Do it Center Dominica

BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 9, ISSUE 11 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 9, ISSUE 11 27 26 to avoid running out of product. For example, depending on the shipping schedule, it takes 75 to 90 days to get a shipment from China, so there is a risk that we could run out of products if we do not make contingency plans.” Softening these challenges is the company’s 45,000-square-foot HQ building with two levels - a shop floor and a warehouse. The company stores a significant inventory of lumber, steel, roofing materials, and other stock in this facility, packed in retail and wholesale quantities. As the most prominent hardware store in Dominica, Do It Center Dominica primarily relies on walk-in and referral business, which has helped it grow rapidly without substantial investments in sales and marketing. However, the company is gradually exploring online marketing by building social media awareness, complementing its current radio ads. The company also has an online store that it launched with the help of software provider Epicor at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. “Although as a hardware store we were considered essential, we opened the online store in August 2020 to accommodate the limited hours of operation we had and those customers who wished to order without coming to the store,” Esprit says. “We had the online store planned as part of our growth engine, but we had to fast-track launching it because of the pandemic.” As the construction industry in Dominica booms, not all companies can capitalize on this opportunity, primarily due to limited financing options. For Do It Center Dominica, affiliation with a significant local conglomerate has proven pivotal to its success, helping it draw funding, networks, and other resources from its sibling companies. “Do It Center Dominica has been fortunate to have the support of our parent company which has made it easier to grow quickly compared to other companies currently facing capital constraints,” explains Esprit. “With the resources available, we are continuously expanding our inventory and plan to open a second outlet soon.” This promising outlook characterizes the trajectory Do It Center Dominica is charting as it seeks to become the dominant hardware store in the country. Further cementing its position is its membership to the Dominican Association of Industry and Commerce (DAIC), a membership-based organization working with local businesses to facilitate the island’s economic development and growth. Esprit, who sits on the DAIC board, admits that the entire construction fraternity has a critical role in securing the country’s infrastructure future and that Do It Center Dominica has its work cut out for it. “Five years from now, we expect Do It Center Dominica to continue to be here. I see us having more employees based on our growth plan and PREFERRED VENDOR/PARTNER g Putnam Lumber & Export Company www.putnamlumber.com Putnam Lumber & Export Company is a highly experienced wholesale export distributor of quality Southern Yellow Pine lumber and plywood from the United States. Shipments are routed directly from the mills or our warehouses located in Alabama, Florida and Georgia via break bulk, flat rack, truck and container. www.putnamlumber.com BEST PRACT I CES IN BUS INESS & ECONOMI C DEVELOPMENT will have new product offerings. Right now, we do not have a delivery service, so we are working on that before this year is over. We are looking at many areas we can improve to serve the customers better and position the company for greater success in the future.”