Over its 78 year in business, Miami, Florida-based Lehman Pipe & Supply has shifted from “working for a sense of security, to working for a sense of purpose,” as CEO Josh Aberman puts it. From a hardware store supplier built from the ground up in 1946 by Julian and Betty Lehman, to an international distribution powerhouse covering 13 vertical markets, Lehman Pipe & Supply is no stranger to honest, hard work.
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According to owner and second-generation leader, Dennis Lehman, the company never sought out to be bigger. “We never strive to be bigger. We understand that bigger doesn’t make you better, but being better, could make you bigger,” he says. “We have always focused on being the best at what we do while adhering to the highest level of integrity.”
Today, Lehman Pipe & Supply has three Domestic Branches serving the PHCP-PVF multi-family residential, commercial and industrial markets in Florida and two satellite operations to help service Central and South America and The Caribbean. With plans to open an Orlando location is 2025, Aberman says Florida is just a starting point; he sees growth throughout the Southeastern U.S.
“Both the geographic and market sector expansions we’ve achieved are born out of customer need,” Aberman explains. “We’ll have a customer expanding their operations and asking us is we can be there for them. It was never our intention to become a multinational/multi-branch operation, but in order to better service our customers, we had to open up new facilities.”
Ron Stauffer, vice president of international sales, spearheaded Lehman’s international expansion about 25 years ago, but company’s brick and mortar international locations opened in 2021.
“In order for us to continue to grow we needed to diversify. By expanding our international presence, we’ve been able to enter new geographies and penetrate new markets,” Stauffer says. “Being in other countries also gives us the opportunity to increase the value we provide to our manufacturer and vendor partners.”
In addition to expanding throughout Florida and the Southeastern U.S., Aberman adds that Lehman’s goal is to have a handful of brick and mortar locations servicing Central America, the Northern Andean region of South America and The Caribbean.
Capital partnership
With growing customer demand and such ambitious growth plans, Lehman Pipe & Supply made a huge structural change this year. In September, the company announced it had entered a strategic partnership with Rotunda Capital Partners.
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According to Aberman, the time for this strategic partnership couldn’t have been better. “We knew that for us to continue to expand, we needed to bring in a business partner that would not only offer financial resources but also help improve our already successful and scalable platform. This decision was based on our desire to continue to grow and offer continued opportunities to our employees and the markets we service. Rotunda not only has an incredible track record of partnering with business like ours, but they also share the same values, cultures and goals, that have helped make us what we are today.”
Rotunda Capital Partners invested in Lehman’s management team, providing them with a solid financial backing to remain strong and penetrate new markets. According to Aberman, this partnership has injected a new excitement and desire for the business to grow. “We’ve aligned with a partner who not only understands the industry, but also shares the commitment to providing unparalleled value and service to customers.”
With so much acquisition happening throughout the PHCP-PVF supply chain, Aberman says Lehman Pipe & Supply is fortunate to have an owner that thought about his people first. “When you’re in a position where someone wants to sell or exit the business, it’s really easy to call a strategic and be gone tomorrow.”
However, Dennis Lehman wanted the Lehman name to continue and for the business to stay true to its longtime core values as well as the high standard of service the company is known for.
“Staying true to our core values as well as honest hard work have gotten us to where we are today,” Aberman says. “But when we think about the nature of our business as well as what it will take to bring us to the next level we knew that we need to partner with people who have done this before and who understand how to scale businesses to the levels we desire to achieve.”
Aberman explains Rotunda Capital Partners has been phenomenal to deal with and says, “Their goal is to understand and support. They believe that we are the experts in our trade and their goal is to help.”
“We are a process driven company that has been successful for a very, very long time,” he adds. “Now with some additional funding and resources, where can't we go?”
Servant leaders
Mutual respect and a high code of ethics are two things that drive Lehman Pipe & Supply’s company culture. The leadership team is passionate about investing in its employees and simply treating each other right.
“At every one of our branches you will see our culture in everything we do,” Aberman says. “We promote a positive work environment and that extends to the way we treat our employees and the way we expect our customers to treat our employees. There is nothing in the company that myself, Dennis, Mara, Ron or Alex won’t do. Nothing is beneath us — whether it’s working in the warehouse or cleaning a bathroom, if it needs to be done, we’ll do it, and I think that work ethic sets the standard for how we operate.”
Aberman says the goal every day is to lead by example. “This management team is comprised of servant leaders,” he says. “There isn’t anything we as leaders won’t do to serve the employees or the business. We are proud to say our employees don’t work for us, we work for our employees.”
Jorge Moran, inside salesmen, says the culture is collaborative. “Our culture is team oriented, and it starts from our great management team,” he says. “It’s a culture that respects personal time and offers flexibility when needed while prioritizing personal and professional development, learning and advancement.”
