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Constructing Brands


Feb 27, 2020

Building a Market Presence, with Ralph Bruno [Pt. I]

Building Materials Industry | Dynamic Trends in the Building Materials Industry

After nearly three decades in the building materials industry, Ralph Bruno is still doing everything he can to push the envelope. From serving as the national sales manager for Trex to launching AZEK Building Products, Ralph has gleaned valuable insights from every corner of the industry and brought them into his role as the CEO of Derby Building Products. He has helped grow the market with brands that have completely changed and shaped the face of the exterior building materials industry. And with more products on the horizon for the Tando and Novik brands, Ralph and the team at Derby continue to extend their reach.

A Long-term Value, Durability, and Innovation

The pursuit of long-term value and durability have driven Ralph Bruno to maintain a standard of excellence for every offering under the Derby Building Products umbrella. Combined with relentless innovation, Ralph and his team toe the line between current and future trends in the building materials industry. These trends are both market and demographic driven, such as the increase in demand for mixed materials, low-maintenance buildings, moisture management systems, and skilled laborers to execute more complex builds. By looking at these four key dynamics, Ralph can determine the best strategy for introducing Derby’s new products based on how well they meet each of those needs.

Building a Market Presence

Since big-box stores play a significant role in the building materials industry, consumers are becoming more involved in the materials selection process. We talked about the HGTV effect in the last episode of Constructing Brands, but if you missed it, the HGTV effect is when consumers watch enough television to become a self-proclaimed G.C. And while the HGTV effect may create a lot of challenges for building materials companies, Derby has capitalized on it. Ralph stresses the importance of brand strength in the DIY culture because it is the key to dominating a product category. Before AZEK there were no brands in the trim category, and after two to three years, AZEK was synonymous with white PVC trim. To hear Ralph’s take on where the building materials industry is headed, listen to the latest episode of Constructing Brands with Ralph Bruno.

About Ralph Bruno

Ralph Bruno is CEO of Derby Building Products Inc. based in Quebec City, Canada, the manufacturer of innovative brands of exterior cladding products, including TandoStone®, the number one brand of composite stone; Beach House Shake® and TandoShake®. For the DIY/siding industry, Derby manufactures NovikStone and NovikShake exterior cladding. Bruno is best known for helping to lead the conversion from wood decking to composites, with iconic decking brand leaders Trex® and AZEK®.

What You Will Learn:

  • Ralph Bruno’s journey into the building materials industry
  • The driving forces behind Derby Building Products’ success
  • How Derby Building Products has played into the DIY culture
  • The importance of brand strength and brand protection in the building materials industry
  • Ralph’s perspective on the future of the building materials industry
  • How Derby gets multiple demographics to buy-in to their new products
  • How Derby educates contractors on the features and benefits of their Tando products
  • The top five ways Derby is marketing their building products

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