Industrial News

"This store is a sleeper, but it is waking up," said Paranzino, 35, a Youngstown area resident and partner in North Lima-based Paranzino Brothers Auctioneers, the nation's largest building materials auction company. "The changes we are planning will make Bernard-Daniels a popular choice among contractors and do-it-yourselfers. This is an excellent opportunity, and we are very excited about capitalizing on it."

Paranzino is purchasing the store, located in Canfield, a Youngstown suburb, from Paul Daniels, grandson of the late Ben W. Bernard, who had opened the store in Youngstown in 1918. Terms of the purchase will not be disclosed. The store has 12 employees, including Paranzino. Annual sales of the business exceed $6 million. The business includes 103,000 square feet under roof and more than five acres of property.

Paranzino said he plans to conduct auctions regularly at the site, to sell excess inventory and give local customers greater access to the store's enhanced buying power. Paranzino Brothers Auctioneers, established in 1999, has relationships with more than 400 retailers and distributors that sell new, quality products in overstock quantities in closeout transactions. The first auction at Bernard-Daniels is scheduled for Saturday.

In addition to regular auctions, Paranzino is making these changes:

• More emphasis on the Andersen Windows business, as Bernard-Daniels is the largest Andersen Windows dealer in the Youngstown area. "This used to be the largest Andersen Windows dealer in Ohio, but that business has been allowed to slip, and we will reverse that," Paranzino said. "The Andersen business will get more emphasis in our advertising and in our direct relationships with distributors and contractors."

• A larger inventory of closeout merchandise. "Although the national chains are known for low prices, we are buying large volumes of quality items at closeout prices that push our prices considerably lower than what you'll see in many national chain stores," Paranzino said. “We look forward to provoking curiosity among our customers about what closeout sale they’ll see on their next visit.”

Customers can expect to see “Wise Buy” signs in the store that denote closeout buys, he said.

“This is an exciting time to be in the lumber and home improvement business,” Paranzino said. “Although the national chains have changed the business forever over the past decade, they are not invincible by any means. We look forward to capitalizing on our strengths.”