“I’m fulfilling my dad and uncle’s dream of having a store in Petaluma once again.” —Bill Friedman
From the age of five, Bill Friedman grew up following his father, Benny Friedman, around Friedman Brothers, the hardware store that Benny and his brother, Joe, founded in Petaluma in 1946. “My father would take me to work with him when I was little, and now I’m the president, CEO and chairman of the board. Except for the years I went away to college, I’ve worked my whole life in the company.”
The “company” is now known as Friedman’s Home Improvement, a three-store (soon to be four) dynasty based in Sonoma County. The original owners’ second and third generations now run the show. In 1985, Benny and Joe transitioned leadership to their youngest brother, Harry, and to Benny’s son, Bill. Today, Bill partners with his son, Barry, in operating the stores.
Asked about receiving the most votes in this year’s Best Business Community Leader poll, Bill Friedman responded with a hearty laugh. “I ran for class president in the sixth grade and didn’t get any votes. But I’m usually working behind the scenes, and I don’t see myself in the same light as others see me.”
The Friedman’s stores in Santa Rosa, Sonoma and Ukiah will be joined next year by a 78,000-square-foot home improvement center in Petaluma at the new Deer Creek Village shopping center along North McDowell Boulevard. The groundbreaking is scheduled this month, with the store expected to open in spring 2014.
Fitting, since Petaluma was where it all started for this family business, “but we had to close that store in 1976, when I was in my 20s,” says Friedman, now 65. “We didn’t own the property, the buildings were dilapidated and our insurance company wouldn’t cover us anymore. Business skyrocketed at the Santa Rosa store, but we never had a chance to return to Petaluma—until now. So I’m fulfilling my dad and uncle’s dream of having a store in Petaluma once again. It feels good to be going back to our roots.”
Thirty years ago, the Friedmans were one of 12 local families who worked together to buy the property (and building) that became the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, a world-class concert hall now known as Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, and give it to the community. In 1988, Joe and Benny Friedman, along with Benny’s wife, Rosemary, built the Friedman Event Center in Bennett Valley, a busy and popular venue created for the community. “Opening that center was one of my dad’s happiest, most shining moments,” says Friedman. “My uncle, Harry, my wife, Suzie, and I are now trustees.”
The Friedman family philosophy has always been to “take care of the communities that have taken care of you,” with its focus on helping at-risk children, seniors and the less fortunate. “When you buy at a Friedman’s store, you’re also helping others in your own community,” says Friedman, adding that his family and employees all believe strongly in shopping and living locally, and supporting local charities and causes. “We don’t sit behind desks and just give away money. We give of ourselves, too.”
One of Bill Friedman’s most passionate causes is the Schools Plus program, an all-volunteer group that helps fund sports, music, art and drama for students in Santa Rosa’s public secondary schools. “Schools Plus was started in my garage by a group of people, so I was one of the founding members. And as a company, [Friedman’s] remains very proud of the money we raise during the annual Freidman’s Schools Plus golf tournament.”
Redwood Empire Food Bank and Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) are two other nonprofits near and dear to Friedman’s heart. He co-chaired the capital campaign that helped the Food Bank procure and move into larger quarters near the Sonoma County Airport last month. For SAY, he’s working with other community leaders to arrange for the donation and rehabilitation of the former Warrack Hospital in Santa Rosa, currently owned by Sutter Medical Center. If the deal comes together, the site will be turned into a SAY Youth Opportunity Center to benefit some of the approximately 700 children “who are living under bridges every night in Sonoma County,” he says. “We want to bring them in and help them get back on their feet.”
Friedman has pulled back a bit from the family business in anticipation of Barry moving into his role soon. “My dad handed the keys to me when it was my time, and I’ll be handing the keys over to Barry. That way, we can make sure to carry on the dreams of our founding family members.”
Friedman’s young grandson (age 5)––Barry’s son––knows where his dad works, and he may be the one to lead the company when the time is right. “But it won’t be up to me to decide,” says Bill. Meanwhile, he adds brightly, “I love the business and what I’m doing. I honestly feel better today than when I was 40. Age is all in the mind.”
