| Hello, Dolly…More than a Musical!
When the rest of Richmond is rolling down the highways at 7:10 a.m., you’ll find activity at Siewers. That’s usually when Billy Harris and Greg Mackey arrive. They walk across the neatly swept concrete floor of the ware-houses and start rolling up the garage doors and rolling out the dollies, ready for another day of business. “Our number one concern is the cus-tomer,” says Billy Harris, who has worked with Siewers for more than 31 years. “We take care of them first.” When the rare situation arises that the customer’s item isn’t readily available, the folks at Door#4, where Siewers’ orders are filled, have been trained to look for solutions. Sometimes that means cutting a board, assisting a customer who wishes to hand-pick his or her order, or figuring out how to load the order. What’s so hard about that? Try loading 2 x 4's on a bicycle sometime! Mike Coltrain has done that several times over the past 11 years. Wendell Scott has seen all kinds of orders disappear on motorcycles. Melvin Ross has a load of jokes to use when a hearse pulls up to Door #4. And yes, they have even loaded a 20' piece of fir in a VW beetle—through the sunroof! The vast inventory behind Door #4 is not just neat—it’s also extremely well organized. There’s a marking system which color-codes the lengths for quick reference. Both customers and employees can quickly locate the proper lengths of moulding, sidings, and trim which fill the hundreds of bins in the warehouses. “These men take pride in their area, and it shows,” says Mark Smith, who has worked with Siewers more than two decades. Keeping the inventory moving is another critical element to Siewers’ success. That process begins with James Taylor and Hank Powell, who are prima-rily responsible for driving the forklifts, unloading vendor deliveries, and moving pallets of lumber and bundles of other heavy materials from the yard into the warehouses at Doors #4 and #5. “It’s harder than you think,” said James, who has 4 years with Siewers but a dozen more with forklift experience. There’s rarely a slow time at Door#4, because when these guys aren’t loading, unloading, cleaning, straightening, or sorting, they’re busy helping customers. “Our days end when the last customer has been taken care of,” says Billy. And thanks to these models of efficiency, most customers can be on their way—with a greeting, a smile, and experiencing Siewers’ commitment to excellent service.
Local Area Crazy About Columns Richmond is known for its classic, traditional architecture in residential and commercial buildings. One of the most important elements of the period look is the column. Columns are available in straight or fluted styles on the shaft and a variety of styles in the capitals (the top part, commonly known as a “cap”) and bases. Shafts usually range in length from eight feet to eighteen feet, and the most common diameters are from 8-18 inches. Those numbers are just averages, though, according to Richie Siewers. “We can special order columns as tall as 24 feet with 36 inch diameters.” Remodeling contractors and customers are using wood columns made of pine or redwood, and columns made of polymers. Polymer columns are reinforced with fiberglass or filaments so they stand up better to rot, termites, and the elements. “For exterior uses, these are a great product,” added Lee Valentine, who noted that because they are hollow, these columns can be used as conduits for plumbing or wiring. They are structurally quite strong, with load-bearing capaci-ties up to 18,000 lbs. on 12" diameters. Siewers can either create custom columns in the mill, or show you several styles of lower-maintenance alternatives. Since columns are usually replaced every 50-100 years, take your time and do your research—someone will be living with your decision a long time!
Siewers’ water is a new product that has been well received this summer. Often arriving with an order on a hot, humid day, our contractors (and their crews) have been enjoying the refreshing spring water. John Siewers, III is the proud father of the newest member of the family—his son, Jack, was born on July 2. Congratu-lations to John and his wife Michelle! Check out our moulding catalog online! Images are downloadable as CAD files 24 hours a day. Employees Celebrate Christmas in April Sixteen Siewers’ employees recently assisted Habitat for Humanity by donating their time on a Saturday to help renovate a home in the Blackwell area of Richmond. They joined employees from EDS Corporation and Colonial Mechanical and replaced the kitchen floor, fixed rotten boards and window sills, and more—take a look!
Decade of Service Employee anniversaries this quarter (10 or more years at Siewers):
Thank you for your hard work! Service is Second to None Plastic wrap to protect your load. Red flags for oversize loads. No problem—at Siewers, we're happy to provide these services! Need a moulding sample? We have hundreds…just let us know what you need! Local contractors depend on Siewers. We can set up an account for you, and we offer a 2% discount to customers that pay by the 10th of the month. New Products Have you seen the retractable screen doors? These are great for renovations or additions where a traditional screen door would detract from the facade. We also have some new beautifully carved mouldings—so complex that they couldn't be fabricated out of wood—that similate the intricate plaster work found in residences in Charleston and Williamsburg. Composite products such as dimensional boards, crown mouldings, rakes, cornerboards, and decking are ex-panding as more customers request alterna-tives to wood. Lengths are longer and the selections are improving, so ask to see what’s new since your last visit to our showroom. |
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