ThisWeek Keys 08/23/2012

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content/stories/Key-Bank-Keys-to-Success-stories/2012/08/edco

The owners of EDCO Tool and Supply pride themselves on offering more than just a tool store; it’s a hands-on handyman Nirvana.

Brothers Sam, Jerry and Barry Edelman grew up working in their father Ralph Edelman’s tool business in Lima, Ohio, eventually taking over and opening a headquarters warehouse store at 445 Phillipi Road in Columbus in 1983.

“We grew up in this business and it runs through our blood,” Sam Edelman said. “We’ve worked here since we were little and we get so many people in here that say, ‘you guys are so lucky that you work in a candy shop.’  We feel the same way: We get to work in this handyman’s nirvana every day.”

According to his son, Jerry, Ralph Edelman opened the original EDCO Tool and Supply store at 1100 E. Kibby St. in Lima in 1946, right after World War II, as a way of supplying individuals and industries in transition from wartime to peacetime manufacturing.

“The Lima branch is still there with 60,000 square feet of showroom and warehouse,” he said.  “We’ve been established for 66 years now and have over 400,000 square feet total between our locations.

“We moved into Columbus because we saw how much it was growing and what a great community it was. There was so much industry here and no full-line industrial supply house, so we knew this was a good fit.”

According to Sam, the brothers have all worked at EDCO for 40 or more years, and their current employees have been there for at least 20 years each. As representatives for more than 400 different manufacturers, the brothers believe they can keep pretty much any job on track.

“Besides our selection, our knowledge of our products and the years of experience we have in this business is a big advantage for us,” Jerry Edelman said. “So if a customer isn’t sure of how to do a job or solve a problem, we can advise them on both how to do it and what tools to use.

“Instead of just one or two types of pliers to choose from, we have like 50 or 60. Same thing with any hand tool,” he added. “That means instead of having a job sit for a week, waiting for the right tool, we help other businesses keep making their money.”

The brothers said this knowledge and product selection is key to their success. However, according to Jerry, that is only a part of the equation.

“Our success is because we listen to our customers and what their needs are,” he said. “Things are different now than they were 20 years ago and we’ve adapted. Our primary goal is giving our customers complete satisfaction so they tell others and come back.

“We have a much wider selection and better grade of products then our national competitors, including a lot of American-made stuff, as well as high-quality imports for the discerning shopper.”

Sam Edelman said he believes both EDCO and central Ohio’s futures are looking bright together.

“We’re constantly busy these days and we see the economy improving,” he said. “We see a really bright future, and we see a bright future for Columbus — so goes our community, so goes our business.”

For more information about EDCO, visit one of the stores or go online to www.edcotool.com.