BIAD 2018

BIAD 2018 - Hilltop Lumber

The BIAD event has honored a Douglas County company each year since 1984, based upon the following factors:

Growth in number of employees; the impact on the job market.

Increase in sales and/or unit volume; an indication of continued growth.

Capital investment; an indication of commitment to increase community capacity.

Community contributions; investment of time, skills, and resources to assist in community-oriented projects.

Hilltop Lumber was selected as the recipient of the 2018 Business and Industrial Appreciation Day (BIAD) Award by the Boards of Directors of the Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission and Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce.

Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission

324 Broadway, Suite 101, Alexandria 320-763-4545 aaedc@alexmn.org, www.livingalexarea.org

A publication of the

206 Broadway, Alexandria 320-763-3161 info@alexandriamn.org, www.alexandriamn.org

Event multi-media sponsor:

Publisher: Jody Hanson

Layout / Design: Lori Mork

News Editor: Al Edenlo

Photography: Lowell Anderson

Hilltop Lumber - BIAD 2018 3

HILLTOP LUMBER – it’s all about family and giving back

by Al Edenlo aedenlo @echopress.com

When it came to filling a need for building materials in the area, Hilltop Lumber hit the nail on the head.

It all started more than 30 years ago over Thanksgiving dinner.

Members of the Paul Klimek family, who were all in the carpentry business and hailed from Urbank, got to talking about the lack of building supplies in the Glenwood area.

“You couldn’t buy a 2-by-4 or a nail in Glenwood,” Klimek recalled.

The Klimeks noticed that the old lumberyard at the top of the hill in Glenwood was for sale and they decided to put in a bid for it. They got it and opened the doors to their first location in February 1988.

The company had humble beginnings with just five employees, three trucks and a forklift. But it grew, even during tough economic times when interest rates were hovering around 18 percent.

The Klimeks soon recognized a need for a lumber yard in Alexandria and they broke ground on their second location at 1405 North Nokomis Street in 1994.

The growth continued. They expanded their Alexandria site in 1999 by adding more warehouse space. In 2000, the Klimeks purchased the lumber yard in Parkers Prairie.

Four years later, they made another major addition to the Alexandria yard, adding about 40,000 square feet of display area, o ice space and warehouse, which almost tripled its size.

When the housing market stumbled in 2007, Hilltop was able to weather the storm.

Hilltop Lumber owners Brian Klimek (left) and Paul Klimek (right).

BIAD 2018 - Hilltop Lumber

HILLTOP from page 4

In 2007, the Klimeks opened their fourth location in Brandon and a year later, added the “Idea Houses Galleries” to the Alexandria location. They feature the largest and most complete Marvin Windows display in outstate Minnesota, along with many other building products.

In 2012, the Glenwood site received a major facelift. Two years later, the Klimeks purchased the Ottertail lumber yard, its fifth site.

The improvements keep coming. In 2016, the Klimeks added T-shed storage at the Alexandria site. “We need to take care of our product,” Paul Klimek said. “Our customers are expecting to get products in good shape.”

Last year, they built a new hardware store, showroom and o ice space across the street from their Ottertail location.

Today, the company has 64 employees across its five locations, almost all of them full-time, and adds another half-dozen workers in the summer.

Throughout all the growth and changes, the Klimeks have kept the business family owned.

Building things and working with wood is a family tradition. Paul’s father, Alex Klimek, was a carpenter and did a lot of work around the Alexandria area

Paul’s son, Brian, graduated from North Dakota State University in 1999 and put his degree in business administration and construction management to good use by managing the Glenwood store.

“It’s always been a family business,” said Brian, the third generation in the Klimek family with a passion

for building. “And we treat people like they are family. Customers see the benefit too.”

The family philosophy also applies to Hilltop employees. Some have been with the company since the beginning. On average, the sales people have been with Hilltop for 15 years.

Paul’s wife, Patty, works at Hilltop, and his three daughters are also involved, along with three nephews as well.

Another factor in Hilltop’s growth is that it isn’t afraid of innovation. It was the first lumber yard in the area to have a boom truck, the first to have a piggyback lift and the first to have a computerized system that linked all their locations.

“We would see what was happening in other areas and brought it back here,” Brian said. “This kept us ahead of the curve. We didn’t invent the wheel but we took it and ran with it before the others.”

The company’s main business is working with contractors within a 20-mile radius. It has 15 to 20 key vendor partners, including Marvin Windows and Doors, Bayer Built Woodworks and Do It Best.

Hilltop has a strong connection with the communities in its five locations.

Brian is the president of the Alexandria Youth Hockey Association and a past president of the Vikingland Builders Association. The company donates to sports teams, youth programs and community causes, including the Blizzard, youth hockey, Eagle Scout projects, Viking Speedway, Jingle Bells. Grand Arbor, Knute Nelson, Luther Crest, St. Mary’s, the Lions and others.

Hilltop also helps the Alexandria Area High School’s carpentry pro-

HILLTOP LUMBER CORE VALUES

The company’s purpose statement is “to help plan, supply and deliver dreams.” Its core values are ethics, being a team player, change, excellence and having fun.

gram by providing materials below cost to help students build utility sheds and tiny houses.

“The communities we are in are good to us and we give back whenever we can,” Paul said.

“This is a very good place to do business,” Brian added. “It’s a growing, vibrant community.”

The Business and Industrial Appreciation Day award joins a list of accolades Hilltop has received over the years. It was named the 2013 Dealer of the Year by the Northwest Lumber Association; was presented the “Above and Beyond” award from Department of Defense for supporting an employee who is a National Guard member; and earned Do It Best Corporation’s 2015 “Hardware All Stars” award.

What does the future hold for Hilltop Lumber? There’s plenty of room to grow at the Alexandria site. Adding another location is also a possibility.

“If the right opportunity comes along, we’d be interested,” said Paul. “I never really dreamed of staying in the game this long. But you’ve got to have a certain amount of growth or you’ll get stale in a hurry.”

Design team

Driven by home magazines, websites like Pinterest and TV shows like HGTV, homeowners come into Hilltop Lumber’s home decor department looking for something fresh.

They have laminate kitchen countertops and they want stone. Or they want to replace carpet with wood flooring. Or they’re eager for new kitchen cabinets. Often, they intend to sell their home and want updates that will boost their home’s appeal.

This is where they meet interior designers and salespeople Taylor Whiting, who has worked at Hilltop for seven years, and

clicks with homeowners

Kari Ziesemer, who has worked there for threeand-a-half years.

They and other team members provide free consultations. They will visit customer’s homes to measure spaces and gather information about how customers use their kitchens and other rooms they wish to remodel.

“If someone asks for our opinion, we try to give it,” Whiting said. “We’re homeowners too and we wouldn’t like to sell you something we wouldn’t put in our own house.”

For instance, a family with busy children might want a more bullet-

proof countertop such as high-definition laminate, while a quieter household could use something that requires a little more care, such as quartz.

The design team sells cabinets, flooring, countertops and blinds for remodels and new construc-

tion. Mostly, they work directly with homeowners, although sometimes they work with other interior designers or builders. Customers bring in pictures and their Pinterest TEAM

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The Hilltop Lumber decor team (left to right) Kim Anderson, Kari Ziesemer, Taylor Whiting.

BIAD 2018 - Hilltop Lumber

‘big team e ort’ Designing a house is a

When a customer wants to add on to their home, remodel, or even build new, Nathan Bradford is often one of the first Hilltop Lumber employees they meet.

Bradford leads the drafting department. For 13 years, he has worked with customers to put their dreams on paper. Sometimes they bring in a simple sketch on a napkin. Sometimes it’s a detailed drawing. Sometimes it’s a list of features they’re looking for.

“We start from anything,” he said.

One of the most important conversations he has with customers is the budget they have to work with. He helps them figure out the “must-haves” from the

“wanna-haves.”

His team works with everyone, whether they purchase their materials at Hilltop or not. If customers do buy materials on site, they get credit for some of the drafting costs.

As a drafter, Bradford can produce a 3D image of what the completed project will look like. And while he sees definite trends – one-level homes, bonus rooms above garages and big mud rooms, for example – his goal is to customize each building according to the customer’s needs and wants.

Bradford’s team includes drafters Shania Pedersen and James Kracht. Together, they handle the work for all five Hilltop locations.

“There’s a lot behind

the scenes,” Bradford said. “It’s a big team e ort. Customers come face-to-face with just a few people, but there’s a big team thing going on.”

One of those behind-

the-scenes employees is Steve Suchy, the head of the estimating department. Suchy, who has

DESIGN

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Members of the Hilltop Lumber drafting team include (standing, left to right) Shania Pedersen, Kara Gerdes, James Kracht, Steve Suchy, (sitting) Mason Thorson, Nathan Bradford.

Hilltop paint advice: Don’t be afraid of co lo r

by Celeste Edenlo cedenlo @echopress.com

Sherrie Martinson’s goal is to sell more paint.

As the new paint manager for Hilltop Lumber, Martinson said, “Hilltop is not known for paint, but I plan on changing that.”

Martinson, who knows paint – she had her own painting business and also worked for Sherwin-Wil-

liams for 12 years – started working at Hilltop Lumber this past March. And although paint is her passion, she wants to broaden her horizon and learn about lumber, too.

The best part of her job is putting smiles on the faces of her customers by helping them pick out not only the right color of paint, but also the right kind of paint.

“And it’s not just about

the paint,” she said. “It’s about that ahh-feeling people get when they walk in a room and it makes them feel good.”

Oftentimes, Martinson said people are afraid of color, but she can help people pick out colors that are just right for them. She likes to ask customers questions that help her help them pick out what is best for their project, whether it’s a bathroom, living room, kitchen, bedroom or even the whole house.

When she was a painter, Martinson said she painted rooms in her house about every four months. But then, she said she finally got to know who she was and what she really liked and she hasn’t painted her house in about seven years.

“If you love the colors in your house, don’t change

them,” she said. “Just because a friend has a certain color or if you see something on TV or in a magazine, doesn’t mean the color is right for you. Do what makes you feel good.”

Martinson shared some tips for those thinking about painting, including there are no dumb questions; pay what you need to for the right applicator; when buying painting supplies, quality matters; and there’s more than just rollers and brushes; and know that the prep work is probably the hardest.

“I enjoy it (painting) and love helping our customers,” said Martinson. “And I love when they bring in before and after pictures. Painting is fun and I wish I could have my hands full of paint and stain every single day.”

8 BIAD 2018 - Hilltop Lumber

Johnson loves to see the nished product

by Celeste Edenlo cedenlo @echopress.com

Nearly 15 years ago, Bill Johnson, the hardware manager at Hilltop Lumber, wanted to make the move from the Twin Cities metro area to Alexandria.

Johnson met Paul and Brian Klimek, owners of Hilltop, when he built his lake cabin in Alexandria. In talking with the Klimeks, he told them to keep him in mind if they ever had a job opening.

“They finally called me and I started working for them. That was 13 years ago,” he said.

Johnson grew up in the hardware business as his

dad owned a hardware store, and he worked for Andersen Windows for a number of years.

After his first two months at Hilltop, where he was the Andersen Windows representative, he was sent to run the Hilltop Lumber location in Brandon. He did that for 10 years before moving to the Alexandria store where he became the hardware manager.

“I’ve always liked to fix things, tinker and enjoy solving people’s problems,” said Johnson.

When it comes to changes in the 40 years Johnson has been in the hardware industry, he said, “A hammer is still a hammer,

but the power tools have changed incredibly. Now, everything is battery-operated and tools can run a long time. That’s the biggest improvement.”

When a customer comes into Hilltop in need of hardware necessities, Johnson said he first likes

HARDWARE

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Bill Johnson (left) and Sherrie Martinson (right) make up the Hilltop Lumber hardware and paint team.

Hilltop o ers rental equipment both big and small

by Celeste Edenlo cedenlo @echopress.com

Working both inside and outside and not always at a desk is something John Rolin appreciates about his job at Hilltop Lumber. Rolin, who is the rental manager, has been an employee of Hilltop Lumber for the past decade. He started working for the company in 2008.

Along with Rody Feiler and Dan Oberg, Rolin is in charge of renting out equipment – from skid loaders to jack hammers and everything in between – as well as maintenance, getting parts and completing paperwork.

Rolin said working in a smaller community like Alexandria allows him to get to know his customers, which makes his job even more fun. Filling everyone’s needs and keeping equipment in order is probably the most challenging.

In helping Hilltop customers –whether residential or commercial – with their rental equipment, Rolin said he likes to talk with the customers to find out what kind of project

they are working on so he can make sure they get the equipment they need to get it done.

And although Rolin said Hilltop can fill just about every rental request, there was one it couldn’t.

“We had a request for a crib once. The person wanted to know if we

rented out cribs because they were visiting family for the weekend and didn’t want to buy one,” said Rolin. “Thought that was odd for an equipment rental business.”

RENTAL

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Hilltop Lumber’s rental team includes Dan Oberg (left) and John Rolin (right).

2018 - Hilltop Lumber

fun

Sales sta finds in keeping up

by Micah Friez mfriez@echopress.com

The outside sales representatives at Hilltop Lumber have an idea of how to approach each day.

They’re ready for changes to meet the needs of their customers.

“You come into the day with a game plan, and within five minutes that might change,” said Ed Thorson. “You’re doing 50 di erent things in a di erent day.”

“Sometimes there’s two or three people waiting for you when you walk into

the door, and your day starts that way,” Kenny Klimek added.

The department is a onestop shop for builders who need assistance, so the employees have adopted a jack-of-all-trades mindset.

“We’re problem-solvers,” Thorson said. “People are coming to you, looking for your help, and we help

guide them through that.”

But even though the days can be hectic, it’s part of the reason why the job is enjoyable.

“You can’t plan it. Every day is di erent,” KC Franson said. “There’s no repetition at all. It keeps things exciting.”