Parron Hall
Since 1947, Parron Hall Office Interiors has provided quality office furniture to clients spanning the corporate, healthcare, government and architect/design markets. They offer expert assistance on every detail, from initial product specification and budget planning to delivery, installation and maintenance.
Today, Parron Hall is recognized as one of San Diego's fastest growing and largest privately owned companies.
Jim Herr has been President and owner of Parron Hall since the late 1980's. His family's history in the industry dates back to the nineteenth century to the Amish country of Pennsylvania. He joined Parron Hall out of college in 1978, having graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Utah with a degree in Finance. In 1988, his father, then President of the company, retired giving him controlling interest in the business.
An interview with Jim Herr...
How has being a family owned and operated business helped your reach your business goals?
We have always believed that our people are our biggest asset. Being a family owned business, one that puts our people first who in turn put our clients’ needs first, has served us well. Many of our employees have been with us for 10 years or more (our company wide average tenure is 11 years). We try to create a sense of place and purpose for our employees – we want all our employees to see this as a career, not just a job.
What types of legal issues has your company encountered and how has Sullivan Hill assisted you?
We have a variety of legal issues which come up from time to time and the firm has always been there to assist, whether it’s to review a contract or assist with our lease negotiations. Joe Marshall has been instrumental in taking an objective look at all of our legal dealings and I know that I am in good hands whenever he is involved. It’s important to have outside counsel who can be that objective voice to ensure we aren’t missing anything important.
One example of how Joe gave us that “value added” assistance was our lease negotiation for our new offices in Kearny Mesa. Joe was able to negotiate a deal that was bigger and better than we had ever expected. In this instance he did far more than just help with our lease. We were bought out of our old lease by a developer who put condos on the site where we had resided for over 40 years. He negotiated the lease buy out for a substantial amount of money which gave us the money to pay for all aspects of the move and TI work associated with a build to suit new location. From the day we moved into our new space, we have been doing better than ever.
Additionally, when we encountered an issue that arose out of a general contractor’s failure to meet the obligations of their contract with a military client we were suppliers for, Joe referred us to Jim Drummond who helped us recover our original invoice amount and the project was completed.
To what would you attribute the company’s long term success?
Next to the great people we employ and the great service we provide, it would have to be diversification. We started out 60 years ago as an offices interior furniture supplier for local businesses, but over the years, we have branched out into a variety of business sectors from government to education and biotech to non-profits, to name a few. While it might not seem so, the government sector has proven to be a very good niche that we’ve developed. While many of the decision makers for the military for the West Coast and Western Pacific are based here in Southern California, we find that our work is now taking us all around the world. We are currently working on a project in Okinawa, Japan for a new naval hospital which is scheduled for completion in 2010.
Technology is another reason we have been able to stay competitive. Our computer systems are state of the art and allow us to provide the highest level of service possible to our clients, as quickly as they need it, no matter where they are located.
How has your industry faired in this economy?
The office interior business has taken a big hit just like every other sector of the economy. In just the last six months, the number three and four largest office interior companies in the area filed for bankruptcy. Herman Miller, one of the country’s largest furniture manufacturers, laid off nearly 20 percent of its workforce in just the last 90 days. So, it has been tough for everyone and it will continue for some time to come.
By having a good solid business plan, and the right attorneys looking out for our best interests, we believe we are still on the right track for continued business success.