Rick Schumacher

While business remains rock-solid in most markets, economists remind us that a slowdown is inevitable. It’s impossible to know when that’s going to happen,...

Each month, when we read over the business challenges that readers share as part of our “Real Issues” surveys, there’s one issue that consistently...

A supplier from another market has moved into your territory and is using low pricing to capture business from your long-time customers. What would...

Accepting credit cards for payment is great for cash flow. But in a business known for razor-thin margins, the 2% or 3% fees charged...

Back in 2005, we launched our Entrepreneur of the Year program. Al Bavry of Kimal Lumber in Florida was our inaugural winner, and Al...

The new manager's new ways are creating conflict and hurting your store's performance. What would you do?As the owner of a four-location LBM dealer,...

A long-time employee's performance declines as the years go on. What would you do? When you took over as general manager of your company three...

Knowledge is power. That’s especially true in the wildly competitive LBM distribution market, where accurate, up-to-date insights into sales, margins, deliveries, inventory positions and...

By virtually all accounts, 2018 has been a solid year for most companies in the construction supply industry. I’ve talked with many dealers who’ve...

Some things never change. Like the need to attract customers, grow our sales and build our brands. That straight-forward business challenge has grown much...