Publisher Letter | February 2024

In the early days of LBM Journal, when the future of this fledgling media company was far from certain, a friend had a solid career with a publicly traded telecom giant. That situation changed radically the day that he, along with several thousand colleagues, were unexpectedly terminated. He was dumbfounded. He believed that he and his suddenly jobless peers performed a critical function. As it turns out, he was right. Shortly after the company reported a higher stock price thanks to a sudden drop in labor costs, it quietly rehired my friend and his colleagues as contractors—at higher pay.

For reasons that I hope to never understand, Wall Street rewarded these unnecessary and counter-productive layoffs with a higher stock price.

Within the past decade, a large, respected media company concluded that printing and mailing magazines was too expensive, ceased publishing, and morphed into a data company instead. As a result, hundreds of talented, hard-working writers, editors, and designers were cut loose. Today, this once-dominant company is a faint shadow of its former self.

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Sad-but-true stories like these are one reason that I’m an enthusiastic proponent of the LBM industry. When I visit LBM dealers and distributors, they make it crystal clear that their people are the reason for their success. And it’s not just lip service. Preston Feather Building Centers, a 2024 LBM Journal Dealer of the Year, is an excellent example of what sets companies in the LBM community apart. Associate Editor Wendy Sturges does an excellent job of sharing its story in the profile on page 28.

When I visited northern Michigan last summer to tour the company, one thing really stood out: the number of young pros working side-by-side with more seasoned workers. “When I joined the company at 22 years old, I was surprised at how quickly I was able to make a difference,” explains Jeff Hills, an employee in his eighth year with Preston Feather and a member of LBM Journal’s 40 Under 40. “It’s rewarding to work for a company that’s open to different, new ways of doing things. A genuine opportunity to make an impact, I believe, is what young people are looking for.”

President and owner Rachel Huntman, who appears on this month’s cover, explains the company’s philosophy this way: “We look for people who are driven to learn and to grow themselves. We talk about succession planning, but it’s really about team development as a whole. That’s why we make sure all of our team members see the career growth opportunities, and having all the tools, training, and support in place so they can achieve those goals is a really big deal for us.”

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It’s because of companies like Preston Feather, and the LBM community as a whole, that I’m thankful to work in an industry where good companies, and the people who comprise them, continue to make a difference.

— Rick Schumacher
Executive Editor & Publisher

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