Business Spotlight: Harry Cooper Supply Co.

Harry Cooper knows quite well why few family-owned businesses don't stick around for more than 100 years.

"First generation starts it, second generation builds it, and the third generation usually fritters it away," Cooper says.

He and his brother, Jack - the third generation to own Harry Cooper Supply Co. - set out to prove history wrong, and the family business is now in its 101st year.

Cooper says it has survived a century because the brothers shared a desire to carry on the business their grandfather, Henry "Harry" Cooper Jr., founded in 1908 and their father, J.H.G. "Jack" Cooper, nurtured through the boom following World War II.

"That was the main reason. We just kept it and now we've got another generation, and John seems to want to do the same thing," the 83-year-old Cooper says of his nephew, co-owner John Cooper, 42.

The company has diversified from time to time, acquiring Springfield Flying Service, Independent Broadcasting Co. (KTTS radio and, later, KOLR TV), and other supply companies. While the family retains Springfield Flying Service - at the downtown airport - it no longer owns media companies or out-of-state supply houses.

Today, the focus is on Harry Cooper Supply and Joplin Supply, which sell plumbing and electrical parts and fixtures from Springfield, Branson and Joplin locations, says Jan Stahle, general manager in Branson.

Despite a changing market demographic, a faltering economy and the ever-present threat of competition, "I have no doubt that we'll ride it out," Stahle says.

Changing market

For decades, Harry Cooper Supply grappled with finding the right balance between being a supplier and making its products available to the public.

The problem, Stahle says, is attracting do-it-yourselfers to its showrooms without alienating professionals, who are the lifeblood of the company.

The problem was identified as early as 1978, when Harry Cooper Supply was named Wholesaler of the Year in the December issue of trade magazine Supply House Times. The magazine ran a number of articles about the company, including one headlined "An Honest Approach to Consumer Sales."

At that time, it was common for wholesalers to shun sales to the public, out of fear of angering contractors. But the Coopers didn't see an alternative.

"We cannot bury our heads in the sand and pretend that this do-it-yourself market doesn't exist," Cooper told the publication - before the explosion of Lowe's and Home Depot stores.

Stahle still views the mass merchandisers as a threat to Cooper Supply. To address that issue, Stahle says the company has considered bold moves, such as extending hours or perhaps opening a retail center somewhere. And always, it's looking for new products to carry, particularly those that are environmentally friendly.

To keep building trades clients - the majority of its business - Cooper Supply does very little advertising and keeps its prices low. He won't cite specifics, but Stahle says Cooper's profit margin is razor thin.

Bill Drussa, who's owned and operated Drussa Plumbing with wife Yvonne since 1990, says he has seen some resentment in his industry over Cooper's sales to the public. But "in order for Cooper to stay in business, I can see that they could not just rely on commercial (sales)," he says. "They're going to have to do a certain amount of through-the-door business."

Tim O'Connell, president and co-owner of AC Electrical Systems Inc., has been doing business with Cooper Supply since his company opened in 1993. Cooper Supply was one of the first places to extend credit to the new company, he says.

When Drussa decided to start his own business after 10 years working for his father's company, Bowman Drussa, securing credit was tough.

"I started basically from scratch, and they took a chance on me," Drussa says. "If they wouldn't have done that, I can safely say I wouldn't be in business today."

What's ahead?

Even with loyal customers, everyone suffers in a down economy, and Cooper Supply is no different. The downturn has led to layoffs, which Stahle describes as "gut-wrenching" but declines to disclose the number.

"Hopefully, we're done with them. That hurt," he says. "That really hurt John and Harry, because it's family. They truly treat us like family."

Cooper chalks it up to a deeper downturn in construction jobs than other recessions he's worked through, a fact echoed throughout the construction industry.

"Everybody now is in survival mode," Drussa adds. "We're luckier than a lot of people because we've got a few nice jobs ... even though we are down to about 50 percent of our staff. We do have a little work and are continuing to chug along."

When asked what the future holds for his company, Cooper laughs.

"To tell you the truth, at my somewhat advanced age, I'm not very worried about it," he says, noting that the future rests on the shoulders of his nephew, John.

Regardless of the challenges ahead, Stahle remains optimistic.

"One thing about our industry is in good or in bad times, you have to turn on the light switch to go to the bathroom, and that's what we sell," he says.[[In-content Ad]]