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ince 1896, Berks Products has supplied building materials and energy products across southeast-ern Pennsylvania. Over the years serving builders and homeowners, the manufacturer and distrib-

utor of building materials has evolved its services and prod-ucts—but never lessened its role in the community. Based in Berks County, Pennsylvania, the firm can’t be missed with its pink ready-mix concrete trucks rolling through neighborhoods to promote breast cancer awareness and early detection.

Berks Products’ Vice President of Construction Materials, Andrew Davis, tells us success isn’t found in a single transac-tion, but by building relationships over time; that’s one reason to use the trucks to deliver such an important message.

When the idea of the pink ready-mix concrete truck was born about six or seven years ago, the team was immediately on board. In the first year, for every load delivered from that truck, the company made a donation to a local hospital to offset the costs of preventative breast cancer screenings for patients. Today, the iconic trucks serve as a reminder

of the importance of awareness and screenings. The trucks appear in parades and at special events, including an annual breast cancer awareness event in Allentown, which Berks Products sponsors.

by Tonie Auer

A SERIOUS COMMITMENT TO CUSTOMERS

AND COMMUNITYBerks Products’ 120-Year Legacy

S“ We have direct relationships with our team members, and work hard to give people opportunities to try different things and take on new challenges.”

- Andrew Davis, Vice President of

Construction Materials, Berks Products

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“The response to the trucks continues to be overwhelm-ing,” Davis says. “When people see them driving down the road, their reactions are really heartwarming. Everyone has been impacted by this disease in one way or another, and people are so excited to see the big pink trucks helping to drive awareness.”

STANDING STRONGFOR OVER A CENTURY

The fifth-generation, privately held company turns 120 this year and has grown immensely from its founding as the merger between two coal and lumber companies. Original-ly a small sidewalk contracting business based in Reading,

Pennsylvania, the company has expanded its services and locations to serve the needs of its customers, particularly in the Lehigh Valley area.

Berks Products is equipped to offer materials for a variety of building needs, from a simple backyard patio to a profession-al hockey arena, and even high-rise buildings. Lately, Davis says a big focus for the company has been in the residential, distribution, healthcare and education markets.

Today, multiple divisions within the company offer a diverse range of materials to meet the needs of builders at every stage of the construction process. There is a heating and cooling division with oil delivery, HVAC system installation,

Since 1896, Berks Products has supplied building materials and energy products across southeastern Pennsylvania. As a testament to the company’s commitment to serving the community, in 2010, the company formally introduced the first of many pink ready-mix concrete trucks used to promote breast cancer awareness and early detection. The trucks also make regular cement deliveries.

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and year-round service for both res-idential and commercial buildings. Additionally, the company supplies ready-mix concrete, crushed stone, precast concrete products, masonry supplies, concrete accessories, fabri-cated wood products, millwork, doors, tools and hardware.

Davis credits the company’s longevity in the industry to the high-class merits of the people within. Building long-term relationships while consistently delivering quality keeps their clients coming back.

“We have exceptional people who are ready to work hard and get the job done, no matter what it takes. It’s a group effort to run a business,” Davis says.

Despite the big economic downturn in 2008, the eastern Pennsylvania region is slowly but surely getting back to business as usual, says Davis. One obstacle the company deals with is the increasing costs of materials. But change in this industry is constant, and the key, he adds, is to evolve with the times and challenges.

“It’s been a rocky recovery; no one would debate that coming out of the Great Recession has taken a long time,” Davis says. “In our markets, we’ve hit a nice stable point and we’re seeing consistent growth year over year. Prod-ucts are in high demand again, and with that comes stability.”

One high-profile project example is the PPL Center, a hockey arena in Allen-town. Berks Products supplied con-crete of various specialized designs to meet a variety of applications and weather conditions. The arena is a special project, Davis says, because it is a landmark that’s part of a larger

revitalization of Allentown’s downtown district, for which Berks Products has supplied the lion’s share of concrete. “We are very proud to be part of the work in Allentown; knowing that we con-tributed to the beautifully reconstruct-ed downtown area is very rewarding,” he says.

In fact, around downtown Allentown, Berks Products has provided more than 36,000 cubic yards of concrete in the historic revitalization of the city core around the PPL Center, home to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, a profession-al ice hockey team.

TOTAL COMMITMENT

In a small business, “bench strength,” or the readiness of potential successors to move into key professional and lead-ership positions, is challenging to build.

“Our company model is very efficient and streamlined. We have direct rela-tionships with our team members, and work hard to give people opportunities to try different things and take on new challenges,” says Davis. “The people who get it and want to do more are the ones we look for; and when people ask for the opportunity to do more, we’re happy to let them try.”

Multiple company divisions offer a diverse range of materials to meet the needs of builders at every stage of the construction process, including supplying ready-mix concrete, crushed stone, precast concrete products, masonry supplies and concrete accessories.

At a company-sponsored picnic in Leesport, Pa., the Berks Products-sponsored No. 81 stock car makes an appearance. The race car belongs to head mechanic Dennis “Chico” Bailey, a decorated race car veteran and former Grandview season champion. Bailey has been with the company for more than 40 years.

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Davis recalls one individual, Jarrod Pensyl, who showed am-bition and potential to grow within the organization. Orig-inally part of the dispatch team, Pensyl approached Davis and asked for a chance at an inside sales position that was open, which was granted. He quickly moved up the ranks to become the company’s sales manager.

“He’s done a tremendous job and really helped the company as we’ve overhauled our entire sales program. We like to develop people internally when we can and the company is

full of a lot of great folks who know the business inside and out,” says Davis. “They know our customers and how we work as a team and are ready to jump in.”

He adds: “Our corporate pledge for decades has been ‘total commitment’ to our customers and our community. This promise is printed on the drums of our ready-mix trucks—and it is how we run things at every level of the company. I believe we are all obligated to take seriously the commitments we make to other people, whether it’s family, colleagues or customers. If you can’t deliver on your promise, don’t make the commitment. As a company, we try to live up to that business approach.”

To do that, Davis’ team aims to comprehensively understand what customers need as well as when and how they need it, before making a firm commitment to any project. “We want to ensure that we can perform on demand because we know our customers have to manage challenging and dynamic schedules,” Davis says. “If we commit, we stick with it and if our customers have a problem, we’re there to help. We want to be the most consistent factor in a customer’s day.”

Author Bio: Tonie Auer is a longtime journalist and freelance business-to-business and business-to-company writer based in Denton, Texas.

Today, Berks Products’ iconic pink trucks serve as a reminder of the importance of awareness and screenings, appearing in parades and at special events, including an annual breast cancer awareness event in Allentown, Pa.

“ We have exceptional people who are ready to work hard and get the job done, no matter what it takes. It’s a group effort to run a business.”

- Andrew Davis

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