Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
This is Chris Redgrave for Zions Bank Speaking on Business.
In 2010 business was not booming. In fact, many companies were trying to figure out how to survive... Yet Terry Groulx (grew) and his wife, Heidi Fuellenbach (full-in-baa) said, "let's go for it" and bought a construction-based business, Designer Hardware, in the middle of an economy that was still facing challenges. Terry was confident of the decision, having worked with his dad on rental properties they owned in Michigan and having been in the construction industry right after college.
Their thought, as fourth-generation small business owners, was that there was nowhere to go but up. And so, despite working hard through a very difficult first year, at Ahna and Company, they've grown enough to have two full-time employees and are looking to hire two more in the next few months. This is adding to Utah's employment base and helping the economy grow.
They rebranded Designer Hardware as Ahna to better reflect their business. The name Ahna stands for beauty and elegance, which fit their vision for the company. They wanted to everything they did to center on personalized service.
Ahna has a kitchen and bath showroom in Park City, but it's only open from 1-4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. Why is that? Because Terry and Heidi prefer to have personal meetings with clients ......
Ahna and Company provides designs in architectural hardware, plumbing products, lighting, bath furniture and other building materials for a variety of industries. They specialize in providing materials and design inspiration...They work with the architect to put together a basic budget, so when general contractors bid, they know what they're looking at. They also work with the general contractor on supply chain management and help manage the process to make sure everything is showing up at the right time.
Terry and Heidi also keep up on trends and technologies in the industry, like air tubs versus whirlpool tubs and work directly with the homeowner to find out how they'll use their home. This is so at Ahna and Company, they can make product recommendations and offer direction on design and intended use.
For Zions Bank, I'm Chris Redgrave, speaking on business.
Ahna and Company 1816 Prospector Ave. Park City, UT 84060 435-645-9805; www.ahnainc.com