According to TJ Bavota, Ft. Meyers branch manager, despite Lehman’s expansion and new locations, the culture remains a close-knit, family-owned business atmosphere.
“This family-oriented approach extends to every interaction with our customers and employees. Being readily available to support our team and clients makes a world of difference,” Bavota says. “Customers seek out businesses that provide outstanding service and ease their tasks, while employees thrive in an environment that feels more like a community than just a workplace. The Lehman family has earned a reputation as the go-to supply house that consistently delivers results.”
Able to offer a unique inside and outside perspective on the culture and focus on customer service, Pompano Branch Manager Simon Dumont was a customer of Lehman Pipe & Supply before joining the business 14 years ago.
“As a customer, I was always impressed by the reliability and excellence of our products, but it’s the behind-the-scenes aspects that truly set us apart. The infectious family culture here is something I’ve grown to deeply appreciate. It creates an environment where collaboration and mutual support thrive, making it easier to tackle challenges and celebrate victories together,” Dumont says. “Our growth from a strong but smaller company to a significant player in the industry is remarkable. We’ve faced numerous hurdles along the way, economic downturns, industry shifts and operational challenges but each time, our dedicated team has turned these obstacles into opportunities for improvement and innovation.”
Alex Cosio, vice president of domestic sales says an important aspect of the culture is that, “even though Dennis has been our boss from when we all started here until recently, we’ve never worked for Dennis, we work for the customer.”
Cosio adds that the people at Lehman Pipe & Supply are always willing to take the extra step. “We put immense emphasis on the customer experience,” he says. “We want to make life easy for them. The great people we have here are constantly working to problem solve and find alternative solutions.”
One of the ways Lehman Pipe & Supply makes customers’ lives easier is by offering 24/7 service. According to Dennis Lehman, this too was born out of necessity.
“For years I was available to come in and take care of emergencies no matter what time it was,” he says. “It got to the point where so many customers needed us around the clock; we had to make sure that each branch is on call to handle emergencies, deliveries, pickups, etc. anytime of day or night.”
The company averages about 300 emergencies, or after hours service calls, a year. “It’s been a phenomenal resource for our customers.”
Several of Lehman’s customers point to the company’s commitment to available inventory as a standout quality. “The Lehman team is passionately focused on serving our mutual customers every day through an unwavering commitment in inventory, quality, and service,” says John Laballarte, president of Milwaukee Valve. “As a result, Lehman Pipe is a formidable wholesale distributor of PVF products within the markets they serve. The foundation of our relationship is based upon several key factors: leadership, respect, trust, commitment, communication, and great associates.”
Dan Marjama, president of Kerney & Associates, a retrofit contractor customer says life would be a lot harder without having Lehman as a partner. “First and foremost, they have just about everything I need in stock. As a retrofit contractor that is huge. If they don’t have it, they will find it even if that means they won’t get to sell it,” Marjama says. “They also open up at any time for us to get emergency materials and help keep my customers satisfied. They are definitely part of our continuing success.”
Forty-eight yearlong contractor customer Robbi Macklin says you don’t often see companies with ownership as involved as Lehman Pipe & Supply. “Lehman provides us with a high standard of service for our everyday operations as well as emergency services. You don't find companies that ownership is directly involved with your project success, and I believe this makes them standout.”
Forward thinking
Although Lehman Pipe & Supply takes pride in its rich family history, the company is always forward thinking. “For anybody to think that what you did 20 years ago is going to work moving forward is a problem,” Aberman says.
Lehman Pipe & Supply has long been invested in ASA and its buying group, AD. According to Aberman, being an AD member is vital to the company’s success. “Buying groups today aren’t just about rebates,” he says. “AD is truly a business development group. The things they do to help improve independent distribution is really what's allowing us to separate ourselves from the pack.”
Aberman adds that it’s key to not only educate employees, but people outside of the independent distribution space about the value that it brings. “For Example, AD created The Center for Independent Distribution Leadership to help us prepare our future leaders for the opportunities and challenges they will face as they continue to personally grow and develop in our Industry.”
Lehman’s forward-thinking nature it prominent company-wide, as employees know they have the opportunity to constantly learn and grow.
“I’m extremely proud that the company has grown to become a driving force in the marketplace while still keeping our family, employee-first mentality,” Cosio says. “We have a platform where employees can excel and advance their careers, which is important to the future of our business.”
Stauffer says he’s proud to have been friends with the Lehman family for decades. “I’ve known Dennis over 30 years and Josh over 20,” he says. “Throughout the decades we have certainly had our disagreements, but we’ve always been able to work through it, put things aside for the betterment of the business, and remain friends.”
Aberman says he is humbled to see where the business is today. “While we are very proud to be where we are, we are humbled by it; none of us would have expected the business to be where it is today,” he says. “Our goal was to always work hard and get better, the byproduct of that is what you see today.”
