Newtons Building and Landscape Supplies
The heart of Newtons Building and Landscape Supplies is total customer commitment
Total customer commitment. This ethos is at the heart of operations at Newtons Building and Landscape Supplies. It is also the guiding principle that has seen them grow from a humble sand and metal yard into one of the largest building and landscape yards in South Australia.
Established in the 1970s by Peter Masseroni, in 1996, Frank Ferella purchased the company and has been Director ever since. Peter, at the age of 83, to this day still works closely with the company and is its longest-serving truck driver. In fact, Peter's truck recently reached the one million kilometres mark in terms of distance travelled.
Balancing a commitment to staying true to old-school values and updating with changing times, Newtons offers a breadth of solutions. This is true whether locals need supplies for a DIY project or the government requires assistance with large infrastructure jobs.
'For us, we are big on offering products that complement each other,' Michael Tedesco, Sales Manager, said. 'When we first started, we offered bulk building materials like sand and cement. Then we expanded to provide the tools people will need to work with those materials. From there, we started to think about what tradies and retail customers needed and so on,' he added.
This commitment to customer service has also seen Newtons offer expanded solutions that are unique to the Australian market. Around four years ago, Newtons entered a distributorship with CSR to supply their Australian designed and manufactured Hebel product. Available in blocks and panels, Hebel offers a quick installation process that doesn't compromise on quality and durability. Wanting to provide customers with the best quality products possible, Newtons only stocks Australian made Hebel and is now one of only two re-sellers in South Australia.
From civil and irrigation to hardscape and softscape services, Newtons has successfully adapted to the market and changing customer needs. As such, today, they have proudly supplied irrigation and water management solutions to the Thorndon Park upgrade, civil services to the Playford Council Road Upgrade and hardscape solutions for the Southern Mallee District Council's street beautification project.
Local community support
The Newtons team also take great pride in being there to provide knowledge and expertise to local builders and community members. 'We work closely with people, whether they need a garden timer or solutions to service a project worth millions of dollars,' Michael said. 'With over 70 staff, 32 trucks and two physical locations, we can ensure that we have the products you need when you need them,' he added.
This commitment to customers and the broader community extends past services and solutions offered. For over 15 years, Newtons has been the proud sponsor of North Eastern MetroStars Soccer Club and has happily helped raise funds for causes such as Paradise Primary School's new sporting oval. In the past, Newtons also donated a Harley Davidson to the Starlight Foundation. 'Frank really loves to give back to the community that has supported him for all these years,' Michael said.
It is this strong community-mindedness that sees Newtons firmly committed to being green from the ground up. In terms of services offered, this means providing environmentally friendly irrigation products such as water-wise sprinklers, smart controllers and sensors. It also means being there to educate the community on the benefits of such systems and how to use them effectively.
Getting greener
At Newtons, being green is seen as an initiative that starts from the top and funnels down to clients and customers. 'We are under no illusions that we operate in an industry where it is hard to be green. We are always looking into new avenues and implementing initiatives,' Michael explained.
Apart from their office roof's solar panel system, the team also makes a concerted effort to engage with suppliers about green measures. This led to initial partnership talks surrounding bio bins that will turn food scraps into compost. A current initiative at Newtons is taking leftover materials from the site and re-purposing them into rubble and sand to reduce wastage.
A strong foundation
Whether the industry landscape has evolved or personal circumstances have challenged the business, Newtons has been able to take everything in its stride. The reason for this? A strong foundation built on respect for each other. 'From a management perspective, you are only as good as your employees. We have to make sure we look after them just as well as we look after our customers. We have staff who are locals and some staff who travel because they just want to work here. It's a testament to the business that people are willing to do that for us,' Michael said.
This commitment to both staff and customers can be seen in the business on a daily basis. Rather than fostering transactional relationships, everyone is seen as a member of the family. For account customers, this means attending barbecues hosted by Newtons. For in-store customers, this means letting someone from the customer service team carry your purchase to the car for you.
By offering the tight-knit Campbelltown City Council area this level of service, word of mouth has kept Newtons rooted in the community since its inception. 'We purposefully employ more staff than other businesses in our sector because we always want to be there to help,' Michael said.
A key facet of making the Newtons brand a Newton, SA institution is the relationship that both Peter and Frank have been able to cultivate with the Council. 'When we've had issues with drainage or roads around where we work, the Council have been really respectful, and they take the time to actually listen to us,' Michael explained, 'they don't play favourites; they want to help everyone out so that the Newton people realise what they have in their own backyard.' All of which help provide the foundation that Newtons needs in order to look into future eco-friendly, innovation and expansion opportunities.
Business tips
Michael's business tips are:
- Treat staff well. Staff will be the ones helping you to deliver on your commitments, whether they are customer service related or centred around internal and external business goals.
- Maintain high-quality customer service. For the majority of people, price is not the first thing they think of. Getting the right service and advice is just as important. People are willing to pay more in order to receive excellent customer service.
- Understand what customers want and be able to supply them with what they need. This means having the right products and getting them to the customer in a timely manner.