Some people think the city of McKeesport is an easy read. A once bustling mill town turned ghost town when the steel plants closed back in the 1980s. Since then, every chapter of the city’s tale seemed to end the same way —more bad news. But now a local company with a unique formula for success is adding a welcome plot twist to McKeesport’s burnished blue-collar legacy.
On a warm summer morning, nearly 80 people hustle around 270,000 square feet of warehouse space on Walnut Street. Once the distribution center for the defunct Pomco grocery chain and headquarters for the
Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, the building now is home to the Book Country Clearing House — one of the nation’s largest wholesale resellers of “hurt” books. Those are the books you find in bargain bins with a
black line on the edge of the pages.
“What we do is resell books we get from a select group of publishers,” says Richard Roberts, who co-owns Book Country Clearing House with his wife, Sandy. “Our books are reminders, returns and other books that didn’t sell at traditional bookstores. We then repackage them and sell them to places like the
Strand Bookstore in New York, flea market vendors and other clients that won’t compete with Border’s or other front-line booksellers. It’s a unique niche in our industry.”
And Roberts is planning to carve an even bigger niche for his rapidly expanding company.
A Novel Approach to GrowthRoberts admits he’s not the biggest reader in the world. But after selling a company that produced software for the TV industry, he and his wife searched for a new opportunity that was “under the venture capital radar.” Book Country Clearing House was just the blip he sought. The attraction was a distribution network that Roberts knew he could expand quickly.
“After we bought the company, we represented ourselves as the publisher’s best friend,” says Roberts. “We showed them how they could significantly add to their bottom lines by selling their hurt books without cannibalizing their sales at traditional outlets like Borders. We now represent four of five of the largest publishers in the world, such as Harper-Collins Tradepaper, Penguin Publishing Trade, DK Publishing,
McGraw-Hill and the Oxford University Press.”
Unlike other resellers that bid for individual book titles, Book Country buys entire lots of books from its clients. When a box, or tub, of books lands on the receiving dock the contents are a mystery until teams of “breakers” pick through the arrivals. In separate areas designated for specific publishers, inventory crews sort books according to titles. Then when Strand or any other customer places an order for, let’s say, 200 copies of Barbara Kingsolver’s “The Poisonweed Bible,” other teams gather the books for packing and shipping. It’s an efficient process that moves tens of thousands of books through the place each day — and increased substantially the company’s business.
When Roberts acquired the company, about a dozen people worked there. Today, nearly 100 employees on two shifts keep the place running seven days week. And to keep pace with an ever-increasing flow of books in and out of the warehouse, construction in the basement will add another 66,000 square feet of space. In fact, Roberts and his warehouse supervisor Jerry Yankello sacrificed their indoor parking spots to make way for more shipping space.
“We’ve certainly passed the small company stage,” says Roberts. “Our growth has been in excess of 100 percent every year. We’re now into the sort of sales numbers
that we’ll be around for a long time as a force to be reckoned with.”
Turning The Page With EmployeesGoing into the deal, Roberts realized he had all the ingredients for success — except one. He needed the people to make it work. And he needed people who were willing to work hard.
“Books are heavy,” says warehouse manager Yankello. “During one shift one person can sort and move 12,000 books. This isn’t an easy job. So we put a lot of emphasis on people getting along and feeling good about working here. The last thing I want is people going home upset about their jobs.”
One perk of the job is the company’s half-day off policy every Friday. Since employees put in nine-hour shifts Monday through Thursday, they clock just four hours to close out the week. In addition, Yankello holds regular cookouts during the summer and indoor pizza luncheons when the weather turns cooler. In addition, the company sponsored a canoe trip for employees and a family outing at Kennywood. Yet what really inspires employees to go the extra mile is a simple yet innovative management approach.
“We encourage, listen to and respond to input from our employees,” says Roberts. “We’ve taken that input and used it to improve the company substantially. When you treat your employees with respect and as partners in the business there can be phenomenal growth. It’s an approach to running a business that’s unique and dynamic.”
Of course, it’s one thing to hear an owner talk about good employee relations. But the test is asking the people who work at a company how they really feel about it.
“You definitely feel like more than an employee here,” says Tina Marraccini, a five-year Book Country staffer. “Richard and Jerry really want to hear what’s on our minds. When they talk to us they write down our ideas. And then they use them. That’s never happened anywhere I’ve worked before.”
While Roberts credits employees for a large part of the company’s growth, Book Country certainly provides a welcome boost for the city it calls home.
A New Chapter for McKeesportChange struck McKeesport hard and fast. And it wasn’t pretty. Some point out the 1976 “Famous” fire as an omen. That’s when a devastating inferno incinerated a department store of that name and several other businesses, literally leaving a gaping burnt-out hole in the city’s shopping district. Then came the 1980s and the mill closings. As jobs dried up, people moved on to look for work. Restaurants, hotels, movie theaters and other concerns pulled the plug, too. McKeesport joined the ranks of industrial town dealing with hard times.
Yet, a drive through the city reveals many bright spots. Specialty manufacturers inhabit spaces once occupied by the big steel companies of the city’s not too distant past. Call centers and other service industry companies provide jobs, too. And Book Country figures prominently in McKeesport’s revitalization plans.
“With Book Country moving into the old Pomco Building, several things are happening at once,” says McKeesport mayor Jim Brewster. “First, it’s occupying a large building that was in danger of becoming a hazardous eyesore. At the same time, it’s sprucing up a blighted area and providing revenue to the city. Most of all, it’s giving people the opportunity to work. All they needed was the chance that Book Country gave them.”
While Book Country contributes to the community job pool, it’s also quietly taking on the role of good corporate citizen.
“As mayor, I usually go to local businesses to ask for their help in McKeesport,” say Brewster. “But Book Country is already doing that by helping schools and libraries in the area.”
Though Roberts says that long-range plans include overseas expansion, including retail stores, he has no intention of leaving McKeesport.
“Of all the companies I’ve been involved in,” he says, “Book Country is by far the most enjoyable. We have a super loyal workforce that our customers say is the best of the best. Everyone is involved in making the company better. The goal is to keep building the company to the point that our employees’ children will work here one day, too. Our employees will create a new legacy in McKeesport.”
John Altdorfer last wrote about the glass artists in Pittsburgh. To read the article, click
here.
Captions:Bookseller from western MassachussettsLooking out on Walnut StreetJeff and Ed sorting booksJerry Yankello, warehouse supervisorBooks
Mary at quality control
All photographs copyright © Brian Cohen