley said. “When we see orders coming in from customers who aren’t taking advantage of our ability to handle project work, it’s a missed opportunity. Many of them have commercial specification teams that typically require a three to four-week lead time on projects. We offer a ‘good, better, best’ portfolio tailored for these types of projects and don’t typically cater to low-end residential projects. We consider ourselves a luxury brand, specializing in multi-family and high-rise developments.”
Website Assistance
“We really believe our website is a wonderful tool and a wealth of information for showrooms. We offer plenty of images to help their customers visualize, cross-references, training to get up to speed on shower doors and installation tips available 24/7. This helps make complex shower door projects simple for everyone,” said Kiersten Jung, marketing director.
For more information about Basco shower enclosures, visit bascoshowerdoor.com.
Jennifer Kohlhepp
Jennifer Kohlhepp is the managing editor of IMARK Today and has more than 20 years of experience developing award-winning content for various platforms. Reach her at jkohlhepp@cmasolutions.com.