Russ Kathrein
Russ began his LBM career at a young age when he and his brother purchased and rebuilt their father’s lumber business. Russ has held leadership positions with 84 Lumber and former Builders First Source companies. Most recently, Russ was the CEO of a large independent LBM dealer where he oversaw a dozen locations across Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. While leading these companies, Russ gained experience in sales, management, purchasing, and operations. In addition, he gained a thorough understanding of the LBM dealer’s perspective.
Russ joined the Do it Best team in 2020 as a Business Development Manager, bringing more than 30 years of experience in the LBM industry. Assuming the role of Vice President of Lumber and Building Materials in 2021, Russ ensures the LBM team is positioned to support member growth by partnering with our dealers to provide the buying programs and services needed for our success.
Russ served on the board of the National Lumber and Building Materials Dealers Association (NLBMDA) and currently writes a leadership column for LBM Journal.
Latest Articles
Leadership
Your first loss is your best loss
In the commodity world, there are times you make a good buy (we like to brag about those) and times you make a bad buy (we like to forget about those).
Leadership
That which is most precious
While hard work at your job does pay off, smart work that is more productive creates more opportunities.
Leadership
Who are the hidden gems in your organization?
Are you rewarding the people in your organization who think outside the box, or does your culture discourage it?
Leadership
Establishing your credibility
Sometimes we find ourselves in a new setting and want to let the group know that we belong or that we know what we are talking about.
Leadership
It’s all about the relationships
In the early 1990s, one of the must-read business books was “Made in America,” by Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart.
Leadership
Preparing for our new normal economy
Ask anyone who went through our industry depression in 2008-09 what they would have done differently, and they’d probably tell you they wish they’d made some of the hard decisions much sooner.
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Leadership
The eyes see what the brain believes
How often have you seen a leader hire people who think or act just like they do, or who have the same experiences and values?
Leadership
The art of decruiting
Years ago, the company I worked for had its HR team going around the country conducting a training exercise in which trainees broke into teams to pretend they were a newly-hired CEO of a company in trouble.
Leadership
‘Trust, but verify’ is sound leadership advice
When you are new to a position or situation, take the time to thoroughly research how things are done and why.
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