Holt Supply, a plumbing and HVAC wholesale distributor, was founded in 1972 by John R. Holt and was originally named PHC Supply Co. Headquartered in Galesburg, Ill., the family-owned company added its fifth employee — John’s son Andy — in 1985. The following year, the father-son duo embarked on an ambitious expansion, opening the company’s first branch in Princeton, Ill. This milestone also marked the company’s rebranding to Holt Supply, proudly bearing the family name.

In 1990, Andy Holt and his wife, Jean, who also joined the family company, moved to Bloomington, Ill., to open the company’s third branch. This strategic move set the stage for further success. In 1995, Andy Holt ascended to the helm as president of Holt Supply, and, with Jean Holt by his side, the company firmly established its headquarters in Bloomington, cementing its presence and leadership in the industry.

Today, Holt Supply covers the plumbing and HVAC verticals alongside its bath, kitchen and lighting showrooms. The distributor has 55 employees, including  Andy and Jean’s four children ( Zach Holt, Andrew Holt, Caroline Holt Boricich and Maddie Holt). 

“Our company maintains a nimble and flat management structure, empowering  our trusted employees to make decisions that provide the best customer outcomes while doing what is right for the company,” Andy Holt, president explains. “We trust and respect the decision-making ability of our team, which is how we can operate so fluidly.”

And it does so with the motto of “When Quality Matters.” Jean Holt notes: “The motto resonates in all we do: how we treat one another, how we partner with our manufacturers, our reps and, most certainly, the quality of service we provide and the relationships we share with our customers.”  And it shows.

Teresa Klokkenga Photography

I wondered if having all one’s children in a business was typical. “We recognize we’re in a unique situation having all four of our kids in the business, in an industry that is not always attractive to the younger generation,” Jean Holt says. “As a family, we have always spent much time together. I often think that may have had a bearing on their joining the company.”

Andy Holt adds: “I also think that part of the reason they joined could be that they grew up seeing how we enjoyed it; working with my dad, they witnessed us enjoying our time together. The other unique situation of today is that my dad (John R.) is alive and well. He certainly has a perspective and likes to share it! He understands that so many things have changed, but some of the most important principles in business have not, and those revolve around our core values.”

Those values are tenacity, integrity, teamwork, accountability and passion.

“The growth of our company will forever be consistent with how we interact with and treat others,” Andy Holt explains. “It’s fundamental. We’re all former Division 1 athletes in our family. The scoreboard tells an important story, but it directly reflects the fundamentals we put into play each day. If we focus more on how we interact with others — our customers, manufacturers and each other — the scoreboard provides positive results all on its own. We certainly don’t claim to get everything right, but we’ll never run short on trying hard to provide quality in all we do.”

The Holt children include Zach Holt, vice president; Andrew Holt, commercial sales; Caroline Holt Boricich, director of operations and personnel; and Maddie Holt, director of showrooms. We wanted to hear more from the Holt children on their roles in the company, the path ahead, and how the third generation of this family business is making its mark. Here is what they had to say:

Zach Holt Vice President

TW: Describe the unique skills, perspectives/vision you bring to the company.

ZH: I grew up around the business, working from the back dock to the front door. My experiences in receiving products, stocking, pulling orders, delivering, working the counter, purchasing, inside sales and then outside sales have given me full exposure to the business and helped me create a vision for our team to win together. I wouldn’t have had it any other way! 

I truly appreciate Dad starting me in the warehouse and letting me learn the business through the experiences of each role. He has always said: “It starts at the back of the building and works forward from there. Everyone in the company is affected by the quality of work done in the warehouse.” 

My passion for teamwork, through good communication, understanding and respecting each person’s role, helps us all win together. We have an amazing team of people!

TW: What professional achievements within the company are you most proud of? 

ZH: I’m proud of how much we’ve achieved in a relatively short period. We’ve improved nearly every internal system and process with our recent initiatives.  Change is never easy, especially when we are blessed to have long-term employees. However, the willingness of our team to accept change to improve our customer service, along with our own efficiencies, has allowed us to make tremendous progress. 

Helping create a great culture so that everyone feels like they are in the right position within the company is helping us win together. I’m incredibly proud of our team. Each person brings their unique talents to our company.

TW: How do you balance the respect for tradition and past business practices with the need for innovation and change?

ZH: Staying true to our values while striving to be better every day through our tenacity to improve certainly helps us with this. We honor our tradition of great service provided by those who came before us at Holt Supply, and because we grew up in the business, we (me and my siblings) know and respect those who put in years of hard work to advance the company during their time. 

We now know it is our time. We have a strong desire to create our best version of Holt Supply, and often that comes from the collaboration of our team. Much of our innovation comes from inside our company: we know and respect one another, and everyone feels comfortable presenting their ideas. 

We’re in this together, a family of people extending outside the immediate Holt family members. Each person in key positions within the company has a voice and is helping us innovate. We encourage their input and ideas. If someone has an idea that can help us better serve our customers, we are agile enough to implement their idea and make it part of our process.

TW: What are some of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned from working in the family business? 

Teresa Klokkenga PhotographyZH: Building solid relationships with the people we do business with is most important. My Grandpa, who founded the company, always says, “People still buy from people.” My parents taught us the importance of building relationships and treating our customers and suppliers (manufacturers/reps) like they are part of our family. There is so much connectivity in this industry, and how we treat people is important to the future of our family business. 

We come from an athletic family; we love to compete and win! Winning the right way is important to us, and it includes working hard, treating people the right way, and being positive and excited each day about the prospects of winning together. Attitude is infectious, and I’m conscientious about bringing my best each day. 

