With insights from his uncle who worked in the office furniture business, Ryan Borne started his company, Office Liquidators, 27 years ago. Housed in a 15,000-square-foot showroom located in Brooklyn Park, Office Liquidators provides high-quality new and used office furniture, as well as space planning, moving services and nationwide shipping.
“We’re fortunate to have a great team,” Ryan explained. “My brother and my sales staff provide the customer service, while our delivery team sets up all the furniture and equipment.
“While most of our business is centered in Minnesota, we have customers in the Dakotas, Wisconsin and Iowa, too. Many of our customers are in the banking, real estate and insurance industries,” he added.
When it comes to office furniture, Ryan has learned that selling locally and maintaining a healthy inventory is critical.
“Having a web presence is essential,” he explained, “and we also have a substantial physical location to accommodate our large inventory. Those factors have been keys to our success.”
Another key to the company’s success has been his relationship with Sherry Valley, senior commercial lender at Minnesota Lakes Bank.
“Sherry was our loan agent when we bought this building 7 years ago,” Ryan explained, “and she was great to work with. When she left Wells Fargo to take a job at Minnesota Lakes Bank, I quickly realized her personalized service made my banking experience what it was. It was an easy decision to transition my banking to Minnesota Lakes Bank.”
Sherry helped Office Liquidators navigate a first-round PPP loan, which Ryan credits with helping keep the doors open at the time. She also helped the company secure an SBA loan, enabling them to refinance their initial mortgage while upgrading the building roof and installing a new HVAC system.
“In addition to helping with the business loans, another aspect of the banking relationship that I’ve appreciated is their online banking services,” Ryan continued. “Their check scanning feature has been trouble-free, and that’s made our life easier.
“Sherry responds when I call and visits when she needs to,” Ryan added. “It’s always easy to take the call when I see Sherry’s number on caller ID.”