BAUCO: This Victoria company really doesn’t want you to see its products
From their shop on Esquimalt’s Devonshire Road, BAUCO has grown from a single local delivery 25 years ago to working with architects, designers and builders across the continent and beyond.
After 25 years in business, BAUCO is a local success story with a huge North American reach – thanks to great employees, fantastic customers, a commitment to the highest principles of quality and design, and products that are virtually invisible and fully customizable.
BAUCO Access Panel Solutions is a manufacturer and distributor of access panels – doors or panels set into drywall to provide access to things like water pipes, electricity, gas, or communications gear.
“Building systems often require access in walls and ceilings that can disrupt a designer’s vision,” explains Walter Riemann, president and founder of BAUCO.
“Our virtually invisible access panels integrate seamlessly into architectural designs providing discreet and functional access when needed.”
Like BAUCO’s products, which are designed to be virtually invisible, there is a bit of a hidden meaning behind the company’s name. The inspiration for BAUCO’s name comes from Germany, where Walter grew up before emigrating to Canada in 1982. “Bauen means to build,” Walter says. “Building company. It’s just that simple.”
From their shop on Esquimalt’s Devonshire Road, BAUCO has grown from a single local delivery 25 years ago to working with architects, designers and builders across the continent and beyond, supplying sites from Hawaii and Newfoundland to New York City and all across the USA, including a three-million-square-foot Apple campus in Austin, Texas.
For Walter, BAUCO’s success is based on the people they hire and their dedication to quality and construction excellence.
“Fifty percent of our business is not manufacturing, but customer service,” Walter says.
“Our team takes care of our customers. Be it a homeowner in Kentucky or a large condominium developer with job sites in five provinces. We give them the right access panel, at the right time, at the right place”.
“We have a great team,” Walter continues. “Everyone, past and present, has contributed to growing the company. Whether they work as accountants, cleaners, forklift drivers, sales and customer service specialists, saw operators, engineers, IT and marketing specialists, shippers, assemblers, credit managers, designers, administrators, production leads, or product testers. We thank them all.”
Part of BAUCO’s ability to successfully service a North American market is due to an excellent world-wide vendor network, Walter says, including sophisticated shippers in Victoria that can deliver products anywhere on time and in perfect condition.
As BAUCO looks back on 25 years of success, its team is also looking forward to the future with a solid 10-year business plan that includes new products, new innovations, and an unbreakable focus on customer service.
“We’ll continue to be a sustainable and confident operator, headquartered in Greater Victoria, that provides employment and great career opportunities for a motivated team,” Walter says.