Bradford White Corp., a team of American-owned companies that designs, engineers and builds water heating, space heating, combination heating and storage solutions for residential, commercial and industrial applications, is dedicated to doing everything in its power to help independent distributors be successful in a very quickly changing marketplace.
The company prides itself on not selling its products in traditional retail spaces. “You will not fi nd Bradford White in Home Depot or Lowes,” said Greg Eynon, vice president of sales operations for Bradford White Water Heaters. “We are truly a relationship company. We are immersed in the fiber of our customers’ business to help them grow and we are deeply involved in the industry on an organizational and advocacy level. We don’t subscribe to a one-size-fits-all attitude. Being a true relationship company, we have the flexibility to address customer needs on a one-to-one basis.”
Founded in 1881 and one of America’s oldest and most respected companies, Bradford White began as the Pennsylvania Range Boiler Co. In 1968, Pennsylvania-Bradford merged with White Products in Middleville, Michigan to form The Bradford White Corp.
In 1992, the company experienced “a new beginning” under the direction of CEO A. Robert Carnevale and COO Richard L. Milock and the new employee-owned Bradford White emerged as a company dedicated to wholesale trade and professional installation, a philosophy that continues today.
“We believe in the professional specification and installation of water heating and water storage products sold through whole-sale distribution,” Eynon said.
Today, Bruce Carnevale serves as president and CEO of Bradford White Corp. Mark Taylor serves as executive vice president and general manager. Jim McGoldrick serves as senior vice president of sales. Matt Kozak serves as vice president of sales and Peter Katulla serves as vice president of operations and logistics for Bradford White Water Heaters.
Seeing more customers in need of omnichannel support and particularly e-commerce support, Bradford White recently revised and relaunched its e-commerce policy and support for its wholesaler customers. The company has also made significant ongoing investments in improvements to logistics and manufacturing capabilities, as well as research and development.
Bradford White continues to help distributors secure and maintain the loyalty of contractors both big and small in the face of encroachment by the big-box stores, which are further blurring the lines between wholesale and retail when it comes to serving contractors. “We continue to help our wholesale and contractor customers grow their businesses to meet evolving consumer demand, whether it be brought on by changes in distribution or ‘outside’ factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic,” Eynon said.
This support includes providing:
- Access to unique, wholesale-only products
- Training opportunities
- Information to help contractors and consumers make decisions
- Services such as the company’s For The Pro® site to help contractors grow their business
- Helping wholesalers retain the smaller contractors who are more likely to gravitate toward the “wholetailers” such as Home Depot and Lowes
Bradford White’s regional and national accounts sales managers and manufacturers’ representatives are all well versed in Bradford White culture, understand customer needs on a national, regional and local level and are highly involved with the development and success of the company’s wholesaler customers. “At the end of the day, the contractor is going to demand the best customer experience possible,” Carl Pinto, senior director of marketing communications, said. “The greatest opportunity for us is the continued empowerment and partnership with wholesale distributors.”
The company offers two GainShare programs to IMARK Plumbing distributors, one specific to boiler and indirect water heater products and the other for tank-style water heater business. “I am personally a big fan of GainShare, which allows you to laser in on specific product segments and target growth initiatives at the wholesale level,” Eynon said. “We put marketing plans in place with wholesalers to help them achieve their goals.”
IMARK Plumbing is a tremendous resource for Bradford White and the group’s annual meetings are an extremely effi cient way for the company to connect with a large number of independent distributors in person to both take on new and follow up with existing initiatives. Eynon added that IMARK Plumbing members and executive leadership are true professionals who are a pleasure to work with.
For more information, visit bradfordwhite.com.
