Texas typically doesn’t have frigid weather, but the Lone Star State completely shut down for about a week in February due to freezing temperatures and brutal winter weather conditions.
“I went into work every day,” said John “Scott” Pittman, president and owner of Pittman Supply Co. in Carrollton, Texas. Amid the 30-year weather event, Pittman opened shop for three to four hours each day to serve his customers. “I’m fortunate, I have an all-wheel drive vehicle and it wasn’t difficult for me to do.”
His actions are a testament to how Pittman Supply is driven by a deliberate determination to respond to customers’ needs and resolve customers’ problems.
For almost 40 years, the company has supplied plumbing, HVAC and design customers with the inventory, expertise and personal service to keep their operations running smoothly.
Pittman’s father founded P&G Plumbing Supply South in 1982 in Garland, Texas and then opened Pittman Plumbing Supply South in Dallas, Texas several years later. The two supply houses merged in 2016 and started operating as Pittman Supply Co.
Pittman graduated from Texas A&M in 1993 and started his career in the plumbing industry as a local distribution salesman. After a few years, he started working alongside his father at P&G. “It was a lot of pressure,” Pittman said. “There were a lot of things I didn’t know. I made a lot of mistakes. I had some victories as well. I had a great teacher who I wish was around a little longer to teach me more.”
Pittman’s father had a major stroke at the age of 58 and never returned to work. Pittman was 32 years old at the time and is 51 today. Having grown up and worked in the industry for more than 30 years, he carries a wealth of knowledge about plumbing fixtures and supplies.
Pittman Supply has grown considerably over the years. The company has a 40,000 square-foot warehouse, 87,000 square-foot pipe yard, eight-truck delivery service and a dedicated team of industry veterans focused on delivering solutions that exceed customer expectations. “We tried to dominate the new multifamily construction market as best we could and be the best player with the best service at the best price with the best inventory,” Pittman said, adding that the business is now exploring MRO, service, commercial and new construction residential opportunities.
Pittman prides himself on running a business that offers experiences of exceptional quality and customer service. Among Pittman’s management team are Nick Smith, chief fi nancial officer; Jessica Elkin, accounts receivable, human resources and offi ce manager; Garrett Watts, sales manager; Annette Muklebust, branch manager; Nate Mowery, purchasing agent; and Greg Tresp, warehouse manager.
The team always aims to keep the company ahead of the curve. “We ask customers to text orders in and have a website they can order from up and running,” Pittman said.
Among the smartest decisions ever made “is the one dad made that got us away from handwritten triplicate copies and onto software and the one he made to join Omni (now IMARK Plumbing),” Pittman said. “Besides the rebates, I have formed alliances with other partners like myself throughout the country that are unbelievable friendships. Before, I always thought I was alone and that’s just not the case. I can pick up the phone to any owner in our group and they will tell me what to do because we don’t compete. If I win, he or she wins.”
Pittman Supply achieved/exceeded its 2020 IMARK Plumbing GainShare goals with several GainShare supplier partners. “I knew 2020 was going to be a good year, so we looked at our GainShare partners and tried to do our very best to maximize those programs,” Pittman said.
Pittman Supply is currently enrolled in 12 GainShare plans, and business projections have been pretty solid for 2021. “Barring something unforeseen, the future is bright,” Pittman said. “I do not see why we wouldn’t expand and do more double digits plus increase at the same pace we did last year.”
Pittman does not intend to sit on any laurels. “I don’t ever think of myself as successful,” he said. “That’s what drives me on a day-to-day basis—to be better.”
Success is like a garden at Pittman Supply and sometimes the gardeners have to protect their “plants” from snowstorms. “Over the years, we have had to weed out some customers and employees and ideas,” Pittman said. “You just don’t start a garden and it produces vegetables the next day. You have to take the weeds out and fertilize it. We have been growing this garden with a lot of love and sunshine.”
For more information, visit pittmansupply.com.
Pittman Supply has grown considerably over the years. The company has a 40,000 square-foot warehouse, 87,000 square-foot pipe yard and an eight-truck delivery service.