A woman's touch

fT'r;r ilir(urirl r)r.l.rkt. \\ lrirr 1.."'1.1.'

I I:|rrl lll\'.tll. _1 ,r1.111 l.l,rllrlt ttl llrr' officc'ltt Sicrtr Point l-unthcr. lhcr u'k hc-r it thu- bo:: j. bu'r. BLrt .lc..ica

Nobnrann'r.j()ir i\ lt()t to 1;11'g ciielution.

Ilr ( arll \\ altlrnrlr tl-. t() hiltlrl it,rLrt. Sitc i' 1l1g lrqr.. SItc ' tltc \ ill(l \ !cltcr.iLl ntlrnlr!ir' .Lrt.l prc.itlcnt.

Shc . tilrrr tltc.llrLrllttcr. ()l llti ..J.{). Lrt (itrltlcn SitiLtc I-Ltntlrcr"\ lLrLll C'irlitor-niu loerttiorr. Sicr.r'rt I),,int in llIr.trirnc i\ |u|t (rl tlttrt ilulr|lct rr Iti.lt lLtltl: llttrrtitCt ]ttt Ct ol rlr Itlrl|ii, tL, llt. \!cnllli(). IjiqLrlclte lrtl. r'i-!ltl.' .\ L,,,,.1 \\ ii\ l() kcclt 11 \ lrllcr ( iir'l ,r111 1,1 111. tttrtll. rntrr l-rc. lrLrt ir ]tlrl 11,,c. il !lr, l(rr' lr Lt: na r r'.' c.: "\\ ltcn rrrr tllrtl ru!-!c.lctl il. lLt .i titttc rrltcn I irlL. kinrl 1rl ,q1 ;1 11r,.. I \\ ii\rt I l()() tht'illctl. I:lLrt lti .rtirl. .lLr.l tn it. Il _\()u !l()lt l'likc ir... ' riill. r'.1,.'I .'.. :t.,.: Itt..t.rI

Sltrrr'1 :.tnsrt ct . ( irorr 11 .loirtins tltc llirnilr ()l).rlrli()lt tIil..

\Ciil\ ll-!() ttt llCtt .ltC u lL. ltll r,1 ll \\l\lt I C\iittlr .la'.ir.lr'. trlatr,,1 .r ri|ciilll-r'()nlc-tILle. \ltf tclrtlilr i,,nle..

\1. :,,.1,.,..r- t,,.t.

.1 . \. t':

\1.:

.l.rlt.t.r1', I rlr.

11., l],11, I l\ L,\, r.!... .t I1(r.\,. llt.rl ,,1..'n..1 ,li. Li..:,rit.., |..,. l|.r!\.'1.

:1t. .,,|t]..1ll\'.,..r. \,1:1, t.rl ll.\: r\ .r :'. L'ill.rl. .l tlt! ,,t tl \ '''.llr.il .r.,,.,,r1 ;l,' ;.:.1,,1 :,,..t:.itt.,: : ,,1.. ilt.ri .,.r. i.'-,.',,1- , ,,li .nt.t, ''I,,1.,i: (\tit !it.lL,1l-t. .1 :a.r.l\,.,..i'1.'..r'......t::

-(illll'.Lll\ \l commercial builders and remodelers. And she's leading the move to smooth the sometimes-thorny path to company-wide allegiance rather than discrete yards run as individual fiefdoms. steering committee of a group of employees. We give them issues-like 'Give us ideas on how we can make this lwhatever) easier for you'and they come up with solutions, so they feel they're part of the decision. Also, they come up with issues, too, asking, 'What about...?'We've also started a Customer Focus Group."

"That idea of Perpetual Inventory really made a shift; we needed to look at a lot of the processes, analyze and standardize them. We put new processes in place (such as tightening up the credit process on returns) and proved they worked and would help them, and then communicated those goals so that everyone's on the same page.

"The goal now is to create more of a one-company atmosphere, which opens up so many doors-for instance, using joint buying power, which has tremendous clout. We're looking at ways to use each other so everybody benefits-to start thinking as a company, rather than a single location.

