Riverhead Building Supply

Growing Building Supply Company Expands To Serve Community

Operational flexibility achieved via Landmark^™ 2000 structural system.

Maximum Interior Flexibility: The Butler design removed 24 interior columns from the original plan.
60-Foot Bay Sizes: The longest bay sizes in the market help RBS store large, irregular products.
Three Weeks To 124,000 Square Feet Of Roof: Local labor moved through the roof system quickly to meet key project deadlines.

Housing Growth

Design Flexibility Fuels Operational Improvement

About 75 miles east of New York City, at the mouth of the Peconic River, lies a community of 33,000 people, aptly named Riverhead. It’s a community with a history that dates back to the 1700s, and one that Jesse Goodale II had strong pride in.

More than 60 years ago, Goodale chose this community for the home of Riverhead Building Supply (RBS), the residential construction supply business that he cofounded.

RBS became a favorite among area DIYers and residential contractors alike. Today, the business encompasses 11 locations across New York and Rhode Island, includes a robust distribution and manufacturing arm, and employs over 500 people.

What began humbly has grown into a local empire, and RBS recently found itself in need of a second distribution warehouse to keep up with its success.

With its wide distribution channel, RBS now delivers more products to customers than it sells in stores, requiring an efficient operation to maintain its reputation for quality and service. For a business selling many items that don’t fit neatly on pallets (such as 48-foot wood beams), efficient storage can be a challenge — the more flexible the distribution facility, the better.

When RBS set out to expand its central distribution center and build the second warehouse, the original thought was to copy the design of the first building, a 124,000-square-foot structure with 16 mainframes and 48 interior columns. However, when Radon Construction, the local Butler Builder^®, got involved, it became apparent the building design could be more efficient by opting for the Landmark^™ 2000 structural system from Butler Manufacturing^™.

This structural system helps minimize interior columns and uses open-web framing for maximum interior flexibility. The system provides the longest bay size on the market — 60 feet. This flexibility allowed Radon to share an alternative building design that eliminated eight mainframes and 24 interior columns — an updated design that RBS was quick to approve.

A frequent advantage of cutting down the number of columns is cost efficiency. Typically, designs with fewer columns require less steel and fewer labor hours when completing building installation. For this project, with its unique storage needs, the added interior flexibility was the primary benefit.

“By removing half of the columns in the building from the original design, we’re now able to more efficiently store and organize inventory in the building. The layout flexibility achieved by the Landmark 2000 structural system allows our operations to run more efficiently.”

Kevin Goodale, RBS

Along with the benefits the Landmark 2000 structural system offers, previous experience with a leased Butler^® building system constructed by Radon helped put Goodale’s mind at ease, knowing the quality they’d deliver.

With over 30 years in operation, Radon’s design-build expertise stood out to RBS. A long-standing Butler Builder, Radon has over 20 years of experience behind its knowledge of Butler products and efficient building processes.

“Working with Radon and being able to utilize the Landmark system was great. We had a tight time frame, and Radon was able to put multiple guys on the job to get us closed in as fast as possible.”

Kevin Goodale, RBS

A quick install was important to RBS to clear the way for subsequent contractors to complete the building and get it ready for operations.

Community Built

Jesse Goodale II, who passed away in 2014 at age 97, was a pillar of the town. He was known for rolling up his sleeves to ensure his community was well maintained. From groundskeeping at the local cemetery to picking up trash off the side of the street (and enlisting 250 volunteers to help), the elder Goodale was passionate about helping his community look its best.

Continuing with its co-founder’s legacy of community enrichment, RBS prefers working with local contractors whenever possible. So, members of the community helped Radon construct some of the facility. Despite working with an unfamiliar crew, Butler’s factory-punched building components help ensure it could be erected correctly, minimizing the need for on-site workarounds and contributing to construction efficiency.

As a Butler Builder, Radon brought the exclusive MR-24^® metal roof system to the project. This standing-seam roof system requires a proprietary installation process to achieve the Pittsburgh double-lock seam. This 180-degree seam connects the roof panels to virtually eliminate leaks. It’s the same seam used to seal soda cans and oil barrels. The erector team was able to move through all 124,000 square feet of roof in just three weeks.

“RBS pushed for speed, so we added manpower to make it happen. We brought in another erector and increased the size of the team installing the roof, which helped us wrap the install up on schedule.”

Craig Plansker, Radon Construction

Another interesting feature the new supply building offers is a row of clear panels just below the roofline that help draw in natural light. In conjunction with LED fixtures, these panels help reduce the amount of electricity needed to light the building. Beyond efficient lighting, Kevin Goodale is also looking into adding solar panels to the roof to help add energy back to the grid.

Efficiency Under One Roof

The new building allows RBS to consolidate and centralize its storage and distribution facilities into one location, which is more than twice the size of its current structure.

“The new building streamlines things for us and helps us fulfill orders more efficiently and quickly. Having everything in one spot greatly improves our level of service to the customer.”

Kevin Goodale, RBS

When it comes to advice for other owners looking to work with Butler, Goodale knows just where to start.

“Take the time to get the details right during the planning stage and involve your design-build contractors to ensure you end up with a building that maximizes return on your investment.”

Kevin Goodale, RBS

That statement was echoed by Radon Construction.

“We prefer to be involved as early in the design stage as possible. If the design starts before the design-build contractor gets involved, it becomes harder to take advantage of the efficiencies afforded by choosing Butler.”

Craig Plansker, Radon Construction

Butler Builder^®

Radon Construction Corp.
radonconstruction.com

Architect

Robert C. Tast, AIA