Ward Lumber Company brought on Josh Travis earlier this year as the new General Manager (GM) for their flagship location in Jay, NY.
After serving as GM for Malone these last 26 years, Dave Bruso, says of Josh, “What a joy it has been to work with Josh already. He’s easy to speak with and full of new ideas and energy.”
Josh has over a decade of management experience, having started out as a store manager at CVS in the Long Island area. He’s had experiences with opening new stores, store redesigns, and won the CVS Paragon Award in 2012 for Management Excellence. Even with established careers in the Long Island area, Josh and his wife, Catherine, fell in love with the Adirondacks during a summer vacation and decided they wanted to move to this region before starting a family.
Having found a home in the town of Jay, Josh was referred to Ward Lumber by a friend and has now been with the company for over five years. Josh was the Jay Store General Manager for a few years before stepping away from it in 2020 to focus on his growing family for a while. Having returned recently when his previous position came available it was a no-brainer to get Josh back in the saddle reports Operations Manager CJ Young, “He has the temperament to take the everyday hustle in stride while providing support for the greater team. He is the embodiment of cooler heads shall prevail.”
Josh is already implementing new initiatives and product lines for the company, starting off with a greater focus on development in the Building Sales Department and new offerings including septic tanks and an expansion of Cedar offerings.
New CEO Bryan Mellick says of Josh’s leadership, “Josh is a strong leader, focused on running a safe, customer focused operation with the attention to detail and team development required by such a demanding position.” Josh shared that he sees the great potential for not just 2024 but for the future of Ward Lumber. Having just recently joined the Worker-Cooperative as an owner of the company Josh says that, “Joining as an owner is a great honor to me as I get to help carry on the legacy that is Ward Lumber.”
