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expanding into new market
7/25

Website: lagunabamboo.com
I am interested in expanding my brand into the New York area and have been considering a few possibilities for my expansion. I have created a niche market by specializing in working exclusively with bamboo. See project gallery posting 6/04/2010 http://www.woodweb.com/galleries/project/posts/2769.html. I currently manufacture in California but am fortunate that I get projects throughout the U.S.
I believe it is important to have a physical presence in the New York area to expand my business there. I am considering setting up a shop, sharing a shop where I can set up a small display or showroom, or seeing if I can set up a strategic alliance with an existing company that can handle my east coast production.
Does anyone have thoughts or experience with what I am trying to do? I am also interested in finding a sales rep on the east coast to rep my line -- any suggestions on the best way to find a good rep?
7/26 #3: expanding into new market ...

Website: http://www.woodweb.com
You are welcome to use WOODWEB's Job Opportunities Exchange to post an "offering employment" listing. Also, you can browse the current listings to see if there are any "seeking employment" listings that might fill your needs.
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7/26 #4: expanding into new market ...

You might want to take a look at a company called HenryBuilt. They have a fairly typical product line (similar to yours) yet distinguish themselves with great marketing.
They ship their product cross-country and merchandize with a vigorous retail presence in at least a couple of major cities.
They re-branded somewhat by offering a lower priced version with less customer hand holding. They appeared to have rolled this product line out with a fair organized blogging network. Somehow they were "discovered" by about 50 bloggers over the same weekend with the same talking points and photography.
This company has evolved over time and probably still drags some legacy around from the early years. If you were to pick just the nimble parts you could probably earn a pretty good living with this business model.
7/26 #5: expanding into new market ...

Website: lagunabamboo.com
I was in Henrybuilt's New York store about a year ago and I always enjoyed reading through their web site. Thank you for sharing your insights with me ,I think what your telling me has a lot of value.
Richard - Laguna Bamboo
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