Building a legacy: New Lighting Division signals even brighter future for Southland
BY MARY JO MARTIN
Editorial director
When Hurricane Katrina delivered its devastating blow to New Orleans in 2005, there were those who thought the city would never be the same. In some ways, it is not. But like the mythical Phoenix, a vibrant New Orleans has re-emerged — a city with a new energy and enthusiasm, so evident as the city’s beloved Saints captured the hearts of the nation on their way to a Super Bowl victory.
Like so many New Orleanians, Alan and Mona Vinturella of Southland Plumbing Supply were over the moon with the Saints’ performance and believe that it is a great sign of the city’s recovery. Although the population is still significantly lower than it was prior to Katrina — and with some areas of the city that have yet to be rebuilt — those who call New Orleans home are devoted to their city and its future direction.
From the ashes of the storm…
Like so many in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, Southland Plumbing Supply was hit hard by Katrina. Just three months prior to “The Storm” — as locals refer to it — Southland had opened a new Kohler Premier Showroom in Metairie, across the street from their headquarters operation. The hurricane left a foot and a half of standing water in the showroom, ruining virtually everything.
Despite that, the Vinturellas and their loyal employees who remained behind barely missed a beat. Although about half of the company’s 50 employees had fled the city, those who stayed worked long hours in difficult conditions to ensure that Southland was able to serve customers during this very trying time. With no computers, very little product on hand and only a concrete floor and a few folding chairs in the showroom, Southland reopened for business just days after the hurricane. Each morning customers lined up for blocks down the street — many having been there all night — just trying to get product. Each had their own heart-wrenching story to tell.
“People would park and sleep overnight with ice chests because we were operating on a first-come, first-served basis,” said Alan. “Everyone’s nerves were on edge and we had to try to keep people calm. Their worlds had just crashed and they were desperate.
“The situation taught us a lot. The relationships we had built with our vendors and through Omni helped us tremendously. After The Storm, they all really came through. Our vendors stepped up and broke tradition on dating, displays, etc., to get our showroom back up and running with products and displays in 30 days, rather than the usual 120. And I am proud to say that we honored all of our commitments to them down to the letter.”
Business was exceptionally strong during the rebuilding push following Katrina, but began to flounder in 2007 as the recession set in. Once again, Southland Plumbing Supply emerged from a challenging situation with an exciting new venture and hope for the future.
“I was starting to consider what possible direction we should take Southland in, because it was going to be very important for us to recoup some of the volume that was lost during the recession,” Alan explained. “Around the same time, some of our competitors were going through layoffs and I was fortunate to hire three very well-respected showroom professionals, all of whom mentioned an interest in lighting. I had never thought about getting into lighting, but as we looked at the numbers and potential margins we knew it was worth a try. And me being a guy who isn’t going to just dabble in a venture, I went into this full force — and with a determination to do it very, very well.”
One step at a time
Alan’s wife, Mona, who has an extensive design background and is a key asset to the company’s showrooms, began looking into other lighting stores around the city. The more she saw, the more confident she was that Southland could be extremely successful in this new product category.
“We felt there was a great opportunity to put in a true lighting showroom in New Orleans,” she said. “Many of stores had a gift shop atmosphere and lighting seemed like more of an afterthought to other aspects of their business. Then we went to market in Dallas, and seeing the displays made us realize that lighting was big business. It’s a very progressive industry.”
They literally transformed the former warehouse for the Metairie showroom into a sophisticated lighting showplace in a matter of months. The Southland Plumbing Supply Lighting Division officially opened on December 3.
Mona described the philosophy that Southland has when it comes to getting their new Lighting Division off the ground.
“We found that starting out with a simple lightbulb was a way to get in the door with many commercial and hospitality customers,” she said. “Our outside salespeople already have connections built with all the hotels and casinos in the area, so it’s an easy progression for them to also market Southland as a lighbulb supplier. The amount of bulbs used by these customers is incredible. So if we can get in the door with hotels like that as their lightbulb supplier, we believe they will think of us when they need fixture replacements. We’ve been very pleased at how quickly these customers were willing to discuss lighting with us.”
Alan went on to explain what he felt the new Lighting Division could bring to Southland’s business. “The two things that enticed me most were: First, there seemed to be a natural synergy between plumbing and lighting, and a great opportunity to sell additional product to the customers who come into our plumbing showroom. And second, there are a finite number of bathrooms in a house, but the entire interior and exterior of a home or business needs lighting. And at this stage of the game, the margins are very compelling, compared to the eroding margins on the plumbing side.”
Alan also said he is hopeful that Omni’s Luxury Products Group will look into adding lighting to its product selection.
