For Isaac Weber, coming back to Lugbill Supply Center was a bit of a full-circle moment. As a teen, working at Lugbill in Archbold, OH, was his first official job. Years later, he would become the company’s newest owner.
After years of owning other businesses across different industries, Weber and his wife, Leslie—both of whom are Ohio natives—took ownership of Lugbill Supply Center in 2022. From there, the Webers quickly went to work with buying group Do it Best to give the 60-year-old store a facelift.
In 2023, the store underwent major renovations to make upgrades and add a 2,000-sq.-ft. outdoor living center. The Webers also made upgrades to the company’s fleet, purchasing three new forklifts, two trailers, and a new pickup truck for deliveries.
“We’ve been just updating and upgrading things that were kind of overdue,” Weber said. “It’s a lot of work because we remodeled our entire store. The first challenge with that was, I’ve never done anything like that, but I [general contracted] it myself, and I had help with people here and contractors, and then Do it Best helped quite a bit as well with design, and was there as a resource.”
Then, earlier this year, the company announced it had acquired Affiliated Lumber in nearby Swanton, OH, as part of its overall growth strategy. The 70-plus-year-old company is expected to keep its name, and several employees stayed on during the transition, allowing Lugbill to build on its reputation in the community. Weber said while the acquisition and merging internal systems was a new challenge, the acquisition has added to the company’s overall buying power, savings that Lugbill and Affiliated can pass along to customers.
“The reason it was a challenge was that it’s all new. We hadn’t done it before … but it’s really helping with buying power. I can stock up more here knowing they’re going to use some of it and transfer it over there. It just allows me to buy it when the price is right.”
Maintaining a mindset
While Weber said he’s helped implement a number of changes since taking ownership, Lugbill Supply Center remains committed to providing a high level of service for its customers, even as it continues to grow.
“A while back I went to [a big-box store] to find a light, and I can’t find anybody, not a single person, around to help me out. It was ridiculous. At that moment, I realized I want to have bigger stores, but I don’t want such big stores that we lack on the service of being there for the customer.”
Additionally, Weber said he wants to disprove the common misconception that smaller businesses can’t compete with larger chains or big-box stores.
“We’re competitive price-wise. I’m trying to break that mindset of small town, big price, because I think that’s the common mindset with people in these big box stores,” he said. “I’m a contractor myself—I want quality. If we’re price competitive with the big box and have service on top of that, there’s no competition there.”
In addition to lumber, hardware, and building supplies, the store also offers glass cutting, window and screen repair, and custom kitchen and bath design, as well as computerized deck designs.
The store also gives back to the community. In addition to working with nonprofits like Defiance Dream Center, which works with individuals to provide workforce development, community service projects and life coaching, Lugbill Supply Center also hosts an annual community event at the store with food, live music, and games, with proceeds going back to the community, Weber said.
Looking ahead
In the near future, Weber said the company hopes to expand its e-commerce game and is exploring how to best implement new shopping options like same-day order pick-up. However, Lugbill has already implemented technology in a number of other areas, including housing take-offs.
Weber said the company is transitioning from manual to a more automated way of managing takeoffs for customers, but in a controlled way to ensure accuracy.
“If somebody gave us house plans, we’ll figure out the materials for them. We have an individual that does it and he is so spot on, perfect, and does it by hand. But he’s going to be retiring here in the next couple years,” Weber said. “So we have since hired somebody that uses software online to do it. And there’s good and bad with it. The good is what might take two to three days to do [by hand], you can do in two to three hours. But if you don’t have the proper data entered into that system before you measure it out, your quantity is going to be all goofed up. So we’re still using what I call the old school way and the new school way, comparing them, trying to help the new school way spot the errors. So when these guys do retire, it’s a smooth transition.”
Looking ahead, Weber said he hopes to add an additional location under the Lugbill Supply Center name, but, like many dealers, is also watching the local economy for signs of market shifts. “We’re just kind of in uncharted territories that we haven’t been in yet. So I just want to be careful. I’m a risk taker, but I’m also conservative. Growth is painful sometimes, and it’s expensive.”
However, he said Lugbill is committed to keeping up with technology and growth to ensure the company is ready for whatever the next few years hold.
“It’s all about finding that new balance. This is the future, so we’re getting prepared for it now to make sure we’re ready for it.”
Get to know Lugbill Supply Center
Year founded: 1962
Ownership: Corporate, family
Locations: 2
Employees: About 30
Buying group/co-op: Do it Best
ERP Software: Epicor
