LaSalle Bristol LP
LaSalle Bristol LP, based in Elkhart, Ind., is comprised of three operating units – BPC Mfg., Air Systems and LaSalle Bristol Distribution – serving the North American factory built housing and recreational vehicle industries from 22 strategically located manufacturing and distribution facilities. Merged in 1996 from the former LaSalle Deitch, Bristol Products (Bristol Trailer) and Sunrise Pipe & Supply companies, LaSalle Bristol has more than 60 years of service in these industries.
While it can be challenging to do two things at once, particularly in the manufacture and distribution of products, LaSalle Bristol excels at both. Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing Rick Corry says LaSalle Bristol sells to virtually every producer of system-built housing and recreational vehicles. “We’re aligned with our customers’ sales management teams and design committees to source or develop the products needed to help them drive sales and grow market share,” he says.
Molding the Best
BPC Mfg. is the injection molding and assembly company for LaSalle Bristol. Located in Plymouth, Ind., it has been molding and assembling the best RV and Marine faucet, the proprietary branded Utopia, for more than 30 years. In addition to faucets, BPC also produces such products as lavatory bowls, utility showers, termination valves and drain fittings, making them the largest supplier of plumbing products to LaSalle Bristol Distribution.
Outside of the LaSalle Bristol family, BPC also serves a variety of OEM and aftermarket customers involved in such diverse markets as automotive and industrial air handling equipment. BPC Mfg. is proud of its ISO-9002 certification, achieved in 1996, and continues its high standard of excellence today.
Fresh Air
LaSalle Air Systems provides a complete HVAC line of both fiberglass and aluminum duct products for the factory built housing and RV industries. In 1996, LaSalle Air Systems added a fully automated progressive die stamping operation that produced sheet metal fittings and register boxes to the site-built industry throughout Texas.
Air Systems was able to use its in-house expertise and duplicate the progressive die stamping process at the Florida operations and now serves the factory built housing industry with this same technology. The ProDuct Metals division serves site-built customers, as well as being a regional hub for Air Systems factory built manufactured products in that region.
Today, LaSalle Air Systems, headquartered in Lakeland, Fla., is an industry leader in HVAC component systems for both the factory built housing and recreational vehicle industries. In 2008, Air Systems developed and began marketing a brand-named product for its grilles and registers called Force Flow products.
This proprietary product allowed Air Systems to grow business and gain market share while providing customers with quality, recognizable products for today and for the future. LaSalle Air Systems continually works with fiberglass duct board industry leaders to introduce a new product technology. “We believe these new products will set the standard for the industry going forward, and will be a vital part of sales growth,” Corry says.
In addition, LaSalle Bristol provides clients with engineering design services – which, Corry says, many of their competitors do not deliver. “Many of them just provide the parts and pieces as opposed to a system approach,” Corry adds.
A Perfect Solution
LaSalle Bristol Distribution is a market leader in the distribution of quality items, providing just-in-time delivery to the industries it serves with an unrivalled family of branded flooring products, building products, plumbing materials and decorative items, including Congoleum, Aquatics, Rheem, Bathware, Delta Faucets, ClosetMaid and Oetiker, just to name a few.
“There is something to be said about the phrase ‘perfect storm’ being used too often, but the phrase ‘perfect solution’ is not used enough,” Oetiker I&T Sales Director Brian Milek says. “With LaSalle Bristol’s reputation for supplying the system-built housing and recreational vehicle market with quality solutions for over 50 years, we at Oetiker are honored to be part of that value proposition.
“It is always great to be on the right side of the soon-to-come upswing in the RV/[mobile homes] market,” he adds. “More importantly, it is fantastic to already be experiencing the uptick. With the hard work and efforts of the team at LaSalle Bristol, we at Oetiker are seeing our ‘growth’ on a magnitude of six times what experts would consider good.”
Customer-Driven
“Our philosophy is customer-driven, focusing on customer service and product quality first time, on time, every time,” Corry says. Management also searches for new products.
To keep customers updated on their offerings, top managers partner with decision makers at product reviews, design sessions, industry shows or LaSalle’s design showroom.
Staying Ahead
LaSalle Bristol plans for continued expansion into new markets and products, Corry explains. “We’re very focused on our core markets, but are always looking at additional opportunities,” he says. mt