Finally, the other lesson I’ve learned is that change is inevitable. As this industry evolves, being adaptive and agile will continue to be important to the success of our company.

Andrew Holt Commercial Sales

TW: Describe the unique skills, perspectives/vision you bring to the company.

AH: My perspective often comes from the angle of project work, such as apartments, multifamily, and now some of the build-to-rent projects. I enjoy researching and selecting products with our trade customers and collaborating with them to find the best solutions for their projects. I’m fortunate to work with many good reps who help support our efforts to grow with our customers.

TW: What professional achievements within the company are you most proud of?

AH: I’m most proud when a job comes together well, and stays organized from start to completion. A few projects have been larger in scope, and I worked closely with our trade customers, supporting them so they could satisfy the needs of the general contractor, developer and owner. 

TW: How do you balance the respect for tradition and past business practices with the need for innovation and change?

AH: I respect the tradition of our company and the ways our business started through my grandparents and grew through my parents. We are all on the same page; as we see business and times changing, we must also be open to change. 

It’s fun hearing the stories about our humble beginnings - payphones on a pole low enough to call in orders from a car window, the first fax machines, and pipe and fittings other than PVC and PEX. We now sell different materials, and our quoting methods have improved technologically. 

However, none of this takes away from the respect of our tradition because the generations before us did the best they could with what they had.

TW: What are the most valuable lessons you’ve learned from working in the family business? 

AH: One thing we talk a lot about as a family is being thankful for what we have: the customers who trust us and the manufacturers who support us. Understanding that we fit in the middle, we must always do our best work for our customers and the brands we carry. If we do that, the rest takes care of itself. 

Caroline Holt Boricich Director of Operations and Personnel

TW: Describe the unique skills, perspectives/vision you bring to the company.

CHB: I’ve devoted much of my personal and professional life to collegiate athletics. I’ve been lucky to be a part of and work with some very high-achieving teams, coaches and administrators. Each day, I use the lessons learned in athletics to help make our team at Holt Supply better. 

After my playing career was over, I was hired as the first-ever director of volleyball operations at Miami University.  Being part of the coaching staff at Miami made me want to impact all student-athletes’ lives, not only one team. I was invited back to my alma mater, the University of Notre Dame.  I worked in their athletic department, where I eventually served as the assistant director of leadership development. 

What I learned in that role from some of the very best leaders in that industry has helped me as I navigate how to improve our family business and the experience everyone has while working and developing within it.

TW: What professional achievements within the company are you most proud of? 

CHB: I am most proud of assisting in the implementation of our all-in-one online HR platform, which has streamlined our payroll and employee management processes. I’m also proud that we’re focused on making Holt Supply a truly great place to work and grow. I strive for everyone to feel like they’re part of our family. 

TW: How do you balance the respect for tradition and past business practices with the need for innovation and change?

CHB: I’m always trying to improve our employees’ experience. While respecting tradition and keeping an understanding of what makes us Holt Supply, I also try to think of ways to make our employees’ lives and jobs more efficient and rewarding.

TW: What are some of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned from working in the family business? 

CHB: I’ve learned how much my grandparents and parents sacrificed for us. I’ve seen firsthand how much they have put into this company and the sense of family we have built. Although I could never repay them, they motivate me daily to continue their legacy. 

Maddie Holt Director of Showrooms

TW: Describe the unique skills, perspectives/vision you bring to the company.

MH: I am design-orientated; I love coordinating plumbing fixtures with lighting, cabinetry and countertops. My favorite jobs are those where I assist in the design process and help customers with their vision. Every project has a brand, style or look that should reflect the client’s wishes, whether a home or a commercial or multifamily project. I also enjoy building relationships with customers, and I am honored when they refer friends and family to our showroom or become recurring customers themselves.

TW: What professional achievements within the company are you most proud of? 

MH:  I worked on a large, upscale student housing project at a major university. It is our largest lighting project to date, and it was my first lighting project for our company. I really enjoyed working directly with the general contractor and the interior designer. I’ve worked on this project for over a year, and it’s gratifying to see it all come together. It’s stunning!

TW: How do you balance the respect for tradition and past business practices with the need for innovation and change?

MH: Our company has always had a particularly strong focus on the showroom segment of our business. My current role was handed off to me by my mother. I respect what she did in this role, and during the transition, she explained what she had learned during her tenure. She now works directly with my dad, providing our vision for the future, working on growth opportunities, and building business relationships for our company.

While respecting the past, we actively evaluate our lines and monitor those brands’ commitment to the professional showroom. We want to support those brands focused on supporting us. The Luxury Products Group (LPG) has been an excellent resource for me as a younger person in this business. Jeff MacDowell, Executive Director of LPG, and his team help us in many ways, from educational resources to understanding which manufacturers have our best interests in mind. 

Even though we’ve changed some key lines within the showroom, respect for our tradition as a “showroom-focused” wholesaler remains intact. Our emphasis on treating people well will always remain the same, even as the world around us is changing, especially regarding e-commerce and the impact of Amazon and big-box retailers. Those sources for products are there and appealing to some consumers, but what we offer is unique, too. 

We’re not just transactionally oriented. We’re available for our clients from the moment they step into our showroom and begin the selection process until the last fixture is set in place. Our clients know our service extends beyond that final installation, too. We are part of the communities we serve. We will be there for them whenever we are needed.

TW: What are the most valuable lessons you’ve learned from working in the family business? 

MH: In addition to learning different sales processes and excitedly offering my product knowledge, growing up in a family-owned business has taught me the importance of supporting local businesses and how much of an impact they can have on the community. We are becoming more community-involved than ever before.