Anniversary special

"One thing led to another," is how he explains his impulse purchase, "so I bought it. It wasn't planned, but it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. It was sad to see another familyowned yard go out of business. Our grandfathers and fathers had actually been good friends. Plus, they carried items we didn't: siding, glass, hardware, doors. Theirs was a welldefined yard, on a prime |2-acre site, while we operated two yards, one of 2-l12 acres and the other, 3-ll2 acres. Once I bought it, I moved over, consolidating everything under one roof."

consolidation, Brent is in hiring mode. "because business is growing. Sales in the first quarter of 2013 were up 20Vo," he's happy to report, "thanks to a bigger location, better visibility, the added service of the truss plant-and becoming the town's sole supplier."

foucH ro FrcuRE our how to celeI brate a 50th anniversary? Cake? Champagne? How about a new yard?

Brent Weaver, third-generation owner of Weaver Lumber in Redding, Ca., hadn't planned it that way, but the chance was too good to pass up. For years, he, and his father, and grandfather before him, who launched the business 50 years ago, had been friendly competitors of Moss Lumber & Hardware, located (lust to ensure the rivalry was crystal-clear) right across the street.

When the 65-year-old institution decided to fold it in last year, Brent was called on to help liquidate inventory for the company that bought Moss's assets from the bank.

Sealing the deal he couldn't refuse was Moss' truss plant, a function Brent considered worth the price of admission. He viewed the asset as a smart way to grow business. "Having one (truss plant) gets you into the game a little bit sooner. By selling trusses, we can go after the architect level and also reach out to the larger contractors."

Why stop there? Under his expansive vision, he then decided to rehab a 10,000-sq. ft. storage shed on the property for a September opening as a True Value hardware site, "taking our boutique hardware to the next level."

Both yards had served virtually the same customer base-"being across the street from each other led to a lot of overlap. But now," says Brent, "we're seeing new faces." Why? "Now we carry all the products people need and we offer great customer service, a lesson passed on down through the family. We take care of people. "

So, instead of trimming staff in the

Brent is eager to bestow credit on his employees-"a staff I'm so proud of. From the top-the GM level-to the bottom-the yard hands, there's not one weak link. Since I bought my father's yard ten years ago, and then my uncle's two years later, I've made some good decisions," he allows. "People are happy working here, lots of positive interaction, and customers pick up on that.

"I hadn't intended to be in this business," Brent admits. "After college, I went to work in software for a Fortune 500 company in the Bay area. But after getting married and having a baby, we decided we liked the smalltown lifestyle, the quality of life. So," he says, "I returned. But, working for that Fortune 500 company, I'd observed different practicessome good, some bad. The lesson I leamed was to avoid discord in my workforce: address issues head-on, not wait for tomorrow. We have weekly sales meetings, bringing every manager to the table. We talk about customers and issues we need to hash over, figure out better. Every employee knows he's valued, and that I value their communication. We do things the right way, not concerned about who gets the credit.

"When I came in 10 years ago and

How To: Build Store Traffic

MATERIALS: Your business, a full line of YellaWood@ products

ASSEM BLY: Quality lumber, the brand homeowners trust FINISHING: A beautiful backyard and a better bottom line