Josh Pettus is not only president of Pettus Workplace Solutions in Little Rock; he is arguably the reason the business exists. Before he was born, he said, his parents, Lynn and Amanda Pettus, lived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where his father called on retailers from the manufacturing side of the office supply industry.
“He learned the business but always knew he wanted to get back to Little Rock and be closer to our family,” Josh Pettus said. “In March of 1989, I was born, and my parents decided that it’s now or never. When I was six months old, my parents launched the business, and the rest is history.”
The company has undergone numerous transitions throughout the years, changing its name from Pettus Office World to Pettus Office City, Pettus Office Products and, now, Pettus Workplace Solutions.
Various other changes have taken shape since Pettus joined the company straight out of college 15 years ago. In 2005, he said, office products such as paper, toner, filing and pens made up about three-quarters of the revenue. Office furniture made up 20 percent, and janitorial supplies comprised the remaining 5 percent.
“Our revenues have increased significantly in all categories; however, it’s interesting to note the growth of each category,” he said. “Our increased focus on becoming a single-source provider for all workplace products has driven our growth over the last four or five years.”
A business-to-business provider of office products, office furniture, janitorial products, breakroom supplies, managed print services, safety products and more, Pettus said the company prides itself on being a one-stop-shop for everything a business needs.
“If we do not currently stock it, we will source it for you, warehouse it and supply it free with next-day delivery,” he said.
Pettus Workplace Solutions competes against not only other local businesses but some of the biggest names in the industry, including Amazon, Staples, Office Depot, Imperial Dade and Brady/Envoy. Despite that, the 65-person business continues to thrive, Pettus said.
“Our people and processes continue to win against the big guys,” he said. “If you are the CEO or [chief financial officer] of a company in Arkansas, you should make it a top initiative to do business with Arkansas-based companies. No matter what industry you are in, we are most likely fighting similar battles and winning in the majority of cases.”
Like many business leaders, he named the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the greatest challenges the company has faced.
“In 2019, we had our best year ever. We felt great about the future of the economy and our opportunities,” he said. “However, in 2020, our management team held an emergency meeting on a Sunday night, saying, ‘I can’t believe this is happening, but our employees need to work from home for the foreseeable future.’”
The economy was booming, and the business had record sales, he said. In an instant, jubilance turned to fear about not only the future of the business, but the well-being of the employees.
“Fortunately, we were to continue doing business as an essential business, and we were able to source product for our customers that most of our competitors were unable to do throughout the shortages of 2020 and 2021,” he said. “I think I’m most proud of the fact that we were able to keep everyone at Pettus employed and still provide the goods and services our customers needed to keep going.”
As a small business owner, it is difficult to rank one’s accomplishments, he said, but he said his second-proudest achievement is growing the company into one of the largest office solutions providers in the region while maintaining a low rate of turnover.
“Most of the Pettus employees have tenures of at least 10 years, and we feel like that’s a big advantage in the marketplace,” he said. “Although I am biased, I am extremely proud of our e-commerce platform. With our design and B2B procurement rules, there’s no other company in the country that can rival what we can do, and we are right here in the great state of Arkansas.”
Mergers and acquisitions are an essential component of the company’s growth strategy, he said, adding that he hopes to continue expanding the company while remaining close to home.
“I believe Arkansas is a great place to live, work and provide for your family,” he said, “so we have a couple of projects on the horizon to expand our footprint throughout the state.”
He added that the company has invested heavily in support for its sales, design and customer service teams, and he expressed particular gratitude for Eric Pettus, general manager, Tony Mulligan, vice president of furniture and Cole Wilson, vice president of the janitorial division. Josh Pettus also expressed gratitude for his wife, Audra Pettus, director of design.
“My good buddies joke and compare us to the show ‘The Office,’ but I assure you that in reality, we wish it was like that on some days,” he said. “Try turning around an office furniture bid with zero specifications in 24 hours — Audra and Tony have done it many times.”
Although he said he could probably write a novel about the lessons he has learned during his time in the business, the most important one is there is always time for family.
“Family is everything to our company,” he said. “My parents started the culture, and now, almost every function of our business practices this value. Anytime you need to take off for a family event, kids soccer game, etc., we want you to do that.”
He has three daughters, Paisley, Lennon and Rowen, and although he hopes they will continue the family business one day, he said he will support any career path they choose.
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