For some people, it’s all about reaching the summit, but for Braxton Harris Jr., it’s the journey to the top that drives him. It has already been quite a rewarding journey — with plenty more on the roadmap ahead.

As the president of Braxton Harris Co. (BHC), he is passionate about building upon the legacy begun by his father, Braxton Harris Sr., the founder of the plumbing manufacturing company 40 years ago in Anniston, Alabama. Harris Sr. had been charting a successful career with Lee Brass, known as Phelps Dodge at the time, but realized there was a ceiling to his future opportunities there. 

He had built strong relationships with wholesalers, had a great understanding of the plumbing supply chain, and believed he could provide a combination of excellent products, service and loyalty not offered by competitors. 

“It was a huge leap of faith,” Harris Jr. recalled. “Dad dedicated himself to building the business and the family fully supported him. Everyone pitched in as the business grew. Our home was the office; he sold products out of the trunk of his car and inventory was stored in our garage and the shed at my grandfather’s farm. My grandmother kept the books, Dad called or faxed in orders to the house from the road, and my grandfather and cousin pulled and packaged orders for shipment.”

Harris Jr.’s first memory of helping was sitting on the living room floor with vats of bolts, nuts and washers and bagging them into sets — for a penny apiece. After a few years, neighbors’ complaints grew about the semi-trucks delivering pallets, which prompted Harris Sr. to build an office and warehouse on property previously owned by, ironically, Lee Brass. By then in high school, Harris Jr. worked part-time in the warehouse and even planted trees that still surround the building today.

BHC became known for same-day or one-day shipments and a 95% fill rate. That type of inventory management was largely possible because of Harris Sr.’s philosophy — and also his son’s — on being diversified. 

“We have always been diligent about developing the right partnerships with reputable overseas factories,” Harris Jr. explained. “We work closely on product development with factories in the United States, Australia, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, etc., most of which have in-house testing facilities ensuring our quality standards. We closely monitor their response time, keeping our inventory levels where needed. And we protect our designs by owning our own tooling so we can move it if there is an issue.”

Today, BHC stocks more than 15,000 SKUs of plumbing products ranging from traditional rough-in items to a complete decorative brand called Waternity. Proprietary designs and universal items can be paired in plumbing systems with other brands. BHC is also a master distributor of items such as WD40, batteries, etc., that wholesalers need but not in quantities large enough to buy direct from manufacturers. Instead, they simply add them to their BHC purchase orders. 

Waternity was one of Harris Jr.’s first big successes after joining his father at the company in 1997. Like many other next generations from family-owned businesses, he was not envisioning a future career at BHC. So, after graduating from the University of Alabama, Harris Jr. took a position in banking and moved to Atlanta. However, after a few years, he realized the great opportunity he had to work with his father at BHC. 

“We were still a relatively small company, and I was able to learn first-hand all the operational areas and get involved from the ground floor,” Harris Jr. shares. “I also spent a lot of time on the road covering Florida and Alabama and traveling other territories with our reps while building customer relationships.

“Those interactions are what led to the development of Waternity. One of our customers said he’d buy more from us if we could add some new finishes. I brought the idea to other wholesalers who agreed and contacted a ‘plater’ who assured me he could re-plate our products in any finish we’d like. From the beginning, we focused on quality PVD finishes that differentiated us from the competition.” 

Natural progression

The Harris father-and-son team enjoyed a close relationship and had styles that complemented each other. “I learned so much from him,” Harris Jr. says. “He was an excellent businessman, cognizant that you must set a good example and well aware his team and their families depended on BHC’s success for their livelihood. This awareness drove every decision he made, and our employees and business partners, in turn, greatly respected my dad.” 

Year after year, Harris Sr. felt comfortable with his son assuming more responsibilities and making decisions. Together, they searched for a new executive with a solid presence and reputation in the plumbing industry.

They found the perfect fit in Kendrick Reaves, who joined BHC as executive vice president in 2019. For Reaves, who began his career with Kohler and later worked with Reliance Worldwide, joining BHC was a big change and a great new challenge.

“There are no added layers of support staff here,” Reaves notes. “We are all responsible for handling our own areas of the business. Despite our tremendous growth, we don’t want to become a bureaucracy. We have processes and procedures in place, but they primarily are a direct answer or conversation with the owner. Braxton is very big on communication and having an open door.” 

Reaves is confident in the future of BHC. “I told Braxton Jr. up front I felt there was so much opportunity,” he says. “As soon as I came on board, we were in full-on growth mode. We converted several people’s roles, found reps in territories we didn’t have representation in and began doing business with new customers.”

He adds that he was fortunate to work with Harris Sr. for a year and a half before his death in 2021. 

