In business 27 years: G|amp|M Office Products thriving in competitive market

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Marge and Gordon Skordahl were probably ahead of their time when they opened G&M Office Products at 1731 N. Glenstone back in 1974. Other stores weren't discounting office products then, and they were.|ret||ret||tab|

Now, in 2001, stores all over Spring-field are competing with G&M and one another in discount office supplies.|ret||ret||tab|

The Skordahls' daughter, Charlotte, and her husband, Chuck Headley, took over the store 20 years ago. "They started the store on North Glenstone as a momandpop operation," Charlotte Headley said of her parents. "They were the only employees."|ret||ret||tab|

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Three stores|ret||ret||tab|

In addition to the main store on north Glenstone, the Headleys have another G&M store at 1904 S. Glenstone and a third store in Joplin. The three stores together employ 28 people. G&M does not sell office machines, but otherwise it sells a complete line of office supplies and furniture. "We're the largest stocking dealer for Hon manufacturer, a company that makes office furniture," Headley said. "The demand for office furniture continues to grow."|ret||ret||tab|

She said that the main G&M store receives mostly mail and fax orders, the south side store gets mostly walk-ins, and the Joplin office sees a combination of phone and fax orders and walk-ins.|ret||ret||tab|

The Headleys said customer service is how the independently owned stores have survived 27 years and continue to compete successfully with larger discount chains. "Service is the most important thing," Chuck Headley said. "The goal is to provide quality products and knowledge, and we also tell our employees over and over again that it's important to provide service."|ret||ret||tab|

Charlotte Headley added, "We have customers who started with (the company) 27 years ago. We know a lot of our customers on a first-name basis. We know their families and their personal lives, and not just Chuck and I, but our employees know them too."|ret||ret||tab|

The Headleys give their employees a great deal of credit for G&M's success. "We've got quite a few employees who've been with us a long time, which is unusual for this business," Charlotte Headley said. "Scott Briggs, our buyer, has been with us 22 years." |ret||ret||tab|

Chuck Headley added, "The biggest challenge is having good employees. The impression a customer has of G&M is the impression they get from the employees."|ret||ret||tab|

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Clients|ret||ret||tab|

The Headleys sell to corporations, home business owners and "everything in-between" in Missouri and five surrounding states. Briggs, she said, watches pricing and "orders in large volume if it means getting our customers a better price. We order from the manufacturers direct. That's how we keep the pricing low; there's no wholesaler between us."|ret||ret||tab|

She said the stores were prepared for the recent downturn in the economy. "Even if the economy is changing a little, we have such a diversified client base. We supply manufacturers, hospitals and small businesses."|ret||ret||tab|

G&M recently hired Mary Martin, a commercial interior designer registered with the state of Missouri and certified by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification. Martin's job is to go to customers' locations to assess their needs and make recommendations as to whether those needs can best be met by systems or case goods. "We recommend the layout, and we can make recommendations for color, storage and the amount of space," she said.|ret||ret||tab|

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Systems|ret||ret||tab|

Martin said that case goods are usually items such as desks or file cabinets that can be placed individually into a workspace. "With systems," she said, "you can have walls, work surfaces, storage below or storage above, and lighting. They're usually connected in a system, and it can all vary according to the client's work requirements." She added, "You can add to systems, reconfigure them, expand as the business grows, or make them smaller."|ret||ret||tab|

There is no charge to the client for the service, Charlotte Headley said. She added that by the end of the year, G&M also will offer online ordering. |ret||ret||tab|

The Headleys plan to remodel all three stores. "We want to change the look of the inside and outside of the North Glenstone store," Charlotte Headley said. This will include painting the exterior of the store and putting up new signage. They also are considering changing the exterior of the Joplin store and the interior of the South Glenstone location.|ret||ret||tab|

"I think we've done a good job for the community," Charlotte Headley said. "We have people come in here who are starting up their business, and they're very budget conscious and we work with them and help them out. Then six months, eight months later they come in again and we work with them again." |ret||ret||tab|

Chuck Headley added, "We've seen some who started with us grow into very large companies." He summed up the company's basic approach to business: "G&M over the years is not going for the one-time sale, but for the repeat business over and over and over. If you take care of them, they'll come back."[[In-content Ad]]