Blending established practices with a new endeavor
Southland Plumbing Supply’s flagship location is in Metairie, La., a suburb of New Orleans, where they have a 35,000-square-foot headquarters, 6,000-square-foot Kohler Premier showroom across the street and an additional 15,000-square-foot warehouse a short distance away. In addition, in 2003, Southland opened a showroom on the North Shore (of Lake Pontchartrain).
“I turned 52 in 2003 — the same age as my dad was when he founded Southland —and I looked at my dad’s picture one day and thought to myself that since he started this business at 52, I should also do something profound,” Alan said. “So I decided that it was time to open a second showroom.
“Our son Chad had been working in management with PF Chang’s in Memphis and we really wanted him to come back and join us at Southland. I called him and told him the only way I would open this new showroom was if he would come back to run it. Fortunately, Chad agreed, and we opened our 4,000-square-foot Kohler Premier Showroom on the North Shore that is supported by 8,000 square feet of warehouse space. Chad has really taken the reins with that operation. He’s a natural in the business and his 10 years in the service industry has proven very helpful when it comes to customer service.”
A stark contrast
The Lighting Division is located adjacent to the company’s Kohler Premier Showroom in Metairie, but its appearance is as different as day and night. The plumbing showroom is light and bright, with white walls, light flooring and lot of white products natural lighting. An archway in the back wall of the plumbing showroom leads directly into the Lighting Division. Black walls and ceilings and dark carpeting provide the perfect backdrop for the 500+ stunning light fixtures on display. Spectacular is the first word that comes to mind — especially when you cast your eyes upon the Swarovski display at the entrance. It truly is jewelry for the home.
Loni Vinturella (Alan and Mona’s daughter), who joined the business in 2008, has found her niche in the Lighting Division. She said that in many ways, lighting and plumbing are similar to manage, but there are some distinct differences.
“We are a Kichler Diamond showroom,” Loni said. “As part of that agreement, they give us a dollar amount we need to spend on showroom displays, and then we select what we want to show, based on what we think will sell in our market. Freight is an issue because of the large scale of special order items.”
In addition to Kichler and Swarovski, among the other major lines that Southland’s Lighting Division stocks are WAC, Epiphany, Mariana, Flambeau, Currey & Co. and Emerson fans. And they go far beyond just traditional lighting to include all types of indoor and outdoor fans, smoke alarms, exit signs, doorbells, carbon monoxide, landscape lighting and mailboxes.
On the plumbing side, Southland’s primary vendors are Kohler, Grohe, Aquatic, Rheem, Moen, Delta, Elkay, Danze, Gerber, Basco, Dornbracht, Kindred and Julien; they also carry door and cabinet hardware. The showrooms are open from 8 to 4 weekdays and half days on Saturdays.
Southland puts a great emphasis on marketing and building relationships among the trade, design community and consumers. Throughout the years, Alan has worked very hard to develop strong relationships with customers through entertaining and special events like BBQs, crawfish boils, golf tournaments, NBA Hornets games and hosting local homebuilders association meetings. A favorite marketing program of Alan’s is the commercials he records for a local radio station that are all about LSU Athletics. A graduate of LSU with a degree in chemical engineering, Alan is a die-hard Tigers fan and really enjoys giving his commentary on each week’s game.
“I am totally involved in every aspect of this business; I like writing every check and seeing every single invoice and purchase order that comes through,” Alan said. “I want Southland to be a snapshot of Alan Vinturella. I’m very active with my customers and my door is always open. I like to write handwritten notes on statements to our customers. In fact, if you ask my customers, they’ll usually say they buy from ‘Alan,’ not ‘Southland.’ There’s not a minute that goes by that I don’t think about Southland.”
And knowing Alan, Mona and their children, there is no doubt that Southland will be well prepared to capitalize on future growth opportunities in New Orleans. As they shared with me, there are still parts of the city that need to be rebuilt. In addition, the Super Bowl is slated for New Orleans in 2013, and the downtown area is expected to boom. In fact, the Hyatt across from Superdome has been shuttered since Katrina, but is expected to be entirely redone in the next few years.
“I believe that by branching into additional areas, we are charting a new course of growth for Southland,” Alan said. “We continue to try our best to increase our market penetration and deal with the competitive pricing situation that has become the norm these days. I’m confident we can weather this downturn. I’ve seen four or five cycles during my years in business, and I know it’s going to cycle back again. With my family backing me up and taking an active part in the business, and having the same dreams and ideals that I have, I’m confident in the future of the company.”
To learn more, visit www.southlandplumbingsupply.com.