Anniversary special

was sad to see another family-owned 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 well-defined yard, on a prime l2-acre site, while we operated two yards, one of 2-l/2 acres and the other, 3-ll2 acres. Once I bought it, I moved over, consolidating everything under one roof."

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."

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 practices- some good, some bad. The lesson I learned 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 l0 years ago and took over from my father and uncle, each with 30-plus years of history. I had to get things up to the digital age: establish programs, write a manual for the practices they'd stored in their heads-a lot of heavy lifting."

flloucu ro FIGURE 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 ldunched the business 50 years ago, had been friendly competitors of Moss Lumber & Hardware, located (ust 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.

"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

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 consolidation, Brent is in hiring mode, "because business is growing. Sales in the first quarter of 20 I 3 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."

The workout has paid off here in Redding, once a gold-mining town on Highway I-5, which snakes up the California coastline. "We're known as a recreational area, for a quality of life that's historically led to lots of building activity-lots of tracts, small local developers. Of course, that dropped off during the past five years-but over recent months, there's been renewed activity in the lower-end, $250,000 range."

During those recent recession years, 80% of Weaver's business has come from remodeling projects, but Brent tackled the changing business landscape proactively. "We saw it coming, so we decided to add in-house installation services for remodeling projects: items like insulation, windows, mirrors, glass and showers, hiring the best in the field away from closing companies. With new-home building slowing down, it was a strategic decision and it's paid off." (Today, new home construction has rebounded to a 50-50 split.)

"Earlier on," he continues, "with the onset of the boxes, lots of d-i-yers took their business in that direction, so we became pro-centric. Today, those d-i-yers are reevaluating the boxes; they're coming back. They see the advantage of a knowledgeable staff who can give input on their projects. Sure, boxes can sell certain things below cost (but they make it up on other items). So we've had to prove to people that they can save money here. It takes education on our part-radio and print ads, but most effective has been the word of mouth from builders' projects," Brent reports.

About that competition: How does it shake down out there, Brent? He's indifferent. "Oh, we're aware of the competition, but we focus on what we do best, what's central to the customer experience. We all care about our customers; we're not just out to make money. We know them, understand them, steer them to the right products. Lesson Number One from my grandfather was, 'If you forget your customers, you'll soon be out ofbusiness."'

In return, "it creates loyalty," he says. "They're excited to be here. Of course, we're always on the lookout for new business; we advertise in print and on the radio, and our outside salespeople scout jobsites, check permits: a pretty aggressive outreach," he demonstrates. And that goes for suggestive selling, too. "If they come in for lumber, I can promise you we ask, 'How about doors? We can do every- thing.' Complete one-stop shopping.

"We continually add new products, tracking them in magazines, at builders' shows, and through our vendors' sales reps. Customers are doing extensive web research on their own, so it means we have to stay ahead of that and know even more. We're also using our website to sell, and that's only going to grow.

"And, we track the economy. The last five years, we were very, very in tune with the amount of work out there. There was the potential to reduce staff hours, but for the past two years, we've been adding people instead."

Carla Waldemar cwaldemar@comcast.net