[atlas supply company]
Leigh Suffian had no intention of getting involved in the family business, Atlas Supply Company, when she moved back to St. Louis after graduate school. But before she set off to travel, her family gave her a temporary job teaching employees about the new computer system—and she discovered she liked the work. “I found out plumbing was kind of fun,” Suffian says. “There was this decorative side, and we sold to designers. I loved the customers and it just kind of stuck.” More than two decades later, she, her brother and cousin are the third generation to run Atlas.
Suffian’s grandfather and great-uncle opened the plumbing wholesale company in 1937 near the intersection of Vandeventer Avenue and what is now Dr. Martin Luther King Drive. She grew up assisting and playing in the office. “I remember answering phones as a teenager, helping the receptionist, helping to file,” Suffian recalls. “They let us drive those carts around the warehouse.”
She now manages Immerse, a showroom opened in Brentwood in 2011. “We saw this need for a sexy-looking plumbing showroom in St. Louis,” Suffian says. Unlike a traditional warehouse, Immerse is more like a spa, she says. “My job has changed from ‘I sell toilets’ to ‘I help design spaces,’” Suffian says. “People used to close the door to their bathroom to hide it. Now everyone wants to show off these cool bathrooms and kitchens.”
Working with her family, including her father and uncle, who are still involved part time, has been rewarding. “You learn how to capitalize on the family relationships and work together,” Suffian says. “You have the same goals and want the business to succeed. There’s an art and a science to it. I don’t think everyone could work with their family.”
[glik’s]
Back when three-piece suits and bowler hats were fashionable in St. Louis, Glik’s, a men’s clothing store, opened on Broadway. Since 1897, that original haberdashery has closed, but the company has grown to 63 stores in nine states and now sells apparel for men, women and kids.
President and CEO Jeff Glik recounts the origins of the clothing empire: “My grandfather came to his father and said he would like to go into the retail business. His father said, ‘I’ll put you in the business in Madison, Ill., on the other side of river, so it won’t compete.’ When my great-grandfather passed away, the downtown store never reopened, and all the merchandise moved to the Madison store.” Jeff Glik’s father, Joe, inherited the Madison location after leaving the armed forces and graduating from Washington University.
By the time Jeff Glik and his three siblings entered the business in 1979, there were 12 stores throughout Illinois. The Glik kids didn’t automatically acquire ownership, however. “Our father told us, ‘If you choose to work in this business, you have to work elsewhere for at least two years first.’” They fulfilled the requirement, gaining ideas and experience they then used to improve the company.
Today, Glik reports, business is thriving. “We’ve been adding four to five stores a year,” he says. “Our secret sauce is building retail stores in small-town America and in resort towns.” And at age 88, Joe Glik still comes to work every day. “He loves what he does and still has great ideas on how to improve the business,” Jeff Glik says.
It remains to be seen whether Jeff Glik’s kids, nephews and nieces—the fifth generation—will enter retail. “My wife, who has her doctorate in psychology, reminds me they will choose what is their passion,” he says. “But I do think several have an interest in the business.”
[metro lighting]
Flashbacks from days spent at Metro Lighting illuminate Nick Frisella’s childhood memories. Now project manager and director of sustainability, he recalls feasting at company pig roasts in De Soto, Mo., and sweeping warehouse floors during summer breaks. “As a child, I remember playing in the warehouse, messing with these little fuses. For some reason I thought they were the coolest things ever,” Frisella says. “I’m sure the warehouse employees were frustrated having to fix the products my little hands mixed up.” The curious boy grew up to oversee initiatives like recycling and efficient-lighting rebates at his father’s company, which has served St. Louisans for decades.
Metro Lighting’s origins stem from Saint Louis Electric Supply company, founded by George and Nora Connelly in the late 1940s. Jim Frisella and his brother-in-law, Charlie Gagnepain, purchased the business in 1967 and rechristened it Metro Electric Supply. They were soon joined by Frisella’s brother, Bill, who took sole ownership in 1999. The company delivers supplies to electricians and builders and works with residents to create home-lighting plans.
Today, the staff’s family tree looks like a complex electrical circuit. Gagnepain’s son, Matt, is the general manager of the lighting division, while Bill Frisella’s brother, Paul, is the sales manager. Bill Frisella’s daughter, Sarah King, heads the marketing and advertising department. Terry Kunst, daughter of founder Jim Frisella, works as branch coordinator. Another family, the McDonnells, has served the company for years: Mike McDonnell is the former branch, sales and general manager, his son Tim is the general manager, and Tim’s wife, Sam, manages the company’s showroom in Chesterfield Valley.
Nick Frisella is proud to work alongside his father and other family members. “Starting with one location, a garage full of electrical products, we have grown to the largest lighting distributor in the Midwest,” he says. “It’s awesome to know that I played a small role in that.” He’s helped the company prepare for the future by training staff members and clients to adopt environment-friendly practices: Metro Lighting won the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star Excellence in Retailing Award in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014. “I am very proud of the work Metro has done to educate our customers about energy efficient lighting,” he says.
Pictured: members of the Metro Lighting Family
