Vancouver, Wash. — TAL Holdings, a 15-store home improvement company with seven operating brands in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, has announced that Jason Blair has been appointed as CEO.
Blair comes to TAL from Wilco, a successful chain of farm and ranch stores in the Pacific Northwest, where he was vice president of merchandising and marketing. Prior to Wilco, Blair was the divisional vice president of sales and strategic alliance accounts at True Value, where he led a team that managed 35 of the company’s largest dealers as well as over 1,300 additional accounts. He also held leadership positions in operations at Higginbotham Brothers and Foxworth-Galbraith.
Blair received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from University of Arizona and a Masters of Executive Business from Colorado Technical University.
“An enthusiastic and outgoing leader, Jason brings a depth of experience in many parts of our business—from lumber and hardware to lawn and garden,” said Bill Cornelius, TAL owner and Chairman of the Board. “He will make a tremendous impact at our company.”
Blair will succeed David Dittmer who will transition to managing director of mergers and acquisitions for TAL.
Dittmer started with the company in 2013 as President of Tum-A-Lum Lumber. After acquiring Marson and Marson Lumber in 2017, Dittmer became CEO of parent company TAL. Under his leadership, the company has grown to 15 stores located in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington with seven operating brands and $150 million in annual sales.
“Our entire family and company have been blessed by Dave’s dedication and leadership skills,” said Cornelius. “I’m very happy that Dave will continue to work with us in a mergers and acquisition role going forward.”
The TAL Holdings family of brands include Badger Building Center, Browne’s Home Center, Gerretsen Building Supply, Lake Chelan Building Supply, Marson and Marson Lumber, Mount Vernon Building Center, and Tum-A-Lum Lumber.