Recent Move Propels Ridley’s Vacuum & Janitorial Supply To Exciting Future

By Harrell Kerkhoff, Maintenance Sales News Editor

Ridley’s Vice President Guy Cordell Jr., and his wife, President Vanessa Cordell, are shown in the company’s new showroom. (Photo courtesy of Ridley’s)

There are many aspects to growing a successful business over time, not the least of which is developing a solid company plan and finding a core group of employees willing to go above and beyond what it takes to help customers succeed. As the late James Cash Penney, founder of JCPenney, is quoted as saying a very long time ago: “Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together.”

Such forces have been in play since the very beginning at what today is known as Ridley’s Vacuum & Janitorial Supply, located in Houston, TX, with the company’s roots dating to 1961. Ridley’s remains an independent and family owned/operated distributorship, selling a variety of cleaning equipment and supplies, and servicing such clients as schools, governments, healthcare facilities, building service contractors, churches, industrial plants, and commercial buildings.

“Our focus within such segments involves everything that has to do with janitorial supplies, equipment, and repair services,” Ridley’s Vice President Guy Cordell Jr. said, during a recent interview. “Our main focus, however, is centered on customer service — being able to answer when customers call and providing them with access to our retail store and showroom. We now offer all such capabilities under one roof.”

Indeed, it was recently announced that Ridley’s opened a new showroom at 2819 Berkely Street in Houston, effective Jan. 8, 2025.

“This move marks a new chapter for the company, providing an enhanced experience for customers by streamlining operations and offering a more convenient location for all services,” according to the company’s press release when the announcement was made. “With this action, the company’s Reveille Street showroom and warehouse closes, and all will-call orders are now available exclusively at Ridley’s larger Berkely Street distribution facility. A major objective of the move is for our customers to experience a single, efficient location.”

The Berkely Street facility features an expanded showroom designed to enhance the customer experience in the following ways:

• More Product Displays — The larger showroom space allows the company to showcase a wider range of cleaning equipment, supplies, and tools, giving customers more options to explore and choose from.
• Dedicated Demo Area — A special demonstration area has been created where customers can see cleaning equipment in action, try out products firsthand, and receive expert guidance.
• Interactive Experience — Customers can now compare products more easily and make informed decisions with the support of Ridley’s knowledgeable staff.

Benefits of the new location also include:

• Convenience — Centralized location for both showroom and warehouse needs.
• Expanded Inventory Access — Improved product availability with more space to stock essential items.
• Enhanced Service — Streamlined operations and better communication between staff for faster responses.
• Hands-On Experience —The demo area empowers customers to find the right solutions for their cleaning challenges.
• Equipment Service and Repair —An onsite repair facility ensures cleaning equipment stays in peak condition. From routine maintenance to complex repairs, skilled technicians are equipped to minimizing downtime and extend the life of equipment.
• Training and Innovation Center —Ridley’s new Knowledge Lab allows the company to host educational sessions, product demonstrations, and hands-on workshops to help customers and their teams get the most out of their cleaning equipment and supplies.

“Our new Berkely Street location has been a game-changer for Ridley’s and our customers,” Cordell Jr. said. “With an expanded showroom, large, dedicated demo area, and Knowledge Lab, we’re providing an experience that goes beyond just purchasing — it’s about helping customers find the right tools to achieve the results they want.”

Ridley’s originally purchased its 144,000-square-foot facility on Berkely Street in 2021 to help the company better streamline its overall processes.

“At the time, our retail showroom was about two miles away on Reveille Street, where we’ve been since 1961. Now, our new 8,000-square-foot retail showroom area is in the same building as our distribution center, which is great,” Cordell Jr. said. “It’s all part of providing customers with a better buying experience.”

When asked what advice he can give other company officials who are thinking of relocating a facility after decades in one place, Cordell Jr. stated it’s essential to develop a good plan and rely on valuable team members to help carry out such a plan.

“There are a lot of people within our company who can be counted on and have the best interest of our business at heart,” Cordell Jr. said. “It helps to have good people involved in operations and sales, which we do.”

Cordell Jr. also credited Ridley’s marketing director Jim Keough, who has been with the distributorship for the past six-plus months.

