Co-Branding Marries Quality With Quality

For the past three years, Adam Helfman, CGR, CR, owner of Fairway Construction in Southfield, Mich., has had a co-branding relationship with Kohler that has helped his company remain competitive and diversify its offerings.

Fairway offers four pre-designed Kohler bathrooms. In exchange, Kohler gives Fairway co-op advertising money — a percentage of the dollar volume of the previous year's projects. Helfman's current co-op budget is $3,000-$4,000. Additionally, as potential clients wanted to see examples of installed bathroom packages, Kohler provided Helfman with the materials to create displays in his tile distributor's showroom.

Fairway annually does 30 of these bathrooms, versus 30 custom bathrooms. Beyond ease of estimating and preferred product pricing, Helfman says the ultimate value of the relationship lies in the time saved for his crews and customers. Items already are stocked, so projects start quickly, and trade contractors organize their work more efficiently.

Dennis O'Connell, Fairway's Kohler representative at D & C Plumbing and Heating Supply in Dearborn Heights, Mich., says the co-branding program demonstrates Kohler's commitment to the remodeling industry, which in turn helps Kohler build a better business.

"With the Kohler name, this goes beyond a typical prepackaged remodel because of the quality of the brand," says Helfman, who proposed his program to Kohler. "There's the convenience, but it's also about elevating our name with the status and that quality meets quality. This is a work in progress, and if more manufacturers figure out how to package products, they will invest more time and money."