In this interview, Allen Baum the founder of Boca Bearings shares his passion for all things bearings. As the leader in Ceramic Technology Boca Bearings has built a reputation for its off-the-shelf inventory, delivering superior quality products and excellent customer service.
Allen shares, “I was introduced to bearings back in Boston. I used to work for a local bearing company, where I had the opportunity to wear many different hats; one of those hats was as a purchasing manager. Through purchasing, I met and consulted with captains of industries from all over the world. I thoroughly enjoyed the collaborating aspect of the role, and I found the bearing industry fascinating. At that point, I started to realize I had developed a tremendous passion for bearings.
This discovery coincided with our family’s move to Florida where shortly after the move in 1987 we founded Boca Bearings. Florida has proven to be the ideal location for a business like Boca Bearings. Florida is a great geopolitical location for fast, and reliable international shipping. Additionally, it presented us with the opportunity to build a large warehouse with a significant pallet capacity. Thinking of the future we still have the ability to expand our current facilities for any expansion opportunities.
Having a copious warehouse proved tremendously beneficial in times of covid. Our office and warehouse have modern infrastructure and sufficient space to support a large staff even in pandemic times. Our team was able to stay 6 feet away, work independently, and remain working under the guidance and recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO.) Not only did the team manage to keep our industry partners rolling but we were privileged enough to avoid any laid-offs. Our team has remained productive, and unfazed by all the external turmoil and chaos. In a world of uncertainty, the Boca Bearings team continues to thrive.
We founded Boca Bearings on three guiding core values: Radical Customer Service, Continuous Improvement, and Team Player. As part of those values, we offer this guarantee. To deliver the right bearings, for the right application or we’ll replace them hassle-free.
While we take the necessary steps to ensure the right bearing for the right application, we also provide after-sale support. Our engineers are made available to our customers for optimal bearing solutions and customer satisfaction.
Our large off-the-shelf inventory allows us to supply many different industries from retail to the most complex of industries such as; space, medical, and green energy. While Boca Bearings started only servicing the retail sector with special-size bearings in no time we grew enough to be able to support various industries. Now we have a dedicated team that only serves industry, and we have become the ceramic experts in North America.
After 35 years in business, we have established a working formula that includes the tools for lean thinking, the capacity for expansion, and the right processes to deliver great customer satisfaction. More importantly, we have a high-effort and high-knowledge team. Our team is best in class. Last year we celebrated one of our bearing expert’s 24th company anniversary. This year we celebrated another team member’s 34th-year company anniversary. It’s team members like these who possess this level of bearing and industry knowledge that allows us to have an edge over the competition. Keeping an eye on innovation and the future we recently hired new team members as we continue to expand the industry team.
New as well as experienced team members are supported throughout their tenure at our company. As a way to support them, we developed the Boca Bearings University (BBU.) Under this program, we teach a monthly bearings class and send out educational emails as a follow-up. Under our EOS system, we hold weekly, monthly quarterly, and off-site meetings. This has allowed us to achieve high levels of efficiency to best support our customers.
My son and, Boca Bearings’ president Jason Flanzbaum has been instrumental and, oftentimes has spearheaded initiatives that have contributed to our overall success. I am confident Jason will continue to catapult Boca Bearings to greater heights.
We focus most of our time on new technologies and best-in-class quality. We recently expanded our lines of Full Ceramic and CAM Follower bearings. Our purchasing and finance departments are in alignment when investing in new technologies and in growing our inventory with new on-demand product lines. Our drivers are growth, high quality, and innovation.
Boca Bearings also has a genuine corporate commitment to Breast Cancer awareness. For over 3 years we have run a global campaign to raise awareness for early detention. My former wife and co-founder Michele Baum many years ago succumbed to this terrible disease, thus this cause is very important and dear to me. Recently we were pleased to receive an award from the Cancer Foundation appreciating our level of commitment. Our 2023 campaign is already in the works and we look forward to this year’s campaign.
In memory of Michele, Boca Bearings also created the Allen, Dena, and Michele Baum Scholarship Fund. Last year we had 10 scholarship recipients. We were happy to see an even break with 5 female and 5 male recipients. As we grow we would like to see more female participation in all areas of STEM but especially in Mechanical engineering. Michele’s legacy lives on the success of this program.
Boca Bearings has a reliable and verifiable track record for stability, technological innovation, industry knowledge, and overall growth. We have gone through all stages of the ISO9001 audit process, and are just waiting on the formal certification. In the future, we only hope to augment on all those segments as well as in others. This is just the beginning for us. We look forward to another 35 years.