“I have been impressed with the ‘can do spirt’ since starting at Ridley’s,” Keough said. “Everybody’s willing to go the extra mile for customers. That includes our sales and customer service teams. Those are people who not only understand the products we sell, including all features and benefits, but also help our customers achieve the results they are looking for as not all facilities require the same type of cleaning.

“For example, the cleaning requirements of a health care facility are different in many ways to the cleaning requirements of a small restaurant — yet each place has specific requirements in place that need to be met. As a jan/san distributor, it’s therefore important to listen to customers and help them get their desired results. I have found that is what continually takes place at Ridley’s. It’s what helps separate our company from many of our competitors.”

Cordell Jr. added there is a lot to know when it comes to selling various types of chemicals, paper products, floor equipment and everything else that is needed to keep an away-from-home facility properly cleaned and healthy.

“A lot of training is involved to get our people up to speed on the various products and systems that we offer to our customer base,” he explained. “It helps to work with our suppliers in that process. We see those suppliers as our true partners. They help us go into various markets and provide the right answers and training for our customers. It all goes hand-in-hand.

“The goal is to sell the right product with the right application within the right segment. We can’t service the customer without the help of our suppliers. It takes an effort of both a distributor and manufacturer to keep a customer satisfied. We partner with many companies to bring innovative training classes to our customers. For example, we just finished a five-day licensed mold remediation class in our new Knowledge center. We can train up to 75 people simultaneously at our facility. Another function of our training is helping our customers when they hire new people. We are there to help when it comes to the best ways to clean various parts of a facility such as restrooms, floors, etc. We can train people both at our facility and at the location of our customers.”

Ridley’s also relies on its manufacturer suppliers to provide the distributorship with innovative products and solutions. The goal is to better enhance the overall operations of end-user customers, often involving increased productivity and sustainability capabilities.

“Innovation is very important and what we, at Ridley’s, are known for within the industry. We bring such innovation to our customers,” Keough said. “As an independent distributor, we take the time to work with our customers and show them how to use new products, such as robotic floor equipment.”

Cordell Jr. added: “We’re always looking for ways to make it easier and more efficient for our customers to maintain a facility. Working with good suppliers who bring innovation to market is key for our own success as a distributor.”

That includes helping customers with their questions and desires to use greater sustainable practices and/or more green-friendly products.

“We have seen such demands differ between various market segments. It seems clients involved in the education field are more interested than small business owners,” Keough said. “We do carry a full line of ‘green’ products that includes chemicals and paper/tissue. We also provide floor equipment that uses less water to clean. It all starts with customer conversations — focusing on what their sustainability goals are for the future.”

Another strong focus at Ridley’s is providing an equipment maintenance and repair service, helping ensure the equipment used by clients remains in top shape, while minimizing downtime and extending the life of their investments.

“We service all makes, styles and brands. It involves employing seven equipment service technicians — two who conduct repairs and maintenance at customer facilities from our fully stocked work vans, and five technicians who conduct such work at our own facility,” Cordell Jr. said. “We routinely work on all types of equipment — from small vacuums to large hydraulic propane industrial floor cleaners.”

Big Country

It’s often said, “Everything is Bigger in Texas.” Indeed, if something is not bigger in Texas, it’s usually a close second. For example, the Lone Star State has the second largest population and second largest land area among the 50 states. It also has some very large cities and surrounding metropolitan areas, including three which are in Ridley’s main service area — Houston, Austin and Dallas.

“We cover most of Texas; however, our main region is those three cities and everything in-between. There are strategic lanes in place at Ridley’s for different parts of the state,” Cordell Jr. said. “It involves employing hard working drivers who help us cover such a large service region. For example, we have drivers who leave Houston at 4 a.m. to head to Dallas, which is 240 miles away. Our fleet involves 11 delivery trucks. We will do our best to go wherever the customer takes us.”

That includes next day delivery in the large Houston Metro area if an order is received by 3 p.m. the previous day. Cordell Jr. said shorter lead times are very much in demand when it comes to today’s new buyers and their needs.

“It’s no secret that more people expect an order to arrive the next day. Within our industry, that is especially important for building service contractors,” Cordell Jr. said. “We work hard to help our customers who have certain challenges when it comes to work planning and high labor turnover rates. Part of that is meeting their product needs in a very timely manner.”

