Chattanooga's Assemblers Inc. specializes in putting together the nation's stuff

photo Glenn Presswood secures equipment inside of a new van as he prepares to take it back to Houston, Texas, where he is based, on Friday, Nov. 21, 2014, at the headquarters of Assemblers, Inc., in Chattanooga, Tenn. The company sends technicians to assemble basketball goals, trampolines, and similar items for homeowners or retail chains.

Mike Giaccone could, admittedly, talk all day about Assemblers Inc., the company he founded in Chattanooga in 1997 and the one he currently leads as president and CEO.

On Friday, he talked about the company's history and goals and alongside Brian Edgar, operations manager, the two observed the company's latest vehicle fleet additions: 10 tall Dodge Ram utility vans the same color as Friday's clear, late November sky.

It was likely a one-time-only thing, seeing all the vans in the same place at the same time. Assemblers Inc. works in cities across the U.S. and keeps satellite offices all over. When Friday afternoon rolled around, the new fleet vans rolled out, headed to places like Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Atlanta, Nashville and so on.

"This is a big investment," said Giaccone, glancing over his shoulder at the half-million-dollar vehicle investment.

Giaccone has quietly built one of the largest companies of its kind in the country from Chattanooga. Assemblers Inc. specializes in putting together the things that customers buy at major retailers like Academy Sports + Outdoors, Home Depot, Walmart, Kmart and Toys R Us, among others.

There are 40 employees at the Chattanooga office alone, and 1,200 assembly technicians spread elsewhere around the country. In the peak season (spring and Memorial Day), the company has hired up to an additional 1,000 additional hands to help out.

photo President and CEO Mike Giaccone, right, and Brian Edgar talk near new vans Friday, Nov. 21, 2014, at the headquarters of Assemblers, Inc., in Chattanooga, Tenn. The company sends technicians to assemble basketball goals, trampolines, and similar items for homeowners or retail chains.

Financially, the company is thriving, but Giaccone declined to reveal hard numbers on Friday.

Assemblers Inc. technicians put together all sorts of things: bicycles, picnic tables, workout equipment, gun safes, basketball goals and even metal sheds.

"It's all right there," said Edgar on Friday, pointing out the "We put it all together" slogan on the rear door of an Assemblers van.

Assemblers Inc. employees joke among themselves when describing the company's services, with a nod to the sometimes-tedious job of assembling things with hundreds of tiny pieces, or with holes that don't always line up correctly -- there's a reason folks call in professional help when it comes time to assemble grills and playsets.

"If it's got screws, we do it," said Edgar.

Assemblers Inc. technicians at this point mostly do in-store assembly jobs, putting together items for retailers at their big box locations for display purposes or for shelf sales. That makes up about 60 percent of the business right now.

The company also works with retailers to deliver purchased items to customers' homes, where Assemblers Inc.'s in-home techs actually put the stuff together, for a little extra money at checkout.

Giaccone thinks the company's new fleet vehicles will be specifically useful tools for its in-home assembly service, which currently accounts for about 30 percent business, and counting.

Last year, the company did about 25,000 in-home assembly jobs.

Having a clean, clearly-labelled vehicle show up at customers' homes provides a sense of security, he said. The new vans are also customized with space and equipment to make Assemblers in-home technicians' lives easier.

The vans are equipped with rear-mounted fold-up ramps capable of holding 1,300 pounds, and heavy-duty moving dollies that make it possible for one man to move heavy objects alone, even up and down stairs.

Having a dozen or so rolling advertisements visible on America's highways doesn't hurt, either. All the new vans are wrapped in a blue coat, with Assemblers Inc.'s phone number, website, logo and services visible.

Since traditional marketing attempts have fallen flat, Assemblers no longer bothers with Yellow Pages listings. Giaccone said Friday that most consumers don't think to look for "professional assemblers" when they are up to their elbows in nuts, bolts and gaskets, because it's such an unfamiliar industry.

"A lot of people don't know about this business," he said.

Even so, Giaccone knows what he has in Assemblers Inc., and he thinks there are bright days ahead. He thinks professional assembly is a billion-dollar industry.

Friday afternoon, technicians from across the country sat in a small conference room at Assembly Inc.'s 5,600-square-foot office, owned outright by Giaccone.

They were being briefed on the new vans and equipment, including smartphones and tablets going into use to cut out paper work and allow the company to watch who is where and doing what at all times, updated in real time, from the national headquarters in Chattanooga.

"We want to make sure they're fired up about this," said Giaccone.

A former retail guy himself, Giaccone believes that Assemblers Inc.'s understanding of retailers' wants coupled with the company's demand for quality has set it apart and quietly boosted it to where it is today -- as of Friday, a leader in the industry with its newest state-of-the-art equipment and technology.

"I'm expecting nothing but success for these trucks," he said Friday. "This kind of puts us as a leader in the industry. That's what we want to be."

Contact staff writer Alex Green at agreen@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6480.

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