Dealers Wholesale

Dealers Wholesale (DW) is central Indiana’s largest supplier of pre-hung doors and pre-built fireplaces. Mike Roache, COO of DW, has been with the company for four decades. “My first job out of college was with this company,” Roache explains. The business runs out of a single location in Indianapolis where DW supplies contractors with commercial, multi-family and home building supplies, which include: doors, door hardware, window treatments, toilet accessories, fireplaces and other miscellaneous specialty items.

“What sets us apart is our personal attention to customers,” says Roache. The company, which employs around 50 people, takes advantage of its size to build lasting professional relationships with each client. DW is a distributor and an installation company, and Roache says, “We don’t subcontract anything, we install everything we sell.” The company’s staff has years of experience and works with clients to choose products for style and durability. Product familiarity guarantees that DW provides proper installation of the entire product offering, ensuring long term durability.

DW purchased its largest fireplace competitor, the Metro Indianapolis division of Fireside Hearth & Home, in January 2008. Fireside Hearth and Home is part of Hearth & Home Technologies, which is a division of HNI Corporation. Hearth & Home Technologies is the leader in the hearth industry. “Purchasing the company enabled us to service more local and national builders in the market,” says Roache.

The company is continuing to better itself. With the market and economy in a slump, DW took advantage of the opportunity to invest in a $2 million remodel of the company’s manufacturing facilities. DW added new door manufacturing equipment, stream lined the company’s process and plant layout and even improved the work environment for employees. The addition equipment and new layout has enabled the team to increase door production at 80 percent, which is a critical part of strengthening DW’s ability to capitalize on large volume orders from the multi-family sector. Regardless of the market sector, DW is well positioned for continued growth in any, or all, of the markets that the team serves.

Superior Selection

DW offers high-end brand names as well as custom designs for homes and businesses. The company’s catalog includes high-end brands like: Masonite, Ingersoll-Rand, Security and Safety, Schlage and Stanley Security Solutions for commercial and residential doors. DW offers a wide range of Heatilator & Heat-N-Glo, gas and wood burning fireplaces and pellet woodstoves for new construction or retrofits as well. The team also offers a complete line of stone, brick, marble and granite to finish each fireplace project in its entirety. In addition, the company offers toilet accessories and partitions from suppliers such as Bradley, Bobrick, Accurate / ASI and General Partitions.

The company’s architectural hardware consultants guide customers through choosing the right doors and hardware for either a home or office. DW eases the process of buying and installation by writing door and hardware specifications, scheduling fabrication, offering timely delivery and installation as well as providing final warranty information on all the company’s its products.

The company has provided quality installations for a number of regional projects, including high rise office buildings, shopping malls, state correctional facilities, churches, schools, housing projects and more. Most of DW’s projects are in-state, but Roache says the company’s geographic footprint has extended out of state. “We’ve done projects in Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, Florida, Texas, Tennessee… we go where business takes us.” Many of these out of state clients have become regulars, relying on DW’s standards of service for value and expedience.

Building a Local Landmark

The company’s variety of offers has allowed DW to be part of many notable projects. DW is currently involved with the largest ongoing construction project in the city of Indianapolis. “We’re supplying all of the doors and hardware for a project called City Way,” Roache elaborates. “It’s going to be a hotel-retail-apartment development.” City Way is part of an economic development initiative put forth by the city.

Buckingham Companies is the contractor on the project, which has drawn praise for its community planning-focused design. Amenities include: a Dolce Hotel, which has world-class amenities designed to attract long-distance businesspeople, as well as a new YMCA to benefit surrounding neighborhoods with wellness and community programs. In the end, the building will boast 40,000 square feet of space for retailers and 320 upscale apartments.

City Way is slated to make a huge community impact, providing an economic boost and a revival of the arts in the city’s southeast quadrant. The city proposes to use this project as a draw for new families with the close-by amenities along Indianapolis’ Cultural Trail. YMCA programs are slated to build sense of community and the project is working through proposals to promote local, public art.

DW has sailed through the recession by sticking to what it does best. “We haven’t had to make any tough decisions,” explains Roache. “We haven’t had any layoffs; in fact, we’ve hired nine new people in this year.” The future, he says, is looking good. “We just have the right people in the right place at our company,” Roache continues. His talented staff has built a trend of sustained growth, and Roache says he may be looking to expand. “We want to grow our residential, multi-family and commercial departments,” he elaborates. “We’re considering additional locations.” Cincinnati is a possibility, but Roache says nothing is set in stone so far.

The company continues to stand out, having some of the best product selections and the best service in the industry. Experience and commitment to customer service have made DW the leader in central Indiana. If the company continues in the same direction, the team at Dealers Wholesale may just take over the Midwest.