From pre-finishing and pre-fabrication to on-site execution, turning to the Frisco Woodline team of experts means turning tricky design goals into reality. This Upper Marlboro, Maryland-based company is an award winner in complex lumber projects that others in the field typically shy away from. By supplying East Coast construction companies with premium construction materials, hard and soft woods, and expert consultation services, the company has become a favorite of general contractors and architects in charge of unusual projects with challenging specifications, leading it to nearly double its output this year.
Meeting demand
Known for its services in lumber yard retail and distribution, Frisco Woodline now provides its customers with all the capabilities they need from a niche supplier. To meet demand, the company began pivoting to actively meet its evolving market around seven years ago. These days, that primarily means providing solutions that other suppliers cannot.
“Convenience sells and so does expertise in what we do. Our unique product offering gives people a reason to come to us,” says Neil Agarwal, President and Chief Executive Officer.
Part of this convenience includes guiding customers in constructing unconventional buildings by helping them decode complicated specification sheets. The company also provides logistics services, rare products, remanufacturing, unusual treatments and cutting, and products requiring multi-step processes. In many cases, the team can help customers save money on over-specified projects by having its experts guide them through the correct channels to achieve those savings while remaining within code and legal requirements and still delivering high-quality outcomes.
The approach has proven successful, and the company finds that well over a third of its business comes from specialty projects and goods. By embracing the opportunity presented by these difficult projects, Frisco Woodline is building a wealth of knowledge that it will pass on to future generations to ensure its continued success. “There are a lot of one-stop shops in our industry, but customers come to us when they have issues,” Agarwal adds.
The company recently introduced a pre-finishing facility where PVC, metal, and wood are primed, painted, and customized to customers’ specifications. The service has drawn significant attention, and Frisco Woodline now supplies clientele from a much larger catchment region than before.
“We’ve compared it to other pre-finishers in the market and we’re better,” Agarwal says of the quality. This new line is not only growing company revenue, but it also provides the team with improved scalability. The service has also become a calling card to draw new customers who would otherwise not have known about its services.
The result of this approach to meeting shifting markets where they are is a collection of perfectly executed projects, including numerous public projects such as panels for the iconic Washington Metro. Another project, Passive House at Hamilton at Eagleview in Pennsylvania, is an apartment complex designed to function without traditional heating or cooling systems, for which the company supplied a vertical siding envelope system of pre-finished lumber treated with stain at varying concentrations to achieve a range of warm amber tones.
A rich history
The business was founded by Neil’s father, Prem Agarwal, who arrived in the United States from India as an engineering student to embark on his master’s degree in industrial engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. As a die-hard entrepreneur, Agarwal owned an ice-making outfit before purchasing his current company, then known as G.E. Frisco, in 1985. It was first established by George Edward Frisco in 1955 and incorporated in 1969. The company’s name was changed to Frisco Woodline as part of a rebranding campaign it embarked on a few years ago.
A decade ago, Neil Agarwal joined the company after working for several years as an investment banker on Wall Street. He was later joined by his sister, Libby Mendiratta, Executive Vice President and Director of the firm’s Minority Business Enterprise department. “It’s been a good partnership to grow the company,” Agarwal says.
Frisco Woodline sees itself as a small part of the bigger construction picture—one that helps shape communities by building everything from homes and hospitals to schools and other infrastructure that contributes to the area’s prosperity and overall wellbeing.
Building a better workplace
This sense of community also extends to creating a positive work environment where people want to come and be a part of something bigger every day. Part of this mission is to provide its teams with all the tools they need to help build a better future for the company and its customers. One way in which Frisco Woodline achieves this is by investing in future-positive technology to improve efficiency and communication between field and office staff, project managers, and customers.
To this end, the company commits to investing in the best machines and systems available for its unique setup, implementing an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and a host of other technologies that provide transparency across the board. The reward has been worth the capital outlay, as Frisco Woodline’s goals are now more clearly defined and better aligned while customers reap the benefits.
“There are things that we want to be cutting-edge on, and then there are things that we don’t want to be the guinea pigs on,” Agarwal explains. “Our enterprise planning resource system is, in my opinion, best-in-class in our industry.”
While the company has experienced vigorous growth as of late, its next aim is to ease into doubling in size over the next 36 months. In the process, the team is also looking at practical ways staff members can directly benefit from such expansion by becoming stakeholders in its future prosperity.
To achieve this, continuous education and professional development are key priorities. “We’re creating a culture of learning,” Agarwal says about the daily reflection sessions employees engage in to identify areas where they can improve and where they excel in their craft. “We try to be problem solvers for any wood product. If this is something someone hasn’t heard about, we’re here to help with that,” he continues, highlighting how much he appreciates the caliber of the team.
By supporting each other’s successes and lending a helping hand to avoid failures, this tight-knit group of people are dedicated to their customers’ success as much as their own. Agarwal uses an old African proverb to describe this commitment: “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.”
As part of maintaining a healthy business landscape, Frisco Woodline is also committed to supporting its community. From rebuilding projects in Montgomery County, Maryland to supporting the National Association of Women in Construction—of which Mendiratta was recently appointed President for the next year—the team’s list of favorite charities and community organizations is hefty. One of NAWIC’s most exciting events—in which its new President takes great joy—is a free girls’ camp where teenage girls are educated in the possibilities that the construction industry provides women. Careers in this industry allow them to take care of their families while earning a good living working on building sites. Agarwal is also on the board of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Metro Washington and other organizations that receive the company’s support.
At Frisco Woodline, the team is driven by achieving new and challenging ways of applying wood, metal, and an ever-evolving selection of materials in residential and commercial projects. Therefore, diversifying its skills and capabilities has become a consistent and core part of the company’s vision. “The future holds a lot of opportunity for us,” Agarwal says.
