It seems like only yesterday Everflow was moving from a mid-size location in Linden and into a state-of-the-art 200,000+ square foot facility in Carteret, N.J. Over the past couple of years, the third-generation company has continued to undergo significant growth while remaining committed to its vision of providing a wide range of quality products and unmatchable service.

Everflow was founded in 1999, in Elizabeth, N.J., by David Templer. The initial focus was on valves, faucets, plumbing specialties and brass tubular. The first customers were small and medium wholesalers in New York and New Jersey; but in recent years, the reach has expanded tremendously due to the expansion of their sales network across the country.

Everflow is all about efficiency. The company’s number one priority is to keep up with its customers' pace. The warehouse and distribution center operate 24 hours a day in order to meet demand and provide excellent, efficient service. Though they operate at high speeds, quality is never compromised. Everflow continues to add quality control procedures and reevaluate product lines, making sure they live up to and exceed the rigorous standards their customers expect.

Speed, efficiency, quality and consistency have led to Everflow’s continued success. More recently, Everflow has gained traction in the New England market, which is where its partnership with Raven Products – a leading wholesale manufacturer of plumbing and heating specialty products based in Westborough, Mass.- comes into play. The transaction was made by RSP Industries – a Financial holding company affiliated with Everflow – to acquire Raven Products.

Assistant Editor Sarah Cimarusti from The Wholesaler was fortunate to talk with Jeremy Friedman, Everflow’s Director of Sales and Marketing, to discuss the logistics of this exciting, new development. Friedman, who has a background in law, has largely been responsible for building a network of customer service centered reps that have expanded across the country.

SC: Why were you interested in Raven Products?

JF: Raven has a niche brand of quality products along with great relationships with wholesalers. We reached out to them originally due to the value of their unique specialty products. However, more important to our relationship was the chemistry.

SC: How will this relationship help your business strategy?

JF: All of us are eager to work with the Pelletz family and help cultivate the customer relationships that he and others at Raven have been growing for so long. Raven is knowledgeable about their products and industry, and their experience with actual contractors will allows us to be innovative. On our end, we will be able to provide the Raven customer base, with Everflow’s 24 hour shipping, 99 percent fill rate, and superb service. Our New Jersey base, will be able to be their local warehouse, allowing them to increase inventory turns, help consolidate purchase orders and vendors, while maximizing profitability and efficiency.

SC: What will this look like internally?

JF: We will be combining warehouses. We will be transferring Raven’s inventory and publishing an updated catalog. All of this will save us time, money, and energy, and will have a big impact on productivity and efficiency. The sales force will remain separate, and Raven will continue it’s focus on specialty items.

SC: How will you and the rest of the Everflow ensure a smooth transition?

JF: Our team environment allows all of us to be extremely collaborative. We are in constant communication. Even on Sundays, all the executives have dinner together and talk through the company’s challenges. At Everflow there is no ego; we’re focused on being on the same page in order to align our goals and continue to do what we do best. Our employees are also trained in similar capacities, which translates across all areas of both businesses.

SC: Which of Raven’s product offerings are you most excited about?

JF: Copper headers, patented boiler drains, chrome-plated sillcocks, and specialty valves are among some of the items we’re most excited about offering.

SC: What are some of your projections and growth plans for the near term?

JF: We’ve been growing exponentially over the last few years. Right now our focus is on bringing the two companies together in the most efficient way possible. We will also be placing a large focus on marketing the Raven product line nationally. We expect it to be a strong year as we continue to see the housing market strengthen in many parts of the country which will have a direct impact on our business in a most positive way.

SC: What are your biggest challenges going forward?

JF: The challenge will be to maintain the Raven family of products and the relationships that have been built over many years. We also see an opportunity to strengthen those relationships. We will continue with our goal of being a major customer-centric nationwide supplier of plumbing specialties and PVF.