Lion Plumbing Supply prides itself on delivering the highest quality and best value to its customers. This philosophy has helped the company grow into an industry leader, distributing a wide range of pipe, fittings, tools and plumbing supplies throughout the tri-county area of South Florida and beyond.
With a massive inventory and outstanding service, Lion’s broad clientele includes service plumbers, underground contractors, pipe fitters, industrial mechanics, municipal agencies, schools, apartment complexes, manufacturing installers, pool installers and even automotive service centers. As an independent distributor, the company can offer personal attention in tune with each customer’s specific needs. Experienced and knowledgeable, staff is adept at providing the kind of fast and accurate response customers expect and deserve.
The company’s roots go back to 1956 when Charles R. Steele Jr. and Leo Ouellette founded Leo’s Plumbing Service, a plumbing contracting and small service firm. In the 1960s, they added a retail counter for repair parts and irrigation supplies. In the 1970s, they ended their contracting service business and greatly expanded sales space to accommodate the increasing number of plumbers and contractors coming to them for products and supplies. It was then that the business changed its name to Lion Plumbing Supply Inc. Meanwhile, Paul Gentile, who had joined the company’s sales force in 1972, became a partner with Charles Steele, and the business continued to expand.
Today, Lion has 39 employees and more than 40,000 square feet of warehouse space and an equally large pipe yard, plus a beautiful retail showroom. With a great staff, a complete inventory, outstanding fi ll rates plus fast delivery, the business can help customers with any job, large or small.
The business’ salespeople are industry experts with years of experience. Many of them were once plumbers themselves. Lion’s team offers hands-on plumbing experience along with extensive product knowledge. Moreover, the business makes a point to stay on top of industry trends, assisted by training from the quality manufacturers it represents.
At Lion, staff know customers by name, face and sometimes even by voice and they understand individual requirements. Outstanding customer service is a top priority, and it is one of the main reasons why the business has so many loyal customers. Flexible and friendly, Lion makes it easy for customers to do business by phone, email, text message or in-person at its fast, effi cient service counter. The company believes service adds value to every transaction, and staff enjoy applying their talents to help customers get what they need quickly and accurately.
“We give our customers what they want,” President Paul Gentile said. “Our fill rate is 98% and we rarely we have back orders. Our plumbers and our plumbing contractors depend on us. We have eight well-experienced countermen that get customers in and out in minutes instead of hours like the competition.”
Lion offers super-fast and efficient delivery service throughout the tri-county area. Order by 9:30 a.m. for the same day delivery or by 2:30 p.m. for the next day delivery by 9 a.m. The business can also ship products anywhere around the globe in 24 hours.
The company’s website is a valuable resource, loaded with product information and featuring showroom gallery images. The site is especially useful as an online catalog with links to the many manufacturers it represents. The website is also a useful tool for researching products and preparing bids. Lion is constantly enhancing the site with new features and is currently working on a B2B and B2C website, which will include online ordering and reporting capabilities to benefit customers.
Customers can view a wide variety of high-end kitchen and bath products at Lion’s large state-of-the-art retail showroom The Kitchen + Bath Design Center, located across the street from its wholesale warehouse. The professional and knowledgeable showroom staff can provide design assistance and help customers navigate the variety of available product options.
Lion recently rolled out an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) succession plan, much to the delight of its 39 associates—now owners.
Gentile described it as the ideal plan to ensure a smooth succession into the future, reward the company’s employees for their dedication and maintain the tremendous service levels Lion is known for among customers.
“Lion is known for its very dedicated, long-term employees and we wanted to keep our employee family together,” he said. “We were approached with opportunities to sell to other wholesalers, but it didn’t feel right. The ESOP concept was the best way to mitigate the impact of a change in ownership. It was fantastic to see how excited, happy and I think very surprised our team was at our announcement.”
Each of the 39 employees of Lion is now an owner of the company and will receive the benefi ts of this ownership. There is a six-year vesting process, but the way Lion’s program is structured, most employees will become 100% vested in less time should they turn 65 prior to the end of the six-year period.
Many employees have been with the company for two decades or more. Office manager Joyce Birth has held that role for more than 38 years. Her daughter, Sheri Newman, started her career at Lion pricing tickets when she was just 17 years old and is now vice president. She learned the business from the ground up and she and Gentile have been very active representing Lion with IMARK and being closely involved with their vendors and customers.
No changes are planned with the leadership team, but there is now an independent trustee who will help guide long-term initiatives and direction at Lion. Gentile said that the company’s performance will be evaluated yearly, and its value will be determined by what the employees do to make it profi table.
“The actions of an individual employee will now impact the benefits received by all the other employees through their ownership in the company,” noted Gentile. “We hope this makes everyone at Lion evaluate their own actions and how our customers and each other. As Lion continues to grow, the value of each employee’s ownership will also grow, fostering improved resources for a better retirement for them to enjoy.”
While 2020 has been a challenging year for everyone, the Lion team has remained healthy and virus-free. They have been able to keep their business open throughout the pandemic and are confident that this will turn out to be a prosperous year. Gentile added that Lion’s vendor partners and their membership in IMARK will continue to be a big part of their success. Gentile is a previous IMARK Plumbing board member and Newman currently serves on the board.
“IMARK Plumbing is a vital organization for us,” Newman said. “It gives us better buying power along with many other valuable resources that enhance our business and nourishes relationships with our vendors.”
Gentile is confi dent that Lion will remain in good hands for years to come.
“We have a young crew, and they will be taking over the company in the next few years,” he said. “This is a solid plan for the future of Lion—and for every employee. I strongly encourage all IMARK members to look at ESOP as an option for succession planning.”
For more information, visit thekbdesignstudio.com or lionplumbing.com (currently under construction).
