River Valley Feed & Metal
Owner: Dan Yandell
Location: Huntington, Ark.
History: “I worked in corporate America as an (information technology) manager and wanted a different lifestyle. I started a metal building supply business in Huntington, Ark., in 2008 with a partner who sold out to me in 2010. When a feed store in town closed, I added a feed business to the metal business. Later the town’s hardware store closed, and I quickly began incorporating those items as well. While the town could not support the three businesses separately, they work together well as one. I tried using a manager but found that the business does much better if I am here every day.”
Products and Services: “The metal section of the business supplies metal roofing and supportive components such as red iron, I-beam, purlin etc. I provide products from five different companies, not only allowing variety to my selection but also keeping those distributors competitive and my prices down. We sell metal from residential roofing to a 100-foot by 200-foot metal building and everything in between. Part of our feed business is bulk and part of it is bagged. A customer calls me for a bulk order, and I then make all of the arrangements through other distributors. I offer fertilizer and weed control chemicals as well as both commercial and show feeds, with Big V Feed and ADM Alliance being my biggest sellers. Metal and feed are the big dollar items but commodity-based and therefore price sensitive. The hardware sales are smaller and provide more consistent and the largest number of sales per month. We carry a typical hardware assortment including hand tools by Milwaukee, Stanley, and DeWault as well as electrical and plumbing supplies. We keep a broad inventory but little depth, and customers can almost always find what they need here in our little town.”
Philosophy and future: “I explain to my four employees that we sell nothing that can’t be bought someplace else but we also don’t work anywhere else. The five of us have to make the difference. Consequently we offer consultation as well as products to help customers solve issues with the best information available.”
