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YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Warmer weather brings the urge to go outside and sit on the back deck.
It’s also peak season for deck maintenance or creating a new outdoor living space.
For nearly 100 years, Banner Supply Co. Inc. of Youngstown has been the locally owned destination where Mahoning Valley contractors and do-it-yourself homeowners have gone to find exactly what they need for their outdoor projects.
Mike Mrakovich, salesman, says whether you have an older wooden deck that needs some care or are interested in constructing one from new composite and vinyl options, Banner Supply has materials and a list of supplies to get the project done right.
In decking, Banner Supply stocks both TimberTech and Trex products in a variety of colors and shades to match any home’s decor and style. PVC composite materials can be cooler on the feet and long lasting without as much maintenance as a traditional wooden deck.
But Banner Supply also carries all the cleaners to get winter grime off the surfaces as well as seals and deck stains to make a wooden deck summer ready.
Vinyl railings and accessories, like solar powered post caps, as well as aluminum railings for the cable wires that provide a less obstructed view are all available.
Mrakovich says people come in every day with questions about getting started on new outdoor decking materials or other projects at their home.
“It’s a nonstop evolution,” Mrakovich says of how products change. “And we’re very appreciative of the business that gets directed our way.”
A local company that evolved from offering furnaces and furnace equipment, Banner Supply has products for anything on the exterior of a home and a few things for the indoors, as well. Roofing, siding, windows, doors, railings and decking materials are all readily available.
“We pride ourselves in that we do a little bit of everything, so we try to be as diverse as we can,” Mrakovich says.
Banner Supply offers high quality fiberglass and steel exterior doors from national reputable companies like Therma-Tru and a local company building doors in Sugar Creek, Ohio.
While the construction of new homes has been slow, Banner Supply is seeing contractors building developments, especially in Columbiana, Poland and Canfield. Additionally, Banner Supply has been seeing a lot of people doing renovations, investing in their home to bring it up to date, make it more comfortable and increase its value.
While 95% of its business is contractor based, Mrakovich says the company never turns anyone away. And often the contractors send the homeowners to Banner Supply to pick out the materials for the project.
“We walk them through the process, color selections, products and working out the budgetary numbers and so forth,” Mrakovich says, adding sometimes there are too many colors to choose from.
Richie Abel, a descendant of the company’s founder, says for homeowners, finding out what color and what price they are comfortable with is important before the project begins.
Additionally, Aimee Hoschar, Banner Supply’s marketing coordinator, notes many of the products are available on the company’s website and the showroom is full of samples of materials and colors with subtle shading differences.
“We’re happy to provide examples of completed local projects so homeowners can view shingle and siding colors and styles in person,” Hoschar says.
Mrakovich notes there’s a hue for everybody’s taste – earth tones, dark tans, browns and grays. What is popular from a color perspective this year may change in five years. He notes white remains the top seller.
“White never goes out of style,” Mrakovich says.
Banner Supply also has checklists of the items needed to complete a project, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting the rail caps, the fasteners or having enough brackets to hang gutters.
“We have checklists and we can run down them and just make sure they have everything top to bottom,” Mrakovich says.
Banner Supply also has the dumpsters for cleaning up the worksite and getting rid of the old deck after the new one is added.
And while there is a large selection of inventory of everything in stock housed across more than half a million square feet in several buildings, Banner Supply can special order additional products with deliveries coming twice weekly from certain vendors.
“We have it realistically within a two-week turnaround,” Mrakovich says. “The planning process can happen, materials can get ordered and if it’s not here, we get it.”
Banner Supply has five locations, including the main location at 103 E. Indianola Ave., Youngstown. However, contractors in Brook Park near Cleveland, Warren, Akron and Greensburg, Pa., can find local access to materials and parts for their next project.
The Greensburg, Pa., location recently expanded out of necessity. Abel says that branch first opened as a temporary location when Pittsburgh area contractors needed to make exterior housing repairs following a large hail storm.
But the location became so popular with local contractors that Banner Supply decided to stay and expand it.
Banner Supply employs about 100 people company-wide, especially in the summer months when college students are hired to work. Many are part of the family or employees who have worked there for decades and seem like part of the family.
The company is proud of the relationships it has built with contractors and homeowners in the area.
“We pride ourselves in being homegrown,” Mrakovich says. “One thing here is the relationships. If somebody were to walk in at the counter, they know Richie [Abel]. They know every guy at the counter. I think people like the hometown effect, where it’s not corporate America.”
Abel says one gentleman who came in regularly recently died at 95 years old and remembered doing business with Abel’s great grandfather.
“We take great pride in the relationships we’ve built over the years,” Mrakovich says. “It makes a difference. People buy from people. It’s not always about pricing. It’s just treating people the right way and being open and you don’t get that anywhere else.”
