TRADE NAMES: All A Board makes durable furniture

Andy Barth, Kenny Harris, Bill Burford and Walter Etheridge had worked for years at the Pine Factory, a manufacturer and retailer of crate-style furniture.

But the Ashland-based company shut down in 1996.

The four managers decided to start their own pine furniture manufacturing company, All A Board, months before the Pine Factory closed.

"The Pine Factory was primarily a retail business with storefronts. We started All A Board with commercial sales only," said Barth, who had worked in the commercial sales division at Pine Factory. "We were receiving orders for furniture as Pine Factory was closing down."

All A Board makes and sells durable and functional pine furniture from its plant in eastern Henrico County.

It sells those products — from dorm room beds and desks to sofas, coffee tables and dining room tables and chairs — directly to commercial customers on a contract basis. Those customers include colleges, group homes, firehouses, children's psychiatric centers, drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, domestic abuse shelters and resorts.

Some of its wood furniture comes with cushions. It now also offers a line of upholstered sofas, loveseats, chairs and ottomans.

When Barth and his partners started the company, they marketed their furniture to "every conceivable entity" that would buy their products. The company received orders from Virginia Commonwealth University and James Madison University.

"That carried us through," Barth said.

At first, the partners were responsible for everything from sales and purchasing to loading and driving trucks.

"We got busy enough where it was too much," Barth said. "We started hiring drivers and focusing on our own areas. I think that helped us take off."

The company ships primarily within the contiguous United States. A small percentage of its business is international.

"Early on, we had strong sales in the Northeast," Barth said. "I felt that wasn't healthy. If our relationship with our manufacturer's rep ended there, we would be hurt. We started selling all over and learning how to ship out via common carrier. I traveled to national conferences for associations on the state, regional and national level to meet people from all around the U.S."

All A Board's customers include St. Joseph's Villa, the Barry Robinson Center in Norfolk and Chesterfield County Fire and EMS.

"There are very few things in this world that are firefighter-proof, and their furniture is one of those things," said Jeff Tignor, the fixed-facilities coordinator for Chesterfield County Fire and EMS.

Revenue at All A Board was up 30 percent at the end of 2011 compared with the end of 2009.

"This year looks very promising," Barth said. "I can tell by the inquiries."

Sales also increased in 2000 when Richmond-based This End Up Furniture Co., which pioneered the crate-style furniture industry, closed its retail and manufacturing operations.

"We were receiving fax orders from companies we didn't even know," Barth said.

About five years ago, All A Board began venturing into different markets and new product lines, which also has boosted sales.

"We started talking about expanding, offering more than manufactured wood furniture," Barth said. "We got into a metal line, an upholstered line and a unique mattress line. We developed our portfolio."

Lisa Wasmer, executive director of Caring Hands Inc., a Maryland-based residential agency that cares for people with intellectual disabilities, likes the service she receives from All A Board.

"I can always get hold of Andy, and he remembers what I ordered last time," she said. "I'm not dealing with a different person every time I call. I get that small-business attention."

Stephen Parson Jr., executive director of YES Behavioral Health Inc. in Richmond, finds All Aboard to be very attentive to the needs of his organization.

"They are very knowledgeable and very responsive," he said. "The population we serve is hard on furniture. We used to have to replace furniture every six months. Most of their pieces last for several years."