Room to spare for storage

Bradford S. Dean has been promoted to CEO and Joseph Iovini to President of Dean Warehouse Services, Inc. They are shown here, with company founder Bradford A. Dean, at the Warwick warehouse./From left, Joseph Iovini, president, Brad A. Dean, founder, and Brad S. Dean, CEO./ PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
BRADFORD S. DEAN has been promoted to CEO and Joseph Iovini to President of Dean Warehouse Services, Inc. They are shown here, with company founder Bradford A. Dean, at the Warwick warehouse. From left, Joseph Iovini, president, Brad A. Dean, founder, and Brad S. Dean, CEO./ PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

In July, Dean Warehouse Services Inc. added another location in Rhode Island, purchasing an empty, 175,000-square-foot building in the Hopkinton village of Ashaway.

The site has already attracted interest from a Connecticut company with a need for off-site storage and distribution, and represents another strategic acquisition for Dean, whose holdings now include more than 2 million square feet of space on the East Coast and West Coast.

The family-owned company has eight locations in Rhode Island, including a 600,000-square-foot warehouse on Jefferson Boulevard in Warwick, near T.F. Green Airport.

The warehouse business is more sophisticated than it may seem.

- Advertisement -

Investments in technology and purchase of strategic locations have allowed Dean to accelerate its growth, according to company officials, and compete effectively because it owns its locations.

One of the reasons for Dean’s growth in the past five years, according to Vice President Joe Iovini, was a decision to invest in modern technology, specifically a program called Web Synapse, which allows its customers to view online, real-time data on transactions involving inventory and distribution.

“We knew a number of years back that it was all about technology resources and having a robust system,” Iovini said.

The technology allows Dean to provide its customers with reports containing highly detailed information. It has attracted companies that need current information about logistics.

Many customers, particularly retail clients, need detailed, timely information to make staffing and distribution decisions.

“They don’t want to have the shelves empty. They want to maximize return, sell more product,” Iovini said. “Managing the flow of goods from vendor to consumer.”

The company, which began in 1980, has its roots in transportation and trucking. Brad Dean Sr., the CEO, started Danis Transportation in Cumberland.

The company has evolved since to emphasize warehousing, and it has the size and flexibility to accommodate both large and small companies.

Some clients do not have space or a desire to branch into distribution and storage, or want to save their capital for their core business. Some clients have a temporary need for space. Others need storage year-round.

Dean Warehouse Services can provide the transportation of goods, or it can prepare goods for pickup at the warehouse by other retailers.

Responsiveness to client needs is the primary reason why Dean expanded to the West Coast.

A large client that imports from the Pacific Rim wanted to have a facility near the West Coast ports to distribute goods to its clients. Six years ago, Dean purchased its first facility in California. It now has three sites servicing customers near Los Angeles and Long Beach.

“That business has grown dramatically,” Iovini said. •

No posts to display