There have been countless changes to Mission’s Fraser Valley Building Supplies (FVBS) in 20 years.
What started out as a levelled, empty dirt lot, has seen a main structure added to five times, an expansion of the outside yard, its own delivery truck fleet, and new departments, such as agriculture.
But what hasn’t been altered is the company’s dedication to customer service and the community.
In what is still a family-run business by brothers Dave and Brad Nick, this Mission mainstay of home repair, construction materials and building advice has seen its staff double in two decades. Many people have worked at FVBS, but several remain on year after year, including general manager Dirk Weymann and Randy Thiessen, purchaser, who were both hired during construction of the business.
Crediting a solid business plan and a focus on serving its customers, the two men have seen the ups and downs of the industry, including the recent 2008 economic downturn. The company has weathered that storm and Weymann reports they are nearly back to ’08 levels.
FVBS does have corporate partners, Tim-Br-Mart, ACE and Benjamin Moore, and they’ve “never been afraid to try something new,” said Weymann.
A garden centre did not prove successful, but the agricultural centre has.
“We’re always looking for new opportunities,” he said.
And while growing the business is the goal of every successful venture, Thiessen said it’s their staff that make FVBS a great place in which to do business and work.
Many employees live and volunteer in Mission, and the company regularly contributes cash and in-kind donations — averaging $25,000 annually — to numerous groups and charities.
“It’s part of our corporate mandate. Mission is the extension of the family,” explained Weymann.
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, FVBS is hosting a celebration 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 9 that will include deals throughout the store, a petting zoo, bouncy castle, hourly specials and more. For further details, please see the eight-page flyer included in the June 7 edition of The Record.
Fraser Valley is located at 7072 Wren St.
