BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
S . L . Renfro is seated behind his desk between his twin sons Oscar and Oswald Renfro to discuss company business with Cye Renfro . On the wall are portraits of former Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt . Those portraits still hanging at Renfro Supply Company .
At the present time all of the items the company sells are non-perishables . However , that will soon change as a planned 2024 expansion will add a new facility that will allow Renfro Supply Company to become a one-stop shop for their customers ’ needs as well as providing more room for personnel to support the growth .
“ Our customers want to be able to buy everything from us ,” McFarland said . “ They don ’ t like dealing with multiple vendors . Their time is money .”
Brad Stephens , general manager of Renfro Supply Company , says he ’ s excited about the new ideas that are allowing the business to build upon its century of service to the community .
“ I feel like one of the things that we will be offering is more opportunities in new areas of the company as far as marketing , graphics and thirdparty logistics ,” he said . “ I can see the company having multiple profit centers .”
While the business continues to move forward it ’ s still holding tight to the principles it was founded on : honesty , integrity and supporting the community .
For more than a hundred years the company has underpinned the community by providing goods and delivery to rural areas that would otherwise be underserved .
Stephens said one of his goals is to make sure that rural convenient stores have the ability to carry all the things that the people of their community need .
“ We always want to be there and serve the community ,” he said . “ We know that some people don ’ t have a means of transportation but they can walk or manage a way to get to that country store .”
While moving forward , the company is still looking to the past in an effort to maintain the businesses values company-wide .
As Simon L . Renfro continued to build the company , he understood the importance of connecting with those he served . In an effort to keep the company ’ s employees , customers and the community apprised of what was going on within the company , he began publishing a monthly newsletter entitled , “ Renfro Revelations – A Magazette .” The editions began in 1944 and continued through 1953 . In keeping with the founder ’ s vision to create valuable relationships with his customer base , the current ownership has relaunched “ Renfro Revelations .” The first edition is being distributed to customers and vendors alike .
“ The revamping of this type of communication is a reminder to our customers that although the world continues to evolve , the company ’ s commitment to invest in customer relationships has not ,” McFarland said .
A foundation of high business standards and firm and unchanging ethical standards may have aided Renfro Supply Companies success for the past century but the most important key to that success is in its relationships .
“ Our customers will never be just a number for us . I want them to know that we are really rooting for their success and we want to be a part of that success ,” McFarland said , adding that the company ’ s employees are what has allowed the business to operate and grow over the past century . “ Our company is not what we do , it ’ s not the building . It ’ s our people .”
The Times-Tribune • Community Guide 2023 — Page 19