Firm plys its trade on growth index | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

Internet savvy, a national approach to sales and "exceptional value" has guided a Masterton plywood products firm through the recession and on to the coveted Deloitte Fast 50 growth index.

Trading as the Plyguy, Gracewood Trading Co. was the only Wairarapa firm on the annual list and also picked up the award for the fastest consumer or retail growth in the lower North Island.

Sandwiched between Wellington's Tuatara Brewery and Auckland telecommunications provisions outfit Digital Island, the Ngaumutawa Road firm took out 40th spot with a healthy 184.55 per cent annual growth.

After only three years in business manager director Stephen Yeats said the cornerstone of success was "exceptional value - so much so that most of our business is from outside of the region.

"People are coming from around the country to us, and we have a truck come in daily to pick up orders to go to the most obscure locations," including an order from the Chatham Islands on Friday.

"Our competitive advantage is that we will deliver a heavy pack of plywood to a house in suburban Auckland without that customer having to source a trailer and fight the traffic to fetch it themselves."

Mr Yeats has a background in environmental science, and as a consequence, the company has a strong environmental ethic.

In 2009 Plyguys developed a range of sheds, studios and small buildings and also make "all sorts of weird stuff like headstones for pets."

Because of high quality products, good value and access to local wood resources Mr Yeats anticipates growth will continue in the manufacturing side of the business.

The business has also created three skilled jobs over the past five years and currently employs 5.5 full time staff and more casual staff depending on how things get.

"We consider ourselves to be retailers, first and foremost - almost all our sales are direct to end users.

"The internet, and especially Trademe, has been good to us, opening up a much larger market than traditional retailers have access to - ninety per cent of our business is done outside the region and Auckland is our biggest market - people find us.

"Combine a large warehouse in Masterton, a rich local source of wood, a good contract with a freight company, some internet marketing expertise and you have a winning combination," Mr Yeats said.

Masterton honey firm Watson and Son topped the list last year but have not returned this year.

Interestingly it's another honey manufacturer - Dunedin's New Zealand Honey Co. - at Number One in 2009 with almost 1000 per cent revenue growth.