Delany

Delany Products is a family owned and operated manufacturer of commercial plumbing products known as flush valves.  Established in 1879, they are now into their 4th generation.  Delany is the second oldest manufacturer of flush valves, with their first modern day valve launching in 1927.  Founded in Brooklyn, NY, the company moved to Charlottesville in 1969 and are still at their original location on Avon Street.  

Globalization for the flush valve market began in late 1980s, as a competitor went to offshore manufacturing.  Unfortunately, the old Coyne & Delany did not react to this changing market and by the end of the 1990’s was sliding into trouble.  “We had multiple issues as we entered the new century,” Scott Delany, the current president, says of the old company. “By not adapting to the globalization trend, our business had started to dwindle.”  Adding to the company’s  woes , the price of copper, a major component of plumbing products, rose dramatically. “The company was losing money,” Scott continues. “Eventually, the foundry was closed and three-quarters of the workforce were laid off. It became obvious that the only path forward was restructuring to a complete shift from manufacturing to outsourcing.

“Today, the new Delany Products does all the research and design in-house for their products, but now depends on a network of outside suppliers to make the components,” Scott explains. “We still also do 100 percent of the assembly and final operational testing.”

The company was moving forward with its outsourcing model; then COVID hit. Fortunately for Delany Products, when the pandemic arrived, so did the Central Virginia SBDC. “When the pandemic struck, Rebecca Haydock at the SBDC called to see if she could help,” Scott recalls. “We immediately said — ‘sounds great!’”

While the pandemic raged, the Delany team worked hard on the design and manufacturing of a brand-new patented product.  The Central Virginia SBDC Center Director put the Delany team in touch with a marketing firm to assist with the launch of its new product, TruStop, a patented innovation that saves time and money  for any commercial institution. “The Fellows Group, now our marketing firm, did a tremendous job of helping us design a product launch campaign, as well as helping us completely overhaul and design to a new website,” Scott says.

In addition to the marketing assistance, Rebecca connected Scott with Aaron Miller, the Virginia SBDC’s Director of International Business Development. “Aaron had students from George Mason University do a study of potential markets,” Scott says. “We’ll explore those markets once we build our sales for TruStop in the United States. We really believe TruStop will be a game changer for us.”

Rebecca also offered help with applications for COVID assistance. “We applied for everything we could to keep us afloat during the pandemic,” Scott notes. “Rebecca helped us through all the confusion. Additionally, she put us in touch with Lisa Wood at the Procurement Technical Assistance Center who’s trying to locate government contracts for us.”

With a restructured business model in place and a new product on the market, Scott is hopeful about the future. “This year has seen us deal with surging commodity prices and unprecedented supply-chain issues, resulting in a backlog of business ,” he comments. “With TruStop selling well and another new product launching soon, I am hopeful for 2022 especially if we see a return to some level of normalcy.”

Scott says Rebecca and the SBDC team were at the right place at the right time to make things happen for his company. “The SBDC helped us out at a very critical time during the pandemic,” Scott concludes. “Rebecca Haydock and the SBDC are a great resource.”