Firm thrives on product that holds runners in place

By RICK ROMELL   rromell@journalsentinel.com

Middleton - Hussein Zoroufy is a big name in a very small world.

Here's how small: His business is headquartered in an all-but-anonymous gray building in a suburban Madison industrial park. The firm has 13 employees. And it is apparently one of the country's largest - perhaps the largest - suppliers in its field. When you deal in a niche like stair rods, a little goes a long way.

Stair rods, for those not versed in interior design accessories, are gleaming rails that rest in the corner between the riser and tread on a staircase carpeted by a runner.

Decades ago, they were functional, holding the carpet in place. Today, they're strictly decorative, but with their polished brass, fancy finials and intricate brackets, they still evoke traditional elegance. Think Tara, Biltmore, the White House.

This is Zoroufy's world.

"We live, eat and breathe stair rods," he said.

From a business standpoint, it's been a healthy diet. Zoroufy Stair Rods, the firm Zoroufy runs, is a profitable, respected company in its tiny field. It bills itself as the biggest name in the trade, and it very well may be.

"We may not have been the first ones to come up with the idea of stair rods, because they've been around for centuries," Zoroufy said, "but we're the first company to make it a national brand."

The firm's rods occasionally shine in the spotlight, and itsresponsiveness wins applause from its dealers.

The rods have been installed in Las Vegas casinos, Ritz-Carlton hotels and the Presidential Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. They were recently used in the White House. They've appeared in films such as "Vanilla Sky," "Wild Wild West" and "Mrs. Doubtfire." Zoroufy particularly likes "Mrs. Doubtfire": Lots of scenes were shot on the steps.

"I love that," he said. And Zoroufy has customers who share the love.

An Excerpt from the Sept. 14, 2004 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel