Johnstone Supply prepares for move to larger space

SYRACUSE — The Syracuse Johnstone Supply location plans to relocate in the next few weeks to a larger space that will give it more room to grow.

Johnstone expects to be up and running in its new location by early April. The heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration supply wholesaler will move from its current 10,000-square-foot home at 1200 Burnet Ave. to a new building at 828 Burnet Ave.

The new site is just 5,000 square feet larger, but includes space designed specifically for warehouse storage. That will allow Johnstone to stack inventory more effectively, says Ken Livingston, who owns the Syracuse Johnstone store and one in Rochester.

“Our existing facility was never designed effectively for wholesale,” he says.

The current building has low ceilings, numerous angles, and load-bearing beams the store couldn’t move, he adds. The new location will allow Johnstone to stock four times as much inventory.

Johnstone is a nationwide cooperative of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration wholesale stores. Its 370 locations are all independently owned.

“We’ve been out of space for about three or four years,” Livingston says of the Syracuse store. “That’s certainly curtailed our growth.”

The new building will give Johnstone better showroom space and a dedicated area for training. The Syracuse store runs training sessions for its own employees, but also for area contractors and other heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration professionals.

Livingston says he previously used his current showroom for training events or held them off site. Having space designed especially for training will allow the store to hold sessions more often.

The building will also allow for Johnstone to erect working displays of its equipment, Livingston says. Customers will be able to come in and observe products in action as they heat and cool Johnstone’s own space.

Johnstone bought the new building at 828 Burnett after leasing the location at 1200 Burnett. Livingston declined to comment on the purchase price, the amount invested in the new space, or disclose his stores’ annual revenue.

Livingston says the upgrades to the new space have been extensive and involved some demolition and environmental work. Final renovations are taking place now, he says.

Rich & Gardner Construction Co. has been managing the project for Johnstone.

About half of the Syracuse location’s business comes from residential contractors, Livingston says. The remainder is split across commercial contractors, property managers, and institutional customers like municipalities, hospitals, and schools, including K-12 and higher education.

The Syracuse Johnstone location employs five people. Livingston says the lack of space in the old building limited workforce expansion and he wants to add workers in the next few years.

“The fact that we’re growing and expanding in this market suggests we have a good business model and a good vision for how to grow in a down market,” Livingston says.

Contact Tampone at ktampone@cnybj.com