There are 13 businesses that have been BBB Accredited since 1963.  As the Better Business Bureau celebrates 50 years of serving Southeast Texas in 2013, we will feature one of our charter Accredited Businesses each mont in the e-Torch Report.

Coburn Supply Company

“The purpose of the company is  to  provide  opportunity  and  security for it’s people.” – Albert Coburn, Founder

Born and raised in New Orleans, Albert J. Coburn was an entrepreneur – a man who saw opportunity and went after it with nerve, imagination and persuasiveness. He believed in fair play, hard work, and reward for a job well done. Most of all, Albert Coburn had a strong commitment to his family and his faith. This would be the biggest influence on not only his career, but on the lives of those who have come to work at Coburn Supply Company.

Nicknamed "Tiny" in spite of his 6'5" stature, Albert began his career as a plumbing and heating contractor, following the installation of municipal water systems to the west along Highway 90. Seeing the opportunities created by the growing petrochemical industry, Albert moved to Beaumont in the mid 1920s and set up shop. After a slow start, his business thrived until the stock market crash of 1929.

In 1931, Houston plumbing distributor Fisher-Meek opened a branch in downtown  Beaumont.  Albert  became manager of the store. When the company decided to close the operation in 1934, Albert asked to buy the material on consignment. Fisher Meek agreed and Albert Coburn embarked on his second career – plumbing supply distributor. It was then, Coburn Supply Company was born.

The Early Years

FACILITIES OPENED IN THE 1930s: Beaumont, TX and Lafayette-Downtown, LA

IN 1936, Albert Coburn’s nephew, Arthur J. Maloney, moved from New Orleans to Beaumont to work for Coburn Supply. His first job with the company was to establish credit with manufacturers and vendors to buy material.

In 1937, Jim Hayes joined the company as a truck driver. He moved with Arthur Maloney to open a second location in Lafayette. Jim had a long career with the company becoming president of Coburn’s of Beaumont, senior vice president of Coburn Supply Co., Inc., and vice chairman of the board.

The Forties: The War Years

FACILITIES OPENED IN THE 1940s: Lafayette-Downtown, LA and Lake Charles, LA

A new Lafeyette store on W. Third Street was opened in 1946. Arthur Maloney ran the business. Later Arthur’s brother James came to work in this Lafayette location which is still in operation today. In 1947, the Lake Charles store was opened and managed by Roy Breaux.

Lucille  Maloney  began  her career in the Beaumont office in 1948 as bookkeeper and office manager and became the first corporate secretary of Coburn Supply. When she married Joe Serio, she retired.

World War II

• The Lafayette store closed in 1941 because of World War II. Meanwhile, business in Southeast Texas was booming and the Beaumont store needed more space. Seizing the opportunity to turn a negative into a positive, Coburn’s dismantled the Lafayette store piece by piece, shipped the materials to Beaumont via rail car, and built the store at 990 Bowie.

• Arthur Maloney went off to serve in the Navy and Jim Hayes moved back to Beaumont to work in the shipyards at the Port of Beaumont.

The Fifties: Suburban Expansion

FACILITIES OPENED IN THE 1950s: Baton Rouge-North Street, LA; Beaumont-Service Office, TX; Groves, TX; and Houma, LA

This was the era of suburban expansion for Coburn Supply. Now an established plumbing and heating supplier, Coburn Supply sold Day and Night water heaters, panel ray heaters, and wall furnaces. By 1955, sales included central heating and HVAC. In the early 50s, Balcom Supply in Baton Rouge was acquired from Charlie and Lonnie Balcom. Charlie Balcom moved to Beaumont, where he served for the rest of his life on the Coburn Supply Company Executive Committee as Vice President- Treasurer. James Maloney moved to Baton Rouge to begin working at the Baton Rouge location.

As a growing company, the importance of central purchasing became apparent. So in 1953, the Beaumont location transitioned to a Service Office and the sales location was opened across the street.  The role of the Service Office was to lighten the administrative duties of the sales offices and to provide purchasing, credit management, advertising, and disbursements.

Keeping Our Cool. In the early 50s, Coburn’s sent trucks to the Chicago area to pick up fixtures from a major plumbing supplier. To make the trip cost-efficient, the vehicles would bring loads of yams from Louisiana to the Chicago produce market. The trucks would then re-load with plumbing supplies for the return trip. 

The Sixties: Continued Growth and Development

FACILITIES OPENED IN THE 1960s: Longview, TX; Lufkin, TX; Morgan City, LA; New Iberia, LA; Opelousas, LA; and Tyler, TX

Coburn Supply developed a plan for growth which resulted in six store openings in the 1960s. Manufacturing innovations fueled showroom growth. Consumers could now choose from a wide selection of fixtures in a variety of finishes and colors.

Taking advantage of the new era of technology, Coburn’s purchased it’s first computer which consisted of a NCR Punch Card System with a paper tape archive.  To purchase and install the new system, the company spent over $200,000. The monetary equivalent today would be $1.5 million.

As one of the first companies in the industry to use the NCR system, Coburn’s began a scientific and technological approach to reviewing products and purchasing in volume.

In  the  early  years,  the  Coburn’s  family  of managers and employees would gather for an annual meeting in Beaumont, Texas. Following the good food, speeches and dancing, a special event would occur... if the company had a profitable year – and it has happened every year thus far – each employee received a profit sharing check equal to a percentage of his or her annual wage. It was not a retirement plan, but a true distribution – in cash – to employees.

The Seventies: Decade of Transition

FACILITIES OPENED IN THE 1970s: Baton Rouge-Airline, LA; Galveston, TX; Hammond, LA; Huntsville, TX; Jasper, TX; Lafayette-South, LA; and Thibodaux, LA

Calamity  struck  the  company  in  1975 when an electrical fire heavily damaged the Beaumont Service Office building and it’s contents – including the computer system.  Luckily, another local business had the same equipment and Coburn’s was able to use their NCR machine to prepare invoices.

IN 1973, Charlie Balcom passed away. As Vice President of the company, he was part of the Coburn’s Executive Committee that Albert Coburn called “The Boys.”  After Charlie’s death, Edna Mae Jones became secretary/treasurer and was part of the executive team. Lucille Serio returned to work at Coburn Supply after her husband, Joe, passed away. She was in charge of the Coburn Blue Books, a customer pricing service. The Service Center moved to the Century Tower on 550 Fannin Street in Beaumont.

Founder and Chairman of Coburn Supply, Inc., Albert J. Coburn passed away in 1976. In his mid 80s, he considered himself virtually retired since the early 1970s. After his death, no one was appointed to the position of Chairman. Arthur Maloney, who had been president of Coburn Supply, Inc., since the 1950s, assumed leadership of the company.

In 1977, Arthur Maloney created the Silver Club to recognize employees with 25 years of service to Coburn Supply. Members of this illustrious group meet each year and celebrate at a special gathering in their honor.

The Eighties: Working Together

FACILITIES OPENED IN THE 1980s: Alexandria, LA; Beaumont-Showroom, TX; DeRidder, LA; Eunice, LA; Eunice-Distribution Center, LA; Lafayette-A/C, LA; Lafayette-HVAC, LA; New Iberia-HVAC, LA; Pineville, LA; and Ruston, LA

COBURN’S experienced strong growth throughout the 70s and into the early part of the 80s. When the economy began to slow in 1984, Coburn’s saw sales decline for the first time – down almost 50% in one year in plumbing alone.

Needing to find ways to expand in a shrinking market, Coburn’s acquired Cagle Supply Co. in Lafayette. Purchase of this HVAC distributor marked the company’s first multi-branch acquisition with stores in Lafayette and New Iberia. This was Coburn’s first step in becoming the nationally ranked HVAC distributor we are today.

After an extended illness, Coburn’s president Arthur Maloney passed away in January 1984 – the same year the company celebrated its 50th Anniversary. Arthur was one of the first employees of Coburn’s and was instrumental in the company’s growth.

After Arthur’s death, James Maloney accepted the job as president, and later, chairman of the board.

In  1986, Coburn’s embarked on the largest multi-branch acquisition for the company when it acquired the four branch stores of American Supply in Central and North Louisiana.

Centralized Distribution

Consolidated purchasing enabled Coburn’s to sustain growth during the economic slowdown of the 80s and position itself for the 90s. Full truck orders gave the company more competitive terms.  The larger branches were designated as product centers and served as distribution hubs. This set the stage for the Distribution Centers that are in operation today.

The Nineties: Changing Competitive Landscape

FACILITIES OPENED IN THE 1990s: Denham Springs, LA; Denham Springs-Credit Office, LA; Jasper-Distribution Center, TX; Liberty, TX; Shreveport/Bossier City-Showroom, LA; and West Monroe, LA

Consolidation in the industry began to heat up with national distributors growing at a faster and faster pace. In a move to thrive in an increasingly competitive environment, Coburn’s became a founding member of Embassy Group, Ltd., which quickly became one of the largest and most respected wholesale buying groups in the industry.

In 1992, Coburn’s continued to innovate by converting all locations to Point of Sale computer terminals. This was the first time the branches utilized a centralized computer system and ended hand ticket writing. The entire process of conversion to the POS system was complete in 18 months.

With  the  addition  of  central  warehouses and distribution, Coburn's began a Vendor Committee in 1996 to help consolidate and steer group purchases.  This key group was the foundation of our General Management Team.  Coordination of the purchases again allowed the company to streamline costs and meet the demands of the marketplace.

The launch of Coburn’s Website in 1999 provided convenience and increased efficiency by allowing customers to check stock, order materials, and pay bills online.

2000 to the present: Consolidation

FACILITIES OPENED IN THE 2000s: Abita Springs, LA; Harvey, LA; Athens, TX; Hattiesburg, MS; Baton Rouge-Choctaw, LA; Houston-A/C, TX; Baytown, TX; Houston-Gardendale, TX; Bossier City, LA; Jackson, MS; Conroe, TX; Jackson-Dist. Center, MS; Conroe-HVAC, TX; Lafayette Waterworks, LA; Eunice-Pipe Dist. Center, LA; Laurel, MS; Friendswood, TX; Natchitoches, LA; Galveston-A/C, TX; Memphis, TN; Gulfport, MS; Memphis-South, TN; Hammond-Showroom, LA; Memphis-Showroom, TN; Harahan, LA; and Slidell, LA

Since the 1950s, Coburn Supply, Inc., had consisted of separate corporations with separate management and stockholders. To increase overall efficiency and to facilitate growth, in 2001 the separate entities were consolidated into a single corporation.

This move to consolidation positioned Coburn’s for the extensive growth it has experienced this decade and allowed for a singular company focus with everyone working together.

In 2003, James Maloney, chairman of Coburn Supply Company, Inc., passed away.

The third generation of Albert’s “Boys” took leadership responsibilities when Don and A.J. Maloney – Albert Coburn’s great nephews and Arthur Maloney’s sons – took over leadership of the company.

THE LESSONS OF THE HURRICANES

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 taught us lessons in contingency planning for emergencies. After these two weather events, Coburn’s created a redundant site in Longview, Texas, and a company-wide evacuation protocol to ensure the Coburn’s stores not affected by disaster could continue business as usual.

In 2008, Hurricane Gustav heavily damaged the Coburn’s Thibodaux store, collapsing the roof on the showroom. The Alexandria, Louisiana, branch was severely flooded.

When Hurricane Ike made landfall over Galveston Island just 12 days later, it destroyed the Coburn Galveston plumbing office. Operating with generator power, Coburn’s was one of the first plumbing and A/C distributors to reopen on Galveston Island after the storm.

The Future: Moving Forward

ALBERT COBURN, ARTHUR MALONEY, JAMES MALONEY, and all those who came before left us quite a legacy. That legacy is multi-faceted, but can be powerfully stated: we must commit ourselves to excellence everyday. And so we strive each day to better serve our customers and find ways to add value to their experience with us. Coburn’s seeks relationships with quality vendors and innovative manufacturers to provide exceptional products. Our company embraces change in the marketplace so that we are positioned for success, no matter the challenge. Most importantly, Coburn’s never forgets the value of the individual. The men and women who work with us have made a significant contribution to our organization. We consider each employee to be a member of the Coburn’s family.

Don Maloney and Patrick Maloney at the 16th Annual BBB Torch Award Banquet on May 7, 2013.