I've been a customer of Walter Andersen Nursery since I moved to San Diego in the early 80's.  The service has always been great and I've benefitted from their advice on many occasions.  My neighbor just bought some trees that are just not going to work in the application he has them in.  I said, "I know you didn't get them at Andersen's" and he couldn't figure out how I knew.  The price isn't cheaper when you have to do it twice!

My wife and I have two Pomeranians and one, Duke, was attacked by a coyote late at night while I was out of town.  My wife brought Duke to the emergency facility nearest to our home in Escondido and they attempted to stabilize him.  The next day the veterinarians recommended surgery or euthanizing Duke, and indicated that he was in too grave condition to be moved to Dr. Marvil's office, which was our preference.  I phoned Dr. Marvil for his advice; Dr. Marvil interrupted his lunch and offered to call his contacts for references on the surgeon available to operate on Duke.  After checking references and speaking to the surgeon personally, Dr. Marvil let me know that the surgeons qualifications were in order, which was a great relief to us.  Unfortunately, Duke didn't make it but Shay and I greatly appreciate the effort of Dr. Marvil to help us.  Thanks Dr. Marvil.

Eric Schweinfurter | CEO | Apex Contracting & Restoration, Inc.

Office: 619.255.3022 | Fax: 619.255.1003 | Cell: 619.339.2767 |

Over 100 Years of Office Furniture Dealership Experience

Jim Herr has been President and owner of Parron Hall since the late 1980's.   His family's history in the industry, however, stretches back into the nineteenth century to the Amish country of Pennsylvania.

L B Herr and Sons was founded in Lancaster, PA in the 1880s by Jim's great grandfather. During the course of its history, LB Herr and Sons sold office furniture, stationery, books, printing and music.

Jim Herr's father, LB Herr III, under the tutelage of his father, learned the office furniture business at LB Herr and Sons. In the early 1960s, these two generations of Herrs brought their knowledge to Parron Hall, which was already a well established office furniture dealer in San Diego having been founded in 1947. 

Jim Herr joined Parron Hall out of college in 1978, having graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Utah in Finance.  In 1988, with four generations and over 100 years of family experience, he took over from his father.

He has steered the company through two recessions and grown the company from $7 million in sales to over $30 million in sales, and along the way it has become one of the largest office furniture dealers in the market.

Jim Herr, president of Parron Hall Office

Interiors in San Diego, doesn't take long to

reflect when asked to identify the reasons

for his company's success. "Longevity and

consistency," responds Herr. Longevity and

consistency in staff, clients, and the manufacturers

it represents. Makes sense considering

the company has been around for

61 years.

Parron Hall has 51 employees with an

average tenure of 11 years. Average tenure

on the sales side is a bit longer-12 years-

and nearly 15 years for employees who

work in its distribution department.

"In terms of tenured sales staff, we bring real

expertise to the table that often puts us at a

competitive advantage," maintains Herr.

"There's a complexity to this industry that

everybody on the contract side recognizes

and the way we dealt with that was to

really do all the things necessary to keep

our staff consistent. Our management

team has almost 15 years' average tenure

and that's been key as well."

One reason why people like working for

Parron Hall is the confidence they have in

management. "We have a very elastic cost

structure that means we don't have to lay

off employees during a downturn," explains

Herr.

The company smartly handles major

installation projects by outsourcing those

functions as necessary. "Not being in that

cycle of staffing up and laying off, we're

viewed by our people as a stable place to

work," says Herr.

A cash-incentive bonus plan rewards employees

at the end of the year and the

company contributes to employee's 401k's.

In 2006, a peak year for the company,

Parron Hall paid out $270,000 in cash

incentives and 401k contributions.

"When you put up that kind of money,

you're saying, ‘You're an important part of

the team and you are what's made this

great year possible,'" says Herr. "I think that

speaks volumes and gives people loyalty

so that when times aren't so good, they're

committed to being part of the team that's

going to make it a better day."

Herr has been with the company for the

past 30 years. Although Parron Hall has

some significant tenure in the market, it

wasn't always the market leader it is today.

What's changed? To start with, 12 years

ago, the company became a Knoll dealer.

Thanks to the Knoll line Parron Hall's

government business is growing like crazy,

Herr reports. This year he expects government

accounts to make up 20-25% of

overall business.

Education and healthcare are also two key

verticals and two of the area's largest

healthcare clients are among Parron Hall's

five largest clients. Speaking of longevity,

Herr, then in college, was delivering furniture

to those very same healthcare clients

more than 30 years ago.

While consistency is the hallmark of

Parron Hall, the ability to evolve with the

industry and the market remains instrumental

to its longevity. And after 30 years,

Herr still loves it.

"I just enjoy the strategic and marketing

sides of the company," says Herr. "From

adding architectural products, to classroom

furniture, to becoming a Knoll dealer,

getting into the government market...

doing all those things and seeing them

successful over time has been very satisfying

to me, as are all the great people I've

worked with for so many years."

MAY 2008 INDEPENDENT DEALER PAGE 9

Employees: 51

Revenues: $26.3 million

In business since: 1947

Web: www.parronhall.com

Parron Hall Office Interiors:

A Model of

Consistency

Our compressor went down, so I emailed Larry at Copper Electric, explained the problem and told them it was not an emergency.  The next day I got an email saying that they were coming today, another sying Mike was enroute.  I went to tell my shop man that Mike was on the way and he said Mike was here, assessed the problem, got the parts, made the repairs and showed me how to fix it next time and is long gone!

I'm impressed!

Bob Eugley - Mirror Shower & Glass