Smart Growth
Over the years, fueled by a philosophy of steady growth, Woodson Lumber added locations throughout Texas in Caldwell, Brenham, Bryan, Lexington,
Groesbeck, Mexia and Buffalo, along with a custom door shop and a gate manufacturing facility. While its business mix varies by location, the company’s 125-130 employees service a customer base that is roughly 50% contractor and 50% retail/DIY.
For the last 20 years, Woodson Lumber has operated through a partnership between Ann Woodson Yager Chapman, owner and CEO, and President and COO Craig Blum. Looking back through the company’s 100-year history, Chapman explains that even after three generations of family ownership, the business has maintained the same philosophy of a “full steam ahead” approach that revived Woodson Lumber after tough economic times, including the Great Depression.
Adds Kate Woodson Chapman, Ann’s daughter and director of marketing and history for Woodson Lumber, “Being able to see the comparison of how they did things in the 1930s and stayed afloat, and how we did business in the mid-2000s and stayed afloat was really incredible. It showed consistency in the generations and the leadership.”
Chapman explains that the key to Woodson Lumber’s success has been slow and steady growth and product diversification throughout the years. The company’s core product lines include lumber, hardware, building materials, tools, fencing, etc., and has expanded to include a full line of farm and ranch supplies, lawn and garden products and other outdoor supplies and seasonal gifts.
“Sometimes it’s hard to see what you do every day that’s different,” Chapman says. “But I realized that our company is composed of a lot of product experts and problem solvers, which might be a little bit different than some of the other models that dealers use. On the other hand, having the problem solvers help handle issues and having a broad range of products has been a long-term big advantage for us.”
