Yaun Company
Yaun Company
240 Chestnut Street,
Liberty NY
Tel: 845-292-6400
2008 is Yaun Company's 85th Anniversary. I would like to share with you some of our history.
The company was founded on the drive and abilities of our founder R.D. Yaun. Mr. Yaun pioneered a new technology "oil burning equipment" in his starting years and built his business on superior service and customer satisfaction. In those days, it was not an easy task, as oil burners were not as trouble free as those of today. Many hours, sometimes days, were spent on the set up and trouble shooting of these new systems.
This new technology was not broadly accepted either. In the railroad towns, his customers were threatened with bodily harm or loss of jobs if "one of those contraptions" was installed. Remember their main income was from the transporting of coal. The railroads weren't above the use of threats to keep things as they were.
Over the years, the company grew and more people were added to the payroll. In 1960, R.H. "Rich" Yaun assumed the President's post and a change in the method of management styles took place. R.H. realized that if the company was to continue to grow, it would not be by his efforts and style alone, but it would have to be a team effort. He knew the success of the company would be based on its ability to develop and train its personnel from the inside. Opportunity for advancement would be given to those who produced and got the job done. His job was to train and develop his people.
These ideas were not accepted readily by customers then, either. Customers who were able to do business on a personal basis with the owners of other supply houses felt that he was ignoring them or did not want their business. These were hard years for him, as customers were prompt to point out weaknesses of his people and compare his service and philosophy to those of the competition. Yet the company grew and surpassed in size the very competition by whom it was measured.
In 1980 "Rich" Yaun retired from the management of Yaun Company after surgery and left the company in the hands of Richard H. Yaun Jr., Alan Willi, and Dan Yaun. In 1986 this management team opened its first branch in Albany, NY. Alan Willi was the Branch Manager. In 1988 Rick Yaun was named CEO and Alan Willi was named President of Yaun Company. In August of 1999 the third location was opened in New Paltz, NY with Ray Lukas as branch manager. The new branch reflects the confidence in the future of Yaun Company and the wholesale supply business serving the plumbing, electrical and HVAC trades.
New Opportunities:
For Yaun Company to continue as a valid company it is important for Management to Identify the next generation of Company Management. To that end in December of 2003 a decision was made to begin a management and ownership succession program. Tom Zweck and Burt Robertson, longtime employees and key managers, have been selected for a stock purchase program that would allow them to eventually become the "Next Generation" of ownership. Other valued and key employees may be given similar opportunities as this program develops.
Looking back, the reasons for Yaun Company's success are:
1. Management's ability to provide opportunity for people.
2. Staffing of personnel who want to grow personally.
3. The ability of the staff to meet the needs and service requirements of its customers better than the competition.
4. A dedication to our company motto: "Service is our business". We try in all things to recognize that our customer is the reason for our existence and trying harder to meet the demands of our customer .
The company is the people who work here as part of the team. We all work together to provide our customers the goods and services they require. Our employees' efforts and responses to our customers' needs have enabled us to grow in the past and will help us in the future.
Copyright © 2002-2008 - Yaun Company Inc.
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