Dealer of the Year

Krempp Lumber has positioned itself for growth throughout the years through what the ownership team refers to as an “unconventional approach” to doing business.

When John Perna returned to Hamilton Building Supply in 2019 with an MBA and deepened industry experience, he set course to implement best practices from companies that he felt were at the top of their game.

Since the third generation took over, the company has rebranded as Zuern Building Products and Design Center, opened a new 70,000 square-foot facility in Slinger, Wisconsin, and purchased a two-location window design center that has introduced the company to the Madison, Wisconsin market.

Located in the unincorporated town of Charm, Ohio, in the heart of one of the country’s largest Amish populations, Keim has adapted to the modern challenges of serving a market that includes cities such as Pittsburgh, and Cleveland with a more traditional employee base made up of 70% Old Order Amish. The results are a $150 million company that is both grounded and growing.

Clearly, a company doesn’t get to a half a billion in sales without knowing what it’s doing, and for CEO Peter Ganahl, it really comes down to three things.

The name R.T. Griffis & Sons has served customers in Northeastern Pennsylvania for 76 years.

Like the community it serves, Lang Building Supply itself is historic, considered to be one of the oldest continuously-operating businesses in the county.

Nine of Gillman Home Center’s 12 locations were built by Charlie Gillman and crew from the ground up. That DIY spirit is why his company is this year’s LBM Journal Dealer of the Year in the category of sales between $50 and $100 million.

The company's newest site in Newark is strategically located in the heart of the distribution hub of New York and New Jersey.