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Marc Cardinaux founded Building Material Specialties Inc. in a 700-square-foot building. He recalls making sales calls and answering the phone in the mornings and buying supplies and making deliveries to customers in the afternoons. It was 1984 and, technology being what it was back then, he installed a phone in the bathroom so he wouldn鈥檛 miss a call.

鈥淭his was before cellphones and even before fax machines, and we always wanted to be available to our customers when they needed us,鈥� he said. 鈥淓conomically, things were a little depressed still, but we picked a good time to start the company because people wanted to develop business ties.鈥�

Building Material Specialties (BMS) has come a long way; now it occupies a 50,000-square-foot building in Hillsboro. Cardinaux is planning to retire in April, but he has learned myriad lessons that have positioned BMS for ongoing success. He鈥檚 found enduring needs for stellar customer service and reinvestment of profits to grow the company. But BMS also has benefited from efforts to keep up with advances in technology as well as create a profit-sharing plan for employees, he said.

Cardinaux founded BMS after working in the building materials industry for seven years and watching his previous employer go through turmoil. Cardinaux separated himself from that situation and took a three-month break to think about his next career steps. Customers he had gotten to know over the years encouraged him to start his own commercial building materials company.

鈥淚 had a real desire to fulfill customers鈥� needs,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was very customer-oriented and that spurred me to think about how important service is and that is what automatically led to success in sales.鈥�

Equipped with a high school education and two years in the U.S. Army, Cardinaux dug deep into his sense of motivation to succeed. He had no real business plan but knew that just one of seven new businesses survived the first year. Each year, his goal was to put all his profits back into the company and stay in business for another year.

鈥淲e started on a shoestring with no money, so every month was a struggle to just make overhead,鈥� he said, noting the company started with two people and now employs 76. 鈥淓very year we added incrementally and it鈥檚 the people who made that possible. It is up to the founder to surround himself with people who are smarter than he is, and that鈥檚 what helped us get to the point where we鈥檙e at today.鈥�

In addition to hiring more employees, the subcontracting company moved into larger digs in Hillsboro and added Door, Frames, Hardware and Specialties divisions. Its services include fabrication, project management, custom design, delivery, and installation. Forty years after Cardinaux made a commitment to customer service, BMS continues to search for ways to make it better.

鈥淲e started in an industry that was underserved and service is our most important product,鈥� Cardinaux said. 鈥淚 think the key to our success is that we鈥檙e always trying to improve. Once you think you are doing it right is when you find out that there is more that you can do.鈥�

Cardinaux added that BMS鈥� ability to adapt to new technologies has been essential. He recalled using seven carbon copies for each project during the 1980s and 鈥�90s, when everything was on paper. Today, all BMS systems are automated 鈥� and there is no longer a need for a phone in the bathroom.

Among Cardinaux鈥檚 best business decisions, he said, was implementing a profit-sharing plan and encouraging his employees to participate and feel a sense of ownership in BMS. That includes his son, Richard Cardinaux, who works in the company鈥檚 estimating department.

鈥淭hat was a very successful route to take because if the company makes a profit, the employees who contributed to its success also profit,鈥� Marc Cardinaux said. 鈥淭he future of BMS will depend on the company itself and the people who become a part of the business. My idea originally was not to leave a legacy company for family, but a legacy for people who want to continue the company as key leaders and become owners in the future.鈥�

Cardinaux advised aspiring business owners to 鈥渘ever say never鈥� and make sure they don鈥檛 take anything for granted. 鈥淚 would also tell them to give their people some stake in what it is they are trying to accomplish and make all of their employees stakeholders in their business,鈥� he added.

Josh Jorgensen, BMS鈥� general manager, is among those who have benefited from Cardinaux鈥檚 mentorship and will carry that knowledge as a leader of the company moving forward. 鈥淢arc is an impassioned leader who doesn鈥檛 hesitate to help,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hether that鈥檚 lending advice or jumping in a truck to make a delivery, he鈥檚 there for you.鈥�

Gene Zurbrugg, founder of Zurbrugg Construction in Hillsboro, is a longtime customer of BMS and described Cardinaux as 鈥渄ependable, straight as an arrow and a real good guy.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檝e dealt with Marc for many, many years, and he started that company from scratch and has made it a real successful business,鈥� Zurbrugg said. 鈥淗e delivers materials on time and when he should, and that鈥檚 rare in business these days. We鈥檝e been real happy with him.鈥