To help, representatives at Ridley’s depend on its warehouse that utilizes a modern management and barcoding system.

“We have made significant investments over the years in inventory management. It’s helped us reduce stockouts and overstocking issues as well as being more efficient with space utilization,” Keough said. “The end result is a continual increase in inventory turns, which adds to our profitability.”

Along with a large and growing population base, Keough said there is another good reason to conduct business in Texas.

“Both Houston and Texas overall are very pro-business. That has definitely benefited and helped Ridley’s grow,” Keough explained. “Obviously, the oil/energy and aerospace sectors have been huge in Texas for a long time, but the state has also diversified into healthcare and other industries. It’s also more affordable to live here compared to many parts of the country.”

Similar to other family-owned companies that have grown over the years, Ridley’s started small and focused on a specific need — vacuum sales and service.

“The origin of our company actually dates to 1959 when it was started by Bob Ridley. My father, Guy Cordell Sr., purchased the business in 1961 and originally ran it as a vacuum retail store,” Cordell Jr. said. “Over time, the business model changed and eventually we entered the jan/san distribution field.”

Like many family-run operations, Cordell Jr. started early in life in the business, such as learning how to repair vacuums with his father at a young age.

“I would come in on the weekends to work on vacuums, stock shelves, and do other miscellaneous tasks. Over time I learned all aspects of the company,” Guy Jr. said. “I went straight into the business full time after graduating from high school and developed a passion for sales and finding ways to bring innovation and excitement to our customers. I also learned how to train our service technicians, salespeople and office staff.

“I married Vanessa Cordell in 2009, who then proceeded to enter this industry with a skillset that involved managing our business to a higher level. In 2012, Vanessa and I became owners of the company, with Vanessa holding the title of president. My father is also still involved.”

Opportunities Through Change

A main objective of any successful company is to keep up with the times — something not lost on Ridley’s management. For example, the distributorship has introduced a new website and implemented a digital marketing program for the future.

Cordell Jr. and Keough also spoke on how Ridley’s is taking advantage of the ever-changing jan/san marketplace.

“Consolidation is having an impact on our industry, providing opportunities for independent distribution to step in. It’s given our company an edge to capture new business,” Cordell Jr. said. “It helps that we can provide our strong knowledge, training and customer service capabilities to both current and potential customers.”

Keough added: “Ridley’s is a classic multi-generational independent company. That affords us a flexibility not often seen today. Also, many bigger companies keep raising their shipping minimums and purchasing requirements. We don’t do that. We’re a lot more flexible, which gives us an edge to capture new business.”

That is not to say that challenges for the company will disappear in the future. One key challenge that has been felt for over the past 5 to 10 years at most businesses involves finding and retaining quality employees.

“We have been blessed with many longtime and loyal employees who go above and beyond what is required. The challenge moving forward, however, continues to be hiring great people and putting them in the right places to help our company grow in the years ahead,” Cordell Jr. said. “The good thing about the jan/san distribution business is that it’s very consistent. People will always need our products such as toilet paper, hand towels and soap. If the COVID pandemic taught us anything, it’s the importance of properly maintaining a facility for both cleanliness and health. Jan/san distributors play a key role in making that happen.

“It’s our job, as a distribution company, to help members of younger generations understand how important this type of business is, and that it can provide a great living. Really, that should be a key focus for the entire jan/san industry.”

Keough agreed, adding: “Personally, I’ve been in the industry for over 30 years. It’s been a true blessing, providing me and my family with a great way of life. A big key to the future is attracting members of the younger generation. It’s important to let them know that we — as an industry — are leading the way when it comes to providing more sustainable and hygienic products and systems.”

Another change within the cleaning industry that should help attract younger people relates to advances in technology. With the advent of modern robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), new materials and chemistry, and the growing need to clean not only for appearance — but more importantly — for health and safety, today’s cleaning world is facing changes like never seen before and will need members of the younger generation to help lead the way.

“The need for significant investment in new technology will continue throughout the industry, including at Ridley’s,” Keough said. “Such investment has already taken place here and has been greatly received by our customers. That will continue.”

Visit ridleysonline.com.