Ramsey Purchasing: Staying Power
Hospitality Solutions
Written by Amanda Gaines   
Sunday, 01 March 2009
Ramsey Purchasing: Staying Power
This hospitality purchasing company has been in business long enough to know what it takes to guarantee client satisfaction.
Premier Business Partners:

Cheng Meng Furniture
MDC
There are hundreds of hospitality purchasing companies in the US, but few have shown the staying power of Ramsey Purchasing. Established in 1987 by Jennifer Ramsey, this San Francisco-based company has managed to stick around by going above and beyond industry expectations.

“There are basics every client expects and that every purchasing agency says it will accomplish: projects will be on schedule, on budget, and furnished to client expectations,” said Ramsey, president. “We work closely with our clients and the designers to ensure we’re not only on target but also ahead of the mark on quality and savings.”

Ramsey Purchasing: Staying Power
Jennifer Ramsey, president
Ramsey Purchasing takes a client’s designer’s specifications and bids them out to appropriate manufacturers with a clear focus on design needs and budget restrictions. The company started out working with the Kimpton brand, creating design-driven boutique hotels with unique specifications in a time when boutique wasn’t a household word. Because it started out with such challenging projects, the company understands how to partner design with a streamlined purchasing process.

“An owner pays a lot of money for design, so the design needs to be realized,” said Ramsey. “Our job is to bid it so we know our clients—the owners and the developers—get the best value available.”

If a price comes in too high, Ramsey Purchasing works with the vendors and designers on behalf of its clients to negotiate better prices. The company will also manage budgets, payments, invoices, strike-offs, shop drawings, and schedules for its clients. In this way, Ramsey Purchasing separates itself from the pack by willingly taking on project management responsibilities rather than simply buying FF&E (furniture, fixtures, and equipment).

“We do more than cut an order because everything is customized with our clients,” said Ramsey. “We don’t do rollout projects of 50 hotels going up looking exactly the same. We do unique properties, and we walk our clients throughout the entire process.”

Satisfaction guaranteed
Ramsey Purchasing also takes on the responsibility of guiding its clients through the design process from a fiduciary perspective. The company does not work on a dealer model, meaning it does not buy and resell FF&E items on behalf of its clients. It does, however, act like the company’s purchasing office, helping clients make logical choices that remain true to their original vision.

“At the end of the day, the designer’s intent is of paramount importance, but budget or vendor quality may not always permit us to buy exactly as specified,” Ramsey said. “Our responsibility is to our owner clients to make sure they’re getting the right price for the time with the right quality.”

Ramsey acknowledges the company’s expertise does not stretch through every manufacturing detail of all items it purchases and can’t always guarantee vendors will work out, but through contractual wording in every purchase order, the company can hold vendors responsible for the quality of their products. Ramsey Purchasing does guarantee that in each instance and for each project, she and her 11-person team will do what it takes to make sure the owners and vendors are satisfied with the process and that each side is protected.
 
In recent years, environmental regulations have started playing a larger role in property development and design. Although it was not a requirement, one of Ramsey Purchasing’s vice presidents, Alan Gordon, became LEED certified to help clients sort through the rules and regulations inherent to project development in California.

From furniture to carpets and wall coverings, Ramsey said clients have increasingly shown interest in understanding how to comply with new regulations, and Gordon’s certification enables the company to stay ahead of the game. “One of our clients talked to us about helping write the standards for their furnishing programs,” Ramsey said. “It’s something Gordon can now handle, which means our customer will walk away from the project feeling satisfied.”

More than a pretty picture
One of Ramsey Purchasing’s greatest challenges today is scheduling. Bringing client costs in under budget is always a priority and sometimes a challenge, but Ramsey said the company is consistently able to give its clients a product that meets and exceeds expectations.

“Our biggest challenge is scheduling because there are so many variables involved now,” she said. “Nothing is made in the next state over or down the street anymore.”

The economy has also posed challenges, but not in slowing down Ramsey Purchasing’s business pipeline. Ramsey still receives requests for proposals on a weekly basis, and the company’s phone still rings off the hook. However, customers are more challenged with securing the funds to complete their projects, which means things might change in the near future.

One of the company’s secret weapons is an adage Ramsey developed when she founded Ramsey Purchasing: be solution based. Having worked in the industry for more than 30 years, she sees stronger and more effective results from leaving intimidation behind and working collaboratively.

“If you have enough time to do your job adequately, you can stay calm,” she said. “Sometimes it’s more challenging to stay on top of it all and come up with solutions, but if there is a problem, you need to let a client know and come up with solutions at the same time.”

The feelings Ramsey hopes clients take away from interactions they have with Ramsey Purchasing are comfort, confidence, and satisfaction. The company, she said, is not simply about creating a pretty picture. “We’re about completing projects in an efficient, businesslike fashion that always considers the end result,” she concluded.
 
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