Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Israel.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I had just joined a company in 1997. The understanding was that the owner and I would create a new company providing a product that had previously been available only in bulk( large quantities), in lesser packaged quantities. Shortly after this relationship had begun, I realized that I was not only partners with this gentleman but additionally his father. I left and began a packaging company on my own. This is when I first learned about friendship. Some of the customers/friends I had believed would help did not and others whom I had expected nothing from, surpassed all hopes. I quickly came to realize, that one of the traits I had not been given or taught as a child was the ability to fix things. I.E. the machines that did the actual packaging. I then decided to become a fastener-industrial distributor. Over the last 15 years, I have purchased Mid South Supply, D&L Specialty Fastener, J&L Fasteners Express and most recently Falson Supply.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have come to realize that a desire and ability to hire people versus actually being able to fill the position with viable/qualified candidates is very difficult. There seems to be a large disconnect in our industries to fill these vacancies. We have added a majority of our employees from the buyouts and from competitors going out of business. To this, Fort Dearborn and I have been very fortunate to have a great team. We have also had major customers go through different versions of bankruptcy, and default on large sums of money that were owed. However, our largest lesion was taught to us in our 7th year of business.
Unfortunately, the person I had doing the checks and the balances was the same person. Stone Park Police came to Fort Dearborn and explained that they had caught an employee of mine, selling roughly a quarter of a million dollars worth of goods through local pawn shops. They guessed that he got roughly 25 cents to the dollar for these stolen goods. Fort Dearborn was liable for the payable to our vendors but would have no customer to pay for it on the back end. It took years to make things right with all the vendors and pay for the items which had been taken.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Fort Dearborn Enterprises/ Falson Supply – what should we know?
Fort Dearborn is a fastener-industrial distributor. We provide these products to manufacturers, maintenance repair operations, convention centers, and bakeries. Falson Supply is similar but services fire protection, plumbing and mechanical companies. The companies success has been in large part due to the team of people that I have been fortunate enough to assemble thus far. Both Fort Dearborn and Falson send sales employees to our customers to help provide supplies just in time. In the majority of our best customers/ partners, our employees will monitor everything from the janitorial, safety, packaging, fasteners, etc. and our companies will ship enough so that the end user never runs out but yet does not have weeks worth of material in the building that they must pay for before it is necessary.
Although it seems redundant when said, the thing which sets us apart is, of course, the people. I’m a big believer in people being happy where they work and equally that negativity is contagious. My wife, who is an operations manager, still bakes something for each of the 30 employees birthdays and we sing ” Happy Birthday”. The owner of one of our largest partners, Paul Barnett, when asked if he was happier since his company had grown from 8 million in revenue to 70 million, said the following after a moments reflection, ” I guess, I’m happier because our growth has allowed us to add more quality people as we have had success, this has made us a better company.”
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Hard work and perseverance. I also think everybody has to get a little lucky along the way.
Contact Info:
- Address: Fort Dearborn/ Falson Supply
4115 West St. Charles Road Bellwood, IL 60104 - Website: www.fortdearbornsupply.com falsonsupply.com
- Phone: 708-544-9600
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
