November 15, 2008
by Hank Russell, Patchogue Medford News

One of the ways a business survives is by adapting to changes within its industry. Triangle Building Products Corp., which has been around for 15 years, was able to do just that, having been formed in response to changes in the residential building products industry. In 1936, Island Coal and Lumber was formed. The company operated a lumber yard in the Medford area. In 1970, Abe Meltzer of Triangle Pacific Corporation purchased Island Coal and Lumber, which was responsible for the growth of Medford and the surrounding areas during the 1970s. Meltzer's son, Bruce, puchased the lumber yard in the late 1970s and operated the yard independently.

During that time through the early 1990s, Triangle Pacific became a major leader in lumber and building products in the housing construction industry. As the company grew, a new division was added which introduced pre-fabricated housing components to Long Island. Over time, Triangle Pacific grew into 10 locations in New York and New Jersey until 1992.

But with the retail home products industry becoming more competitive and with the emergence of big-box stores such as Home Depot, the company was re-formed as Triangle Building Products Corp. in 1993. Focused on serving the needs of the modern-day builder on Long Island, Triangle Building Products provides a diverse range of products such as manufactured trusses and wall panels, lumber, millwork and cabinetry.

For lumber supplies, Triangle Building Products ships the product from its eight-acre lumber yard in Medford to the job site. According to the company, more than 30 million board feet of lumber is delivered each year. Some of the lumber products the company offers includes framing lumber, plywood, treated lumber, siding/exterior trim, engineered wood products, composite decking/railing and hardware and fasteners.

In addition to lumber products, Triangle Building Products also offers a wide selection of doors and windows. Some of the brand-name doors include Simpson, Jeld-wen, Rogue Valley, Thermatru and Masonite. Brand-name windows include Vetter, Marvin, Integrity, Silverline, Insuladome and Velux. Moldings and millworks are provided, with names like Fypon, HB&G, Turncraft, Crown, Azek Trimboards, White River, Garden State Lumber, Duraflex and Flex Trim.

For kitchens and bathrooms, Triangle provides its customers with an extensive choice of cabinets and countertops. Customers can choose from laminate or solid surface countertops; some of the solid surfaces include man-made quartz materials, acrylic solid surfaces, granite/marble and cultured/marble.

What separates Triangle from the rest of the pack, according to the company, is its "Total Package Concept." The company complies with all New York State building and residential codes, or the building code of the state in which the product will be installed. It features a union shop with general liability insurance, and active in-house quality control and safety programs.In the construction process, Triangle's component division takes part in an engineering submittal process, and design review conferences. In the post-construction process, the company evaluates the construction process and -- together with the framing contractor, the general contractor, project architect and project engineer -- attempts to improve the component design and installation methods. Triangle also offers pre-construction framing workshops, and on-site project management and installation education and instruction.

Triangle also offers a stringent customer service policy, the company says. The company features on-site assessment within 24 hours or less, and an action plan and remedy within 48 hours.

For more information, call (631) 654-3500, or visit www.trianglebp.com.