“He spent a lot of time answering questions and guiding us as BHC was transitioning,” Reaves recalls. “We put together a five-year plan that we now update annually. It’s a simple three-legged stool of people, buildings and inventory. Our first expansion was taking over an additional portion of the warehouse for new inventory. Harris Sr. was very involved in laying out stations in that space while Braxton worked doggedly on the big import orders that would allow us to keep growing.”

Team BHC

With no extra layers in the organization, it’s critical that each employee is the right fit and empowered to make appropriate decisions. 

“Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate the value of the team making carefully thought out, independent decisions,” Harris Jr. explains. “It’s been a process identifying the tools employees need to successfully perform their jobs and allowing them to problem-solve on their own. It’s rewarding watching them step up to the plate in ways they may not have when they first came on board. They truly care about our company and take pride in their jobs. 

“I encourage them and have been told sometimes I have more confidence in them than they have in themselves. We also incentivize employees with performance bonuses when they reach certain milestones. I think these are keys to engaged, productive, happy employees.”

Reaves gives tremendous credit to Harris Jr. — and Harris Sr. before him — for making BHC such a special place for all employees to work. 

“The Harris family is all about family,” Reaves explains. “And they consider BHC employees part of their family. That’s why we have such longevity here among our team. Braxton is very thoughtful when it comes to benefits, costs, health care and good access to it. And he’s hands-on when it comes to helping the team figure out ways to improve our environment and processes.” 

Open dialogue also extends to customers. “Successful companies listen to customers and the market to see what’s on the horizon,” Reaves notes. “If you lose sight of customers and their needs, it will set you up for failure. We know how important fill rates and on-time deliveries are. We listen to customer requests for new finishes, special projects or applications, getting involved with contractor rewards and buying group programs. In surveys, customers give us high marks on that.”

BHC is an approved vendor for buying groups Affiliated Distributors and The Commonwealth Group, as well as a member of the American Supply Association, Southern Wholesalers Association and the Association of Independent Manufacturers Representatives. 

“I can honestly say I learn something, meet someone or bring a new piece of information back from every conference we attend,” Reaves notes. “They offer great networking opportunities; I especially enjoy roundtable-type sessions that provide solid feedback on our performance. All those organizations are critical to the distribution channel — and to our continued growth. 

“We are dedicated to the plumbing industry. It’s the business we know and love. We don’t have any desire to do anything else. We’re lean and responsive. We’re also extremely sophisticated for a company our size. And what drives us is the one-on-one working relationship we’re building with customers so they know the management team, who we are and how we operate.” 

Reps play a critical role in BHC’s continued growth. “We’ve built a great network of representation in almost every market across the United States,” Reaves says. “Our reps are firms that culturally fit with us and the way we do business, who also have plans for the long term and care about service. No other line out there has a bigger upside for the long haul than BHC. Our rep relationships are not commodities; they’re partners in the process.”

What’s next?

In this fast-paced digital world, BHC realizes that customers acquire and process information differently than ever before. To reflect that, it has reconfigured its product catalog, updated its website and made its digital assets highly accessible and user-friendly. Yet, there will always be a printed catalog for customers who prefer it. 

With all the changes globally and within BHC, Harris Jr. still believes relationships and trust are at the heart of business. 

“Relationships are always going to matter,” he says. “Trust takes a long time to build and a short time to destroy. I’m sure there are plenty of times we make a mistake, but we own it and make it right. Everyone runs their businesses differently. Understanding customers’ organizations and needs is critical in making it all work.”

Today’s BHC has far outgrown its current facility and will soon move into a completely renovated 110,000-square-foot warehouse nearby. Harris Jr. has spent the last year working with contractors and vendors to ensure the space is fitted with the most modern, efficient equipment and features that will take BHC and its employees into the future.

“No matter how much we grow, I want our employees to always remember this is a family business,” he explains. “I’m hanging pictures in the new building of where it all started — my parents’ and grandparents’ homes, products on the shelves in our old garage, my dad and the growing stages we’ve gone through. Keeping this legacy going is important to me. And now, my daughter, who is in high school, is doing our monthly bank reconciliations and has worked in the warehouse and on special projects. It makes me very proud to see her interest in the business. 

“We continue to plan for explosive growth. We’re adding to our customer service and warehouse staff and want to add several more positions to drive growth and maintain our service level. We are keeping our foot on the gas. No other line has an upside potential greater than ours in the coming years.”  

Mary Jo Martin is a media professional who spent more than 20 years covering the PHCP industry as editorial director. She later formed MJM Ink, and works in a consulting capacity for PHCP companies and organizations, assisting them with public relations, social media and marketing projects. You can reach her at maryjomartin2963@gmail.com or 214-675-3992.