Moulding in the mountains: Blue Ridge Moulding enhances business with added services

Art Business News, March, 2004 by Carol King

Steve and Doug Marcus, the principals of Blue Ridge Moulding & Frame Inc., have the luxury of running a family business that they learned from the ground up.

While searching for career opportunities and a calmer lifestyle, their parents, Ray and Linda Marcus, relocated from Southern California to Roanoke, Va., to start a family run business with their two teen-age sons in 1981. When the elder Marcuses retired nearly two years ago, they left a solid company in the hands of their boys.

"Blue Ridge Moulding & Frame has grown into one of the top-five businesses in the custom moulding industry," said Steve Marcus, president of the operation. "The process has taken 22 years, but much like the steps required to create a custom frame, each phase has refined the company and the family."

Diversification is Key

Over time, Blue Ridge Moulding has gone from a bare-bones operation to a major manufacturer, distributor and importer of basic and ornate wood mouldings.

"Today, we produce our mouldings using the world's best machinery from German gang-rip and moulding machines and fully automated Italian finish lines," noted Doug Marcus, the company's treasurer. "When we started, our only machine was the human body, and our wood was sanded with steel wool. Working together as a family, we concentrated on the finishing process. With strong backs and a lot of sweat, Blue Ridge Moulding became recognized for its quality work and dedication."

Self Reliance

In 1986, the company began developing and distributing its own profiles and carrying an in-stock line of mouldings available in small quantities, length, chop, Wedge-Lok, joined and ready-made.

The stock mouldings and newer profiles took the company to higher ground. By 1989 the Marcuses had expanded their operation to include a milling facility. They decided to do the milling themselves, instead of buying pre-milled product. "It was the best move we ever made. We now control our own quality and we save a lot of money," said Doug Marcus. Today, Blue Ridge manufactures an excess of eight-million feel domestically of primarily poplar, basswood and ash products.

The company processes more than 1.5 million feet of prime lumber annually out of its 50,000 square-foot facility. The plant is equipped with a state-of-the-art sawdust- and chip-collection system, and the lumber used for the frames is hand-picked for beauty and clarity, Doug Marcus said. That lumber is cut, kiln dried, milled and finished in Blue Ridge's manufacturing facility.

Beyond the Border

Importing became a business facet in 1991, but the company limits itself to the types of finishing it can do in the United States, said Steve Marcus. To accent their line of stock products the Marcuses began importing higher-end mouldings, such as gold- and silver-leaf finishes. Today they import more than two million feet of finished frame moulding from a variety of suppliers located in China, Brazil, Indonesia and Malaysia. They also import about 25,000 ornate portrait ready-made frames from China and Malaysia.

These products are supplied to Blue Ridge's customer base of 5,000, which consists of retail frame shops, galleries, craft stores, photographers, distributors and volume framed art companies across North America.

Steve Marcus said Blue Ridge Moulding has remained ahead of the curve because he and his brother are willing to provide custom-made moulding in so many styles and finishes. "We will custom make any profile with a 1,000-foot minimum order."

Manufacturing to Please

Blue Ride's latest venture has been to improve its product lines by making its offerings more elite. "Ten to 20 years ago, we specialized in bread-and-butter mouldings with basic, traditional finishes," Doug Marcus said. "We now are more innovative. We are creating profiles with different finishes because framers are seeking looks that differ from the run-of-the-mill products.

"Blue Ridge has the equipment and the talent to achieve those newer, more desirable looks," he continued. "For instance, we now offer compo and have detailed frames with crisp, clean designs. This is an edge for us. Additionally, we have a hot-stamp machine that can transfer foils. These add beautiful designs to the frames in gold, silver, bronze and other colors."

The company's latest product introductions are the Williamsburg Collection, which contains 13 traditional mouldings in a fine furniture finish, and the Outer Banks Collection, which is comprised of 18 rustic creations designed for outdoor pictures or images.

The Marcuses will continue to add new items to their stock and are always open to any suggestions from their customers. "We love our customers, both large and small--we manufacture to please."

Blue Ridge Moulding at a Glance

FACTS & FIGURES

* Owner: Steve and Doug Marcus

* Year Founded: 1981

* Number of employees: 22

* Products: wood mouldings, ready-mades, chop service, chop and join, Wedge-Lok service.

* Trade shows: DECOR Expo Atlanta and various photography shows.

* Contact: Blue Ridge Moulding & Frame, P.O. Box 4401, 619 Warwick St., Roanoke, VA 24015. Phone: 800-272-2583 or (540) 343-1260; fax: 800-329-2763; e-mail: sales@blueridgemoulding.com; Web site www.blueridgemoulding.com.