Couple the tight production schedules on a fast-track project like The Glen with the inconvenience to a contractor of trying to hold inventory on-site, and one quickly understands why the cycle of order taking, order fulfillment, and deliveries is endless.

"We probably make 3,000 deliveries a year to Alright," Mike says. "If just one percent of those deliveries is backordered, that's 30, or an average of two a month. Well, a customer will leave you over two bad orders a month -- that's the reality of it.

So, not only are our salespeople in constant communication with their customers, but every salesperson looks at every invoice from each of their customers. I also look at them all to make sure we have the inventory levels we need to fill those orders."

Where inventory management becomes inventory magic is when the customer needs things even he had not anticipated. Here again, MCA has proven its mettle time and again.

"There have been a lot of times when MCA has bailed us out of a jam," Jim admits. "Just yesterday we needed some thermal blankets right away. We called and they ran them out to the site immediately. There have been a number of times when they have taken care of us like that."

"One time we were working on a single family home and I discovered I had under ordered rebar," Martin adds. "I called Mike and he delivered exactly what we needed to the site within an hour. That's the kind of service that gets our business and keeps it."

To Jim, Martin, Mike and everyone on both companies' teams, consistent service is the name of the game. Without it, there can be no foundation on which to build relationships. Reliable, consistent service over time, supported by relationships, is the basis of customer loyalty.

"Loyalty is made of all those things," Jim says. "It's quality, it's standing behind their material, and delivering in a timely manner. The personal relationship with the distributor isn't number one on our list, but if you get along with your supplier, and there's a personal relationship there, it helps out a lot." CD