A Message from Anthony Luciano: Five Practical Ways Contractors Can Protect Margins and Stay Ahead This Season
As we move into the busiest part of the season, many contractors are focused on one thing: keeping crews productive, jobs moving, and customers happy. At the same time, we’re all navigating a market that continues to face operational and material pricing pressures.
Over the past several months, manufacturers across nearly every category have announced price increases driven by higher costs for raw materials, plastics, urea, fuel, freight, and overseas shipping. Ongoing global conflicts and supply chain disruptions continue to put pressure on pricing throughout the industry.
While many are hopeful these challenges will ease, it’s important to understand that pricing doesn’t immediately reverse when market conditions improve. Product already moving through the supply chain was purchased, manufactured, and shipped at today’s higher costs. Even if conditions stabilize tomorrow, those costs will continue working their way through the market for months to come.
The good news? Contractors who plan ahead can still put themselves in a strong position to protect margins, secure inventory, and keep projects moving profitably through the rest of the season.
Here are five ways Central can help:
1. Secure Your Summer Inventory at the Best Possible Price
One of the best saving resources available right now are Central’s Summer Stocking Programs—available across every product category.
We encourage contractors to take a close look at their summer job pipeline and identify the products they’ll need to complete scheduled work throughout the remainder of the season. By securing inventory now, you can lock in the lowest possible pricing and reduce exposure to future increases.
Every year, 30+% of our customers take advantage of these programs because they understand that buying strategically can guarantee significant savings throughout the season.
But the savings go beyond product cost alone.
When materials aren’t readily available, hidden costs begin to add up:
- Extra trips to suppliers
- Increased fuel expenses
- Lost labor productivity
- Delays waiting for deliveries
- Crew downtime
- Scheduling disruptions
Having the right products available when you need them helps eliminate these inefficiencies and keeps your operation running smoothly during your busiest months.
2. Stack Additional Savings with June Specials
We’ve worked closely with our vendor partners to leverage our manufacturer marketing funds to bring additional savings opportunities to contractors through our June Specials.
We’re able to offer discounts on many of the products contractors rely on every day including: irrigation, lighting, fertilizer, drainage, outdoor living, and contractor tools. These offers can be combined with Central’s Summer Stock Up Programs, creating an opportunity to secure inventory, lock in pricing, and maximize savings before future increases take effect.
June Special highlights include:
- Discounts on popular Hunter, Rain Bird, Toro, Irritrol, FX Luminaire, Kichler, and Brilliance products.
- Fertilizer stocking programs with extended terms and Rewards opportunities.
- Outdoor lighting promotions, including Buy 10 Get 1 Free offers and bundled system savings.
- Drainage, outdoor living, and Milwaukee Tools promotions to support a variety of summer projects.
- Extended payment options available on Summer Stock Up purchases.
When combined with Summer Stock Up, these programs can help you:
- Beat upcoming manufacturer price increases.
- Secure product for work already in your pipeline.
- Improve cash flow with extended terms on qualifying purchases.
- Reduce costly jobsite inefficiencies caused by product delays.
- Protect margins throughout the busiest part of the season.
Our goal is simple: help contractors buy strategically, stay ahead of market challenges, and keep projects moving profitably all summer long.
3. Reduce Operating Costs Beyond Materials
With fuel, labor, freight, and overhead costs continuing to rise, every dollar saved goes directly back to your bottom line.
One resource many contractors overlook is Central’s Savings4Members Program, which helps businesses reduce everyday operating expenses through the buying power of a larger cooperative network.
Ways Contractors Are Saving:
Fuel Savings
- Access to 6 different fuel savings programs
- Save on every gallon pumped across your fleet
- Even a modest savings of $0.10-$0.20 per gallon can add up quickly
- A contractor using 1,000 gallons per month could save $600-$2,400+ annually depending on fleet size and program participation
Credit Card Processing
- Save up to 40% on credit card processing fees
- Reduce expenses on every customer transaction
- Improve cash flow while keeping more revenue in your business
Close More Deals
- More homeowners are financing home projects or choosing to pay with credit cards than ever before
- Offering customer financing or credit card payments removes friction during the sales process
- Giving customers additional payment flexibility can help increase close rates on larger projects
When combined with smart inventory planning and strategic purchasing, these savings can have a meaningful impact on profitability throughout the season.
4. Protect Your Margin – Evaluate Your Pricing
Materials aren’t the only costs increasing. Businesses are also experiencing higher costs for labor, fuel, insurance, equipment, and overhead. Yet many contractors are still charging prices based on what their business looked like a year, or even several years ago.
If you haven’t reviewed your pricing recently, now is the time.
The reality is that the busiest part of the season is often the best time to make thoughtful pricing adjustments. Customers understand that costs have increased across nearly every industry, and when schedules are full, they’re often more focused on getting quality work completed on time than finding the lowest price.
Best Practices to Consider:
- Know your true costs, not just materials, but labor, fuel, and overhead.
- Lead with value, not price. Reliability, expertise, and service matter.
- Be transparent with customers about rising costs.
- Consider updating labor rates, flat-rate pricing, or fuel surcharges.
- Don’t be afraid to charge what your business needs to remain healthy and profitable.
A profitable contractor is a healthy contractor. Healthy contractors invest in better people, better equipment, and better customer experiences.
For additional tips on raising prices without losing customers, check out our article: “5 Tips for Raising Prices Without Losing Customers.”
5. We’re Here to Help
We understand that running a contracting business has never been more challenging. Rising costs, labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, and growing customer expectations continue to put pressure on businesses across our industry.
That’s why our commitment remains the same: helping contractors grow and succeed.
Our team works with thousands of contractors across North America and sees firsthand how businesses are adapting, overcoming challenges, and finding opportunities for growth. If you’re looking for ways to improve efficiency, protect profitability, manage inventory, or navigate market changes, we’re here to share what we’re learning.
Thank you for your continued partnership and trust in Central. We’re grateful for the opportunity to support your business, and we’ll continue doing everything we can to help you thrive through the rest of the season and beyond.
— Anthony Luciano
VP of Sales & Marketing
Central Pro Supply
