General Builders_3_16_2016_001

how this four-location building Supply Company has been competing against the retail giants for 85 years

by Jessica Jones-Gorman • Photos By Robert Nuzzie

Founded in Cranford, NJ, by the Shaheen family in 1931 as a retail outlet for a general line of building materials, Builders’ General Supply Company has been a source of quality products and service to industry professionals and homeowners for the past 85 years. And as the four-generation family-owned business continues to supply materials for residential projects and major commercial developments, it’s safe to say it has created a concrete legacy in the Garden State.

“Our great grandfather started the business, selling building materials to builders, contractors, and homeowners,” noted TJ Shaheen, one of the business’s current owners. “Today we have four locations in New Jersey and are proud to maintain relationships with over 3,000 general contractors and home builders. In the company’s earliest years, Victor Shaheen aggressively solicited new business and products and developed a modern and well established chain of building material yards with a reputation for quality.”

Today, the third and fourth generation of the Shaheen family, Tim, Phil, Mary, Betsy, TJ, Michael, Phil Jr., and Brian, are working together to provide a more diversified product line for contractors and homeowners.

“We are all proud to have enlarged our footprint while adding state-of-the-art showrooms, new trucks, and salespeople, while actively seeking the latest in building materials,” Shaheen said.

The firm now operates a fleet of over 60 vehicles and employs more than 150 people. Its four locations (Little Silver, Edison, Toms River, and Freehold) enable Builders’ General to serve customers over the entire state of New Jersey, as well as New York and Pennsylvania.

BK WINDOW SPREAD

“We supply materials for complete or minor renovations, offering everything homeowners, builders, designers, and architects need—from the foundation to the roof,” Shaheen said. “Lumber, windows, doors, cabinetry, millwork and trim, decking, and more.”

In addition to showroom space, each location also features a retail center and staffed lumber yard for drive-thru pick-up, where employees help customers load their trucks. Free delivery to home or job sites is also available.

“The customer experience here is not like big box stores,” Shaheen said, explaining that customers can expect a “discovery period” during their initial consultation, when they will review choices for their construction or remodel based on budget and desire.

“Thanks to the availability of home improvement apps, directories, and other technology, homeowners now have more of a say of what they want in their homes,” Shaheen said. “They are now more involved in the decision- making process, which is why we find it important to keep our showrooms current, stocking all of the latest trends and allowing people to touch and view different styles before they make an investment. Our showrooms feature the major and trusted name brand manufacturers in lumber, decking, windows, and doors, as well as good, better, and best cabinetry for all sorts of living spaces and budgets.”

And while white cabinets and French country kitchens with old-fashioned wood butcher block countertops are currently trending, Shaheen said that one of the industry’s biggest developments is an increased focus on cabinetry for all living spaces, including outdoor.

Among the business’s featured offerings for spring is an array of deck materials from Trex, which since 1996 has pioneered and defined the composite deck category with its lineup of low-maintenance, high-performance, ecofriendly products. Created using an innovative blend of 95% recycled wood and plastic film and using among the most sustainable manufacturing processes in the country (including reclaiming factory waste and eliminating the use of harmful chemicals), it offers the beauty of wood decking, but not the maintenance.

When it comes to other outdoor structures, such as railings, pergolas, and fencing, another featured maker is New Jersey’s own Phoenix Manufacturing, Inc., a family owned and operated railing, pergola, arbors, fencing, and other outdoor products company based in Ocean Township.

The power to put these projects together comes courtesy of makers like Festool, another featured brand for Builders’ Supply. Based in Wendlingen, Germany, the company has an almost mythic reputation for durability—and an Industry staff favorite is its line of power drills. Their pistol grips and compact form factor allow for working easily in tight spaces, and snap-on chucks (straight, right-angle, and eccentric) offer quick-change versatility.

“Decks are, of course, a staple of the season, and outdoor kitchens are popular now, too, so we carry materials that will hold up to the elements. We are ready for your summer projects,” Shaheen said with a grin.

Builders’ General Supply Company
15 Sycamore Ave, Little Silver / 800.570.7227
1177 Inman Ave, Edison / 888.757.6600
222 Throckmorton Street, Freehold / 888.863.9600
893 Highway 37 West, Toms River / 888.473.0303
buildersgeneral.com