Arrow Office Supply, Detroit, Michigan, opened its doors as a one-man shop in 1946. In 1979, it was purchased by Harris Crane. Shortly after Harris bought it, his three sons—Sandy, Danny and Michael—joined the company. Michael, the last surviving son, retired last month, leaving Marc—Harris’ grandson, who joined the family business in 2010—and his cousin Ilene Crane, who came on board in 2019, at the helm.
A recipe for success
While Arrow has passed from generation to generation, what has made it flourish over the years has remained the same. “The number one reason for Arrow’s success is our people,” says Marc. “We have the best staff. Some employees have been with us for 20 and even 30 years. I truly believe they are what separates us from the competition. Our great online experience would be number two. We invest in technology and are constantly updating our website. Buyers are getting younger and don’t want a website that is hard to use. They want simplicity. I think a great online experience paired with a wonderful personal experience is the recipe for success. I also think it helps that we are a progressive and aggressive dealer. It is important for a company to constantly evolve. Our heavy entry into janitorial supplies is an example—the move was huge for us.”
Staying competitive
However, any company that has been in business for as long as Arrow will inevitably encounter challenges. “A main one for us—and I think the industry as a whole—has been the work-from-home trend,” reports Marc. “We combat that by having a diverse customer base, including government, schools and public and private businesses. Another challenge is Amazon, especially in terms of office products. We combat that by having our sales reps focus on customers we can bring value to—people who value service and working with a local company. It’s also about educating our customers; Amazon is not always the cheapest, and we are price competitive. We offer next-day delivery and superior service.”
Marc also believes the “buy local” trend helps: “All things considered, I think people want to try to support local businesses.”
Looking ahead
Marc offers this advice to dealers looking to stay successful: “Always adapt to change and trends and be aggressive about getting new business. Our sales force is hungry, not complacent, which I think gives us an advantage. From an ownership standpoint, it is important to invest in technology to give customers a great online experience. Our website is our most important sales tool. Make it easy to do business online with you.”
Marc doesn’t claim to be able to predict the future, but he knows what Arrow Office Supply will do in the next five to 10 years in order to stay successful: ”We plan to continue to hire sales staff and acquire an office products or jan/san dealership, as we believe there is a lot of opportunity in the jan/san space and plan on growing that segment.”
Company name: Arrow Office Supply Co.
Headquarters: Detroit, Michigan
Top management: Marc Crane, partner-owner; Ilene Crane, partner-owner
Number of employees: 18
Online business: 75%