The staff of Egan Supply Company stays quite busy in the summer. That’s mostly because it’s the season when school is out of session and gymnasium floors aren’t being used. And if a school’s gymnasium floor is spending its summer vacation being redone, there’s an excellent chance that Egan Supply Company has something to do with it.
How does a company that offers customized janitorial supply solutions wind up in the gym floor refurbishing business? As with many small business success stories, it involved seizing opportunity when it arose. “Forty-five or 50 years ago, my grandfather was selling gym finishes to Catholic schools, and the maintenance guy who put it down retired. The nun who was running it said, ‘Can you put it down?’” explained Matt Egan, son of owner Jim Egan. “That year we did one; this year we’re going to do about 450 re-coats, which is about 3.5 million square feet.”
Matt said that everyone involved enjoys these gym floor projects because it’s fun to see them come together. The company is known for its quick and high-quality gym floors, and word spreads like wildfire among schools within districts. He said that word-of-mouth is likely their biggest form of marketing because a gym floor will open back up, the school will host an event, other schools within the district will attend, and the improved gym floor makes such an impression that Egan Supply Company’s phone is ringing the next day.
Of all the gym floors Egan Supply Company has redone, Matt said that Creighton Prep’s gym floor stands out as a fond memory. Most of the Egan men attended Creighton Prep, so they enjoyed doing work at their alma mater. But the main reason the job is such a distinct memory is because they had to drive a skid loader into the gym, but the only door it could fit through had just had the sidewalk replaced in front. “So we had to make the loader fly,” he laughed. “We rented the largest telescoping forklift in the country at the time, strapped the Bobcat to it, and shot it into the building.”
The Egans are no strangers to providing creative solutions to challenging problems, but a flying skid loader certainly makes for a memorable project.
Matt’s uncle, Pat Egan, said, “People see the work that we do and how quickly we do it, and how we’re very particular. We put detail into everything we do. Word of mouth gets out there.”
The same can be said for the other facets of their business. Matt explained that they don’t simply provide janitorial supplies, but they help businesses understand the importance of details. A good example is the many car dealerships to which Egan Supply Company provides janitorial supplies. Matt said that someone going to a luxury dealership to buy a six-figure vehicle doesn’t want to use the dealership’s restroom and encounter brown paper towels and a “grubby soap dispenser.” The Egans help businesses understand the importance of being particular and conveying a certain image to clients.
Matt predicts that the company will continue to grow and expand in the future as a result of how they stand out amongst their competitors as more than a supply company. “What sets us apart is we create custom-tailored solutions that meet our customers’ needs,” he said.
For more information, visit egansupply.net.
This article originally appeared in the August/September 2024 issue of B2B Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
