Every business has a starting point, and for Beaver Industrial Supply, it began with a single opportunity. In 1995, John Krumrey had found a small company within his budget that owned a patent on a laminate edge finishing tool, trademarked the “Air File.” Recognizing its potential, he purchased the patent, the trademark, and the fabrication tools required to manufacture it. On December 28, 1995, he officially bought the company and began building what would become Beaver Industrial Supply.
At the time, his children were 13, 11, and 10 years old. He had no line of credit and no deep-pocketed family member to bail him out if things went south. It was, in his words, like jumping out of a plane and hoping the parachute would open.
The early years required relentless commitment. John traveled constantly, eight to ten tradeshows per year, including one in Istanbul. In the first four years alone, he was in 37 states and four Canadian provinces, setting up distributors. The first building was only 1,500 square feet, with finished products stored in a closet. In 1996, he didn’t take a paycheck, and one of the earliest milestones that truly meant something to him was simply being able to pay himself. It first felt real that Beaver Industrial Supply would truly work when his home was no longer pledged as collateral on the company’s first line of credit.
By 2001, five years in, the company had an established dealer network and independent reps supporting those dealers. The online business was beginning to grow, and Beaver was one of the first online tool sellers, long before Amazon. But even growth required difficult adjustments. They eventually saturated the market for the Air File, and the company had to expand beyond its original product, adding vendors such as Mirka and Festool.
Today, when he looks back, what stands out most is not the risk, the travel, or even the growth.
It is the people.
He takes pride in the working environment at Beaver Industrial Supply and in the fact that many employees have moved on to better jobs because of the skills they gained there. The business has bettered people’s lives, not only by providing stability and opportunity for employees, but by serving as an informational resource for customers in the construction and manufacturing industries. Beaver Industrial Supply will not offer any product that does not save time or money in the production process.
John set out to build something of his own because he wanted security and control over his future. In doing so, he created stability for others. What began as a leap of faith, with everything on the line, became his most important building project. And for him, it has been worth it
To customers, he says: “Thank you, thank you, thank you. I know that you can find the products we offer in many other places. I am truly honored to be a resource for you and your organization.”
