SupplyHouse.com Mixes Work and Pleasure

SupplyHouse.com, an industrial supply company, offers a “huge selection” of more than 180,000 products in more than 700,000 square feet of warehouse space, friendly customer service, and helpful resources such as videos and manuals. That may help keep the e-commerce company’s customers happy, but the company clearly works hard to keep its employees happy as well.

SupplyHouse.com’s secret sauce, if you can call it that, may be a company culture that serves employees as well as clients. The Melville-based business, which touts “Real people. Real service,” has long been employee focused and friendly, far before the pandemic made companies pay more attention to serving employees as well as clients. The supplier of plumbing, heating, HVAC and electrical products is known for being outsized when it comes to catering to employees.

CEO Josh Meyerowitz said a focus on his team “has helped to create a people-focused organization which has led to sustained growth and a strong working environment.”

In addition to things such as a casual dress code; dental and vision coverage; a free, 100 percent employer-sponsored medical coverage option; and matching up to 4 percent for 401(k) plans, SupplyHouse.com boasts of an almost Cheers-like culture where “everyone knows everyone.”

More than 25 explanations of reasons employees love the company included culture, people, care, and a team approach. In addition to its Long Island headquarters, SupplyHouse.com has a satellite office and distribution center in Reno, Nev., as well as distribution centers in Cranbury, N.J., Columbus, Ohio, and Farmers Branch, Texas.

One employee cited a “great work environment,” others singled out friendly people and events, while another said, “The culture is wonderful.”

“I feel supported by my peers and managers and that I could ask any question without being judged,” one employee said, while another added, “I really enjoy the people I work with and the culture of the company.”

Some tech companies developed business models focusing on technology, while not seeming to value workers as much. SupplyHouse.com, led by Meyerowitz, a graduate of NYU’s Stern School of Business, emphasizes being focused on people as well as product as an enlightened employer and e-commerce business.

“Many of our traditions, though slightly altered, remained in effect throughout the pandemic, including our Halloween costume contest, gift swap, health and wellness month, and core values weeks,” Julie Collins, a human resources manager, said. “We have always placed a strong emphasis on team building and working remotely was not going to make this any less of a priority.”

Although the pandemic hit all companies, SupplyHouse.com developed many employee-centric programs long before, seeking to make work a more fun place. Traditions include bagels and hot breakfasts on Wednesdays, pizza on Fridays, along with a “loaded kitchen” every day.

The company also has been pet- as well as people-friendly. “Dogs are a common sight around here,” the company says on its website. “We love our four-legged team members.”

SupplyHouse.com has hosted meetings or events complete with shooting basketballs, hitting golf balls, and other ways to have a good time. The company’s display of costumes on Halloween amounts to a miniparade.

The business, which offers a “collaborative and fun atmosphere,” clearly recognizes its employees as a community and has sought to engage with the community and causes.

“From cleaning up the grounds of treatment facilities to hosting events for charities and our mentorship program in our local school district, helping others is a substantial part of our journey,” its website states..

The company took part in the Long Island Cares annual School Supply Drive, collecting backpacks, notebooks, planners, crayons and more, and has hosted annual winter wonderlands for children, featuring games, prizes and other activities.

The company also seeks to raise awareness of breast and prostate cancer in October, with employees dressing in pink, and the entire company annually volunteers at Madonna Heights, a Queens-based program designed to help vulnerable young girls and families.

“Volunteers paint, garden and clean throughout the entire campus,” seeking to do good and do well, according to SupplyHouse.com’s website. “We are a team of passionate, creative problem solvers,” an employee on its website is quoted as saying. “Whether we are collaborating on our next project or on the softball field, at the end of the day, we are all working towards being our best selves.”