Rick Schumacher
Rick Schumacher is the editor and publisher of LBM Journal, and has more than 25 years experience covering the industry. Rick@LBMJournal.com
Tough Call: The battle of Karen
Karen wants to speak to the manager. She wants a refund on her non-refundable custom order and says she'll raise a public ruckus until she gets her way. What would you do?
Lessons learned
It's said that experiences that don’t kill us make us stronger. If that’s true, then the death-defying rollercoaster that was 2020 has taken our strength training to whole new level.
Tough Call: Is Chuck worth it?
The leading salesperson at the company you've recently acquired is a major jerk, and others on your team want him gone, regardless of his sales volume. What would you do?
A fresh page
I like to think that we, our families and our companies begin each year with a fresh page…a clean start.
Tough Call: To buy or not to buy
Buying a company is a big step. But buying a company during a pandemic takes a leap of faith. What would you do?
Navigating disruption
Considering what we’ve all been through to get us to this point, it’s clear that we, as individuals, as companies, and as an industry, have what it takes to not only survive, but to adapt and thrive.
Tough Call: The Peter Principle Problem
A newly-promoted employee is underperforming in his new role. What would you do?
Tough Call: Not a warehouse
A long-delayed project for a very important customer means you're left holding onto a serious amount of materials without the space to do so. What would you do?
Live on the bleeding edge
When it became clear that our plan for an in-person event in Boston wasn’t in the cards, we decided to jump feet-first into the bleeding edge world of virtual conferences.
A case study in crisis management
2020 has been an adventure for everyone in our industry. Instead of a fun, “choose your own adventure,” it’s been the type in which we expect one thing (a healthy year for business) and are hit over the head with something completely unexpected (global pandemic).