New York-based Irr Supply Centers is a “big” little company and a “little” big company all at the same time — at least that’s how Regional Manager Erik Knudson, who’s been with the company over 13 years, puts it.
“We are big enough to have excellent benefits and opportunities for our employees, but small enough to be a community that knows each other and works together,” he says. “Everyone at any level is accessible to help and support each other, and we give our employees training paths which will lead to future opportunities.”
This type of supportive culture is a significant reason why Irr Supply Centers is in its 160th year of business and onto its fifth generation of family leadership. The company has grown from a one-man operation called Irr & Son Supply built by Joseph Irr — also known as “The Practical Plumber,” back in his day — to a major Northeastern distribution player with 34 locations and 325 employees.
French immigrant, Joseph Irr founded plumbing service and supply business, Irr & Son Supply, in 1864. Throughout the early 1900s, the combo business was led by two more generations of Irr men — William G. Irr and Harold J. Irr subsequently. In 1958 William (Bill) Irr took hold of the company, and in 1960, Irr & Son Supply sold the contracting portion of its business to become a strictly wholesale-distribution company — Irr Supply.
Irr & Sons was founded in 1864 as a plumbing service and supply company.
The early Irr & Son’s team.
Bill Irr directed the company during the transition in 1960 and is the main driver of what Irr Supply is today. In 1975, Bill Irr Jr. joined the business as a fourth-generation family member. Irr Jr. He began working at the family business at 14 years old doing maintenance and sweeping warehouse floors, and now holds a director position in the company. In 1984 Mike Duffy (son-in-law and fourth-generation) joined the company and recently held the position of CEO. In the midst of COVID-19 madness, current company President and fifth generation leader, Patrick Duffy, took the reins, navigating rapid changes due to supply issues and the influx of new technology into PHCP-PVF business.
Family business model
While being a strong family business is important to the Irr family, according to Duffy, there has always been a “business-first” mindset.
“My grandfather’s model was that from 7:30-4:30 you’re an employee, not a family member,” he says. “Family members were never guaranteed anything. You had to perform; performance is how we’ve always chosen leaders. We’ve had people outside the family become CEOs and take management roles.”
Duffy says Irr Supply has held true to this business-first model throughout the years, which has helped make the best decisions for the company.
Irr Supply customer trip to Bermuda in 1967.
Irr Supply Customer trip on the Maiden Voyage for the DC9 jet to fly from Niagara Falls to Montego Bay, Jamaica.
“Our culture reflects that of a family business,” he explains. “We prioritize our employee’s families and operate under the ‘family-first’ model on the company side. But on the business side, we act as a business first, not a family business.”
Tenured employees at Irr Supply can easily vouch for the company’s positive and flexible culture. Rob Bounds, outside salesmen of 36 years, says management truly listens to the employees. “It’s evident that employees are the most important asset,” he says. “We have a team mentality where all employees are working toward the same goal; to service and support the trades as best we can.”
Mark March, regional manager, echoes Duffy’s point that the company prioritizes making the best decisions for the team and customers. “Employees are trusted to make the best decisions for their customers,” he says. “Although we are a large company with a sizable footprint in two states, each location operates with a rapid-response mentality and flexibility to take care of our customers that may have one employee or 200 employees.”
Speaking to the positive, family-first culture, Tim Holt, outside salesmen and 29-year-long employee says, “no one just leaves Irr Supply.”
“Irr has given me exactly what was promised in my initial interview — a large inventory of quality products surrounded by people who are experienced, caring and positive,” Holt says. “The foundation of this company has allowed me to raise and provide for my beautiful wife and three daughters. The corporate team has remained true to Bill Irr’s goal of servicing the customer while making employees feel like family. Everyone is fair but firm.”
According to Duffy, autonomy among team members is incredibly important to the business. “We know it’s better for the customer to get an immediate answer, rather than waiting on a message from a chain of command,” he explains. “We encourage our team — managers, frontline people, drivers, etc. — to make decisions. We empower and train our people to be able to do that.”
As the company has grown in numbers and geographic coverage, the leadership team has gotten creative to keep the autonomy and family-feel at the forefront.
“We’ve had to shift from the small, family business mindset to that of a larger entity,” Duffy says. “But it’s important for us to do it in a way that keeps that family feel and allows our team to be involved in decision-making.”
To do this, Irr Supply recently started holding Town Hall-style meetings where any and all employees are invited to come collaborate and engage, working toward the betterment of the business.
Service Starts Here
Equally as important as its business-first decision-making, Irr Supply’s mantra, “Service Starts Here,” has boasted strong throughout the decades.
Although the importance of customer service has always been at the forefront, according to Duffy, the company’s mission has evolved over the years. Irr Supply recently introduced a new mission statement: “Building Relationships that Build Businesses.”
“Customers today can buy anything from anywhere,” he says. “This mission statement helps reinforce our responsibility to invest in lasting relationships with our customers.”
Ryan Miller, president of T-Mark Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric, has been a customer of Irr Supply for more than 25 years. “Through the evolution of our business, Irr has showed up to support us with resources we need. Their strong focus on local warehouses allows for our team members to have very quick and efficient access to the equipment, parts and tools the techs need while in the field,” he says. “The leadership team works to make sure they are experts in their specific areas, and that degree of focus is a strength that can be felt at the customer level. I am thankful for the relationship with Irr, the friendships along the way, and the impact that working with their organization has had on the T-Mark team.”
Irr Supply recently invested in a 3,500 square foot in-house, hands-on training facility.
Roy’s Plumbing has been a customer of Irr Supply for more than 40 years. Owner Mike Dollendorf says Irr Supply has been a key component to his business’ success. “When we present a question or problem to the Irr team, they never say ‘no.’ They come up with innovative solutions to our problems — from increasing their product offerings to meet our needs, to helping us with inventory management recommendations. In addition to procurement and fulfillment enhancements, IRR is our most technologically advanced supplier that we work with,” he says.
With such a rich history in the industry, Irr Supply has seen the PHCP-PVF business evolve from virtually no technology to the technology-forward world we see today.
“Our goal is to continue to adapt to meet customer demands,” Duffy says. “The customer relationship doesn’t look like it used to; we have to incorporate text, emails, websites, etc. into the relationships today. Ultimately the businesses still comes down to a customer placing an order and us fulfilling that order, we just have to do it in different ways.”
Understanding that one prominent contractor need today is access to training, Irr Supply recently opened an approximately 3,500 square-foot training center at it central warehouse location. The space can house 110 people and features working products displays.
“With the workforce aging out and product technology always changing, contractors need more training than ever before,” Duffy explains. “So it’s become part of our value proposition to provide them with the training they need to best install and service the products they purchase from us.”
The Joseph Irr Store located at 19 Wadsworth street, Buffalo New York
160 years of success
Many companies don’t make it to the centennial milestone, let alone another 60 years. Irr Supply’s leadership team credits the company’s great people and the Irr family legacy for its long-term success.
Sandy Lew, human resource manager, says the team camaraderie extends through all of the locations. “We have great leaders at all of our locations,” she says. “And there is an element of teamwork that makes it easy for people from one location to call another with questions or needs. I’ve been here 10 years and it’s definitely the great people who have kept me here.”
Tony LePage, vice president, agrees, adding that the Irr team’s commitment to “Service Starts Here” and “Building Relationships that Build Businesses” is what makes the company successful.
“Our people truly understand why we are here and why our job is important,” he says. “Our customers know they can rely on us to do whatever needs to be done to help them — whether it’s fixing a problem or helping build their business or provide training.”
Duffy gives credit to the generations before him. “Their commitment to the business is what set the foundation for our success,” he says. “A lot of decisions were made that were what was best for the business, not necessarily the family, and the family members have always been accepting of that for the best interest of the business.”
The leadership team agrees that Irr Supply’s ability to evolve is a key factor to its success. The company is in the midst of a technology revamp as it launched a new ERP system early this year and is focused heavily on amplifying its e-Commerce platform and online footprint.
“I’m extremely proud to be a part of a company that has adapted so well over so many decades,” LePage says. “We’ve adapted internally to meet the needs of our people and externally to meet customer needs which has been a huge part of our success.”
Duffy takes pride in Irr Supply’s ability to provide strong and stable careers for so many people across New York State. “At the end of the day I don’t just feel responsible for myself, I feel a responsibility to provide a great place to work for the families that are involved with us,” he says. “We have a solid team that works collaboratively toward our shared goal of continued growth and success, which makes me proud every day.”
