Longevity, backed by new blood

By Carla Waldemar

Searching for a successor to lead the company via a big-business version of Match.com, he located young Kevin Hughart, a computer pro.

"I was in my 30s, looking for new challenges, the chance to build a business and take it forward," Hughart said as he signed on, and by 1996 he purchased the company he'd guided to continued success.

cating new hires.

Sure, it set a few to trembling, but not for long. Aiming to put folks at ease, "I went around the yard in jeans and a T-shirt the first few weeks," he explains, learning the operation from the sawdust up before he tackled procedures in the office, where he now resides.

II/HAT do you do when the hardY Y wood is stripped and gone? If you're a lumberyard owner with a little moxie, you go looking for the Next Big Thing.

That kind of thinking has kept Norvell & Wallace on the Nashville map since its start-up in 1880. Tennessee was occupied by the Federal Army during the War Between the States (as it's called in these parts), when Union forces cut down everything bigger than a lilac bush to build their forls and quarters. So enterprising co-owner William Norvell hopped a train to Alabama to see if whatever grew down there might keep them going, and the answer was-oh, I'll bet you already guessed it-southern yellow pine. Never used it before in Tennessee, never stopped using it since.

The company prospered through three generations of family owners until, in the early 1990s, William Norvell II, grandson of the co-founder and now in his 60s himself, began to think of retirement. The business environment was looking tough back then and called for bold new blood.

Two changes, right off the bat: First Hughart, accustomed to the electronic world of doing business. completely upgraded the computer system, which "helped immensely," he relates. (Cries of "But we've always done it this way" echoed all across Nashville as he emptied closet after closet of old paperwork.)

Longevity and name-recognition had amassed a loyal following, but nobody's resting on laurels around here. Building on that strong foundation, Hughart has gotten to know his pro customersand Norvell & Wallace's customers are 10070 pros. "Dealing with builders is what attracted me to this company-no ma-andpa walk-ins" to distract from focusing on the needs ofthe pros: good quality, fair prices, and good service. Right off, the new boss bought a forklift to deliver materials within inches of where carpenters were waiting, a miracle near as welcome as the Second Coming in those builders' eyes.

He reinforced the company's credo of "under-promise, over-deliver." Deliveries, in fact, are still free and show up on time or-gulp!-even early. "If a truck breaks down on the interstate, we'll call and let them know. Otherwise, they can count on that we do what we say we'll do," he states.

Next, he more than doubled the staff from 20 to 50, building a stronger sales force inside the store and on the road alike. He bulked up staff training, replaced dead wood with live-wires, added regular staff meetings to the company calendar, and initiated a mentor system for edu-

Hughart also launched an estimating department to supply his customers with take-offs. He entertains and informs them at contractor breakfasts and seminars, including one last week on building green.

That's another new position he's championing. "We've always handled engineered wood and OSB, produced from [otherwise wasted] scrap wood, and we're going forward from there. We're walking the talk," he notes.

For years the company has main- tained its own truss and panel plant, making life easier for its builders, who relish the one-stop shopping. Hughart himself relishes the ample margins these items supply.

Although Norvell & Wallace purchases some print advertising-including mailing stuffers-Hughart indicates that the company's newsletter, distributed to prospects and customers alike, is more effective. "Instead of a shotgun approach, it's more of a .22," he laughs.

So arejobsite and prospecting calls by his outside salespeople. Most effective of all, he insists, is word of mouth

And that harks back to the firm's strong local standing, forged in 1880. The company has been the supplier of choice for Nashville's most beloved city icons, from The Parthenon and Ryman Auditorium to Opryland Theme Park, The Coliseum where the Titans play, Belle Meade Country Club, and commercial landmarks such as Bell South and a Dupont plant-and that's in addition to the many custom and production homes built by Norvell & Wallace's builder clients.

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"gives as good as it gets," as they say in this neck of the country. Favorite charities that count on Norvell & Wallace for major support include Habitat for Humanity, Second Harvest, Boy Scouts, and St. Luke's Community Center. As Hughart explains, "We get calls and letters all the time asking for our help, but I choose to be very selective, then fund [our choices] in a big way. We do it because we believe it's our duty, but I also like to think that the goodwill comes back to roost."

Even in this soft-and-softer economy, Hughart is not one to be overly concerned about the future ofthe industry. Like the company itself, the city's eggs are not all in one basket. "Nashville's economy is diverse, based on health care, sports teams, and entertainment. Plus, we're close to three major interstates, allowing us to extend our base" deep into the competition's zipcodes.

All I can say to them is, "watch out." And you've gotta bet he's selling them some of the prime Alabama pine that's been the outfit's pride andjoy since 1880.

- Aformer award-winning LBM trade magaTine editor, Carla Waldemar writes frequently on the industry. Contact her at cwaldemar@ comcast .net

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