for our Customers to do Business"
This straightforward philosophy guided Charles McMurray and his wife Cassie Alvena McMurray as they created the Charles McMurray Company (CMC), a wholesale hardware distributor in Fresno, in 1946. Charles gained knowledge and experience in the hardware industry as a traveling salesman for Washington Steel Products, a cabinet hardware manufacturer. Cassie worked as a bookkeeper for Marion Nine Lumber Company. Together, they poured the foundation for a successful family-owned business. Many years and many generations later, their ideals of service, integrity, and a commitment to family still guide CMC.
The first CMC warehouse was a chicken coop, courtesy of Cassie's mother. CMC sold woodworking and general builder's hardware products to cabinet shops, lumberyards, and prehung door manufacturers. They expanded to a building in 1955. In 1978, after many years of continued growth, they built a 25,000 square foot warehouse on Argyle Avenue, the present location. Since 1978, CMC has had four office and warehouse expansions. Today, the Argyle location occupies 85,000 square feet of office and warehouse space. The company established a Sacramento warehouse in 1981.
In 1960, Lou McMurray, son of Charles and Cassie, began working part-time for CMC while attending high school and college. In 1971, after completing his tour of duty in Vietnam and receiving a Masters degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern California, Lou returned to CMC as sales manager. After many years of working together, Charles relinquished the title of President to Lou in 1979. Charles remained active with the business until his death in 1991.
Because Charles McMurray Company is dedicated to providing the most convenient place to do business, we decided to expand our wholesale hardware business in 2008 and start mcmurrayhardware.com, a convenient place for our retail customers to do business.
A business that began with only one idea, two people, and a chicken coop has grown prodigiously since 1946. Annual sales in 1946 were $46,000. Currently, CMC is approaching annual sales of $50 million dollars while serving thousands of customers in California and Nevada as well as providing employment for nearly 100 dedicated individuals. Today, Charles and Cassie's vision is still reflected in the company's mission statement, "To create the most convenient place for our customers to do business."