"There's been a bit of resistance." she allows, "people asking 'What's in it for me? If I move a job from Sierra Point to Stockton, what happens to my sale?' So I came up with a system in which they can pass it on to another location and still get credit for it. Same thing with special orders; we'll try to utilize each others' locations, create a hub for certain inventorY, instead of everybody stocking up. We're getting the managers on board by saying, 'Okay: Part of your pay will depend on how the company as a whole is doing."'

While it's still easier for vendors to offer product-knowledge seminars at individual sites, the chain is beginning to conduct other training, such as HR and orientation for new hires, at a central location. Another site is being designated as the future Design Center, to contain a huge showroom to benefit the whole enterprise.

The outlook is bigger than product and processes, however, it's about people. Says Jessica, "We've started a

Sounds suspiciously Iike a woman's touchsharing, involving others, shedding empathy. So, what do you think, Jessica? Are we stereotyping here? "It's kind of funny," she responds, "but I think there's a little advantage for both customers and employees in dealing with a woman. I'm calm and compassionate, and they're comfortable speaking with me. Women [may] come up with solutions, while men get all riled up. The staff will refer disgruntled customers to me, and I'm fine with that; in fact, sometimes those builders end up apologizing for being upset. (It's not just a woman's way, it's also what 1 am," she quickly amends. "The most important part of my job is the relationships between management, employees and customers: That's key to a successful business.)

"I'm more focused than my dad; I handle one project at a time." (So much for female multi-tasking.) "He's more of a risk-taker, and he's been successful at it. I need to use some of his abilities," she offers. "I have to follow in my father' footsteps, but I also have to be my own person."

Pledging Allegiance

There's been some resistance to a boss that's (l) new, (2) young, and (3) female, as Jessica acknowledges. And she's had to prove herself "a lot," she admits. "I kind of just came in [to Siena Pointl a year ago after working on other projects on my own, not one location. The hardest part was I had to be their boss. But I didn't pretend to know everything; I needed to learn from them.

"Some salesmen had a good relationship with my father, the 'real boss' in their minds. I had to deal with that, be really open with them, like, 'Look: My dad's going to tell me everything anyway, so why not come to me first?' And my dad always backs me uP.

"It took a while for customers and vendors both to warm up," she continues. "I definitely had to prove myself. Some vendors think, 'Hah! I can sell her anything!' One good thing I did was to join a business group of young entrepreneurs in San Francisco, whose challenges are similar. Often, if you've got family in your business, they're not always comfortable with new ideas."

One new idea that Golden State is now enthusiastically embracing is installed sales-"a really exciting opportunity to offer one-stop shopping," as Jessica sees it. "We started with insulation, with the help of Guardian's program, and we're thinking of adding garage doors."

The company also is planning to open a new truss plant at its Stockton facility, in tandem with the existing wall plant there. Next, "we're looking to go south, toward the L.A. area," she divulges. By then, her younger brother, still in school, may come on board and Jessica will morph into the wise, old matriarch.

"My goal?" she answers a reporter's final question. "To be successfull To keep on growing. My dad says, 'lf you're not moving up, you start to go down; you can't maintain the status quo.' Of course, father knows best; he proved it in his choice of daughters.

- A former award-winning LBM trade magazine editor, Carla Waldemar writes frequently on the lumber and building material industry. Contact her at cwaldemar@mn.rr.com,

Rrnnrrs

84 Lumber opened a new store March 28 in Florence, Az. (David Turangal, mgr.); is seeking approval to build on 20 acres it owns in West Jordan. Ut.. and begins construction this spring on 10 acres in Spanish Fork, Ut. ...

Rainie r Hardware proprietor Tay Ha will close the long-time downtown Seattle, Wa., business if he is not permitted to renew his lease, which expires Sept. 30 ...

Lowe's Cos. opens new stores April 14 in Sunnyvale and Jackson (Martell), Ca., and hopes to open next month a 165,000-sq. ft. store in Santa Rosa, Ca., that was delayed by an unusually wet winter and a complex permit review process

Lowe's received preliminary planning commission approval for a 137,933-sq. ft. store in Pahrump, Nv.; hopes to start construction of a 160,000-sq. ft. store in Ontario, Ca., by the end of the year, and wants to build on the site of a former movie theater in Monterev. Ca....

Home Depot opened new stores Feb.23 in Bonney Lake, Wa., and Feb. 9 in Daly City, Ca., and postponed opening of a 102,513-sq. ft. store with 28,086-sq. ft. garden center in Crescent City, Ca., until summer due to weather delays

Home Depot begins construction next month on a 103,000-sq. ft. store in Phoenix, Or.; is looking for a second site in the north Medford area; will build a new store in Capitola, Ca.. after a compromise was reached with city officials, and completed an environmental impact report for a 104,991-sq. ft. store with 24,304-sq. ft. outdoor garden area in Auburn, Ca.

Home Depot expects afall2007 opening in North Bend, Or.; is considering sites in Dixon. Ca.: began construction of a 143,000sq. ft. store in Los Banos, Ca., to open in early 2007, and is increasing its stock repurchase program by $l billion to $12 billion ...

Wrorrslr:rs/trrutrcrurrrs

Hardwood Specialty Products, Bozeman, Mt., suffered an explo- sion and fire March I that destroyed a 3,000-sq. ft. warehouse and caused $350,000 in damage

Bennett Forest Industies began operating a new sawmill, boiler and dry kilns at the site of its planer mill in Grange-ville, Id. ... Bennett shut down its Elk Citv. Id., sawmill and will auction oh machinery Apnl26-27 ...

North American Reload opened a new lumber distribution yard in Tucson, A2....

Akzo Nobel is shuttering its paint plant in Orange, Ca., this month...

Canfor, Vancouver, B.C., has completed its acquisition of New South Cos., Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Arch Wood Protection Inc., Smyrna, Ga., has earned the Good Housekeeping Seal for its Dricon fire-retardant treated wood

Ply Gem Industries agreed to buy window and door manufacturer AWC Holding Co. (Alenco) and its subsidiaries for $120 million in cash and debt; the deal was expected to close by April

Boise Cascade, Boise.Id.. has chosen Alfresco Software to implement its new PDF-based document management and records retention system

Activant Solutions has agreed to be acquired by private equity investment firms Hellman & Friedman LLC, San Francisco,

Ca., and Thoma Cressey Equity Partners, Chicago, Il.; the deal is expected to close before June 30 ... Activant was endorsed as an official provider by roofing/siding distributor co-op NeueoN

Grainger presented Partners in Performance awards to 28 top suppliers, including Akro-Mils, Arrow Pneumatics, Elkay Sales,ITW Red Head, Lift-All Co., Loctite, M. K. Morse Co., andWells Lamont

International Paper was named as the top company in Forest and Paper Products sector in Fortune magazine's annual report of America's Most Admired Companies ...

Correct Building Products LLC has received ICC certification for its RapidRafl railing system for spans up to 8 ft. on{enter ...

Rapid Rack Industries, City of Industry, Ca., honored DuPont as its Supplier of the Year ...

American Forest & Paper Association b Sustainable Forestry Initiative marketing campaigir received an Ogilvy Award from the Advertising Research Foundation ...

Sustainable Buildings Industry Council was named Green Advocate of the Year during National Association of Home Builders' National Green Building Conference in Albuquerque, N.M.

Capital Lumber's Chino, Ca., division won 2005 Distinguished Supply Partner of the Year Award from Dixieline Lumber & Home Centers, San Diego, Ca.

Anniversaries: Orchard Supply Hardware, San Jose, Ca., 75th ... Ace Hardware, Fontana, Ca.,40th Horizon Forest Products-Nehmond. Ca.. 25th

Housing starts in February (latest available figures) fell 7.9Vo to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 2.12 million ... single-family starts slipped 2.3Vo to a 1.8-million pace, while multi-family dropped 3OVo ... the West was the only region with an increase, rising 7.9Vo permits fell 3.2Vo.