I’ve said it before on these pages, but this time of year it bears repeating: My absolute favorite part of this job is writing our monthly features on lumber dealers. Each month I get to share a success story that oftentimes involves several generations working together in a family business.
In the first issues of the year, I get to tell stories of lumber dealers who have truly excelled in their markets and continue to drive our industry forward. While our Dealer of the Year program has changed over the years—it started as Entrepreneur of the Year in 2005, and we’ve expanded the categories over the years—one thing has remained constant. Our goal is to showcase dealers of varying sizes and markets have excelled in ways that have grown and improved their company’s bottom lines and improved the lives of staff and customers alike.
This year, we’re honoring dealers in four different revenue categories, from different market areas, with different backgrounds, all with countless lessons for other LBM businesses of any size and in any part of the country.
This month, you’ll see how Koopman Lumber of Whitinsville, Massachusetts is forefront in the industry and leading with the same family values helped launch the company in 1939.
In coming months, you’ll see how other dealers of varying sizes and markets have excelled in ways that have grown and improved their company’s bottom lines and improved the lives of staff and customers alike. Here’s what to expect:
January
$100 Million+ Annual Sales:
Koopman Lumber, Whitinsville, Massachusetts
February
$50 Million to $100 Million Annual Sales:
Walker Lumber, Nashville, Tennessee
March
$10 Million to $50 Million Annual Sales:
Henry Poor Lumber, Lafayette, Indiana
April
Under $10 Million Annual Sales:
San Antonio Lumber Co., San Antonio, Florida
Thank you to everyone who submitted a nomination to the Dealer of the Year program. We’ve been honoring lumber dealers in this fashion since 2005, and it seems each year the selection process is more difficult than the last. Congratulations to all the winners. I look forward to sharing their stories with our readers in the months to come.
— James Anderson
Editor
