Guam Business Magazine

We offer on-site loading of lumber and building materials for customers, and we'll begin selling aggregate this spring. We'll be able to load aggregate by the truck load or by the bag. How do you ensure your employees are knowledgeable on various construction and home maintenance topics? We regularly host training sessions put on by product manufacturers and vendors. We also support our employees undergoing training and certification online. Hardware store sales can be unpredictable. How do you manage inventory in light of this? Inventory management can be tricky here. Ocean shipping can take anywhere from three to eight weeks, for example, and not everything can be delivered via air freight. Sometimes, this means we're overstocked on certain items but can also be out of others when there's an emergency. Fortunately, our [co-operative] partner, Do It Best Corp., places a high premium on efficient and responsive logistics. That helps us minimize situations in which we are either over- or under-stocked. What are the other challenges in your line of business? Building materials are heavy, so logistics is very important to us - especially with the new [commercial vehicle weight limit requirements]. What does Guam Home Center do to remain competitive among other home and hardware stores? Internally, we invest in our people - our employees - and give them the tools they need in terms of technology and equipment. Externally, we focus on our customers. We talk with them regularly, understanding their ongoing needs and challenges so we are always well-positioned to help them succeed. What changes or new things from Guam Home Center can customers expect in 2017? We have a significant remodel and expansion of our store planned for 2017. We're excited to get started.