Buffalo Grove company expands into kitchen remodeling

The kitchen is its a big deal, for a lot of people.

After realizing that making a bigger deal out of it for smaller customers could be profitable, a Chicago-based plumbing company started using its Buffalo Grove facility as a showroom for complete kitchen remodeling.

Banner Plumbing recently opened a walk-in display area for individual homeowners looking to spruce up their kitchens.

The new showroom, on the second floor of their 1020 E. Lake Cook Road facility, shows potential customers a variety of looks for cabinets, backsplashes, appliances, sinks, electrical outlets, fixtures and, of course, the pipes that will keep all of this working.

We just decided were going to branch into the kitchen design world, said Marcus Voltz, Banners business development manager, who started planning the idea when he joined the company in 2012.

Banner is primarily a supplier to contractors. Its 20 delivery vehicles routinely stop at job sites at 4 or 5 a.m., Voltz said. But after the housing industry fell apart and sales slowed, the firm needed to look for new markets and Voltz found custom remodeling for existing homes.

Its nothing new or fresh, but how we approach it is, he said. We think we have one of the nicer showrooms in the industry.

And, he hopes, one of the nicer staffs.

Knowing that plenty of remodeling research and sales, can be done on the Internet, Voltz lures customers away from their computers and into his facility with warm greetings, soft beverages and a well-lit, exciting-looking display area.

Once there, potential buyers check out the brands of cabinets, appliances, lights and fixtures with which Banner has partnerships and the numerous combinations of materials the company offers.

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Buffalo Grove company expands into kitchen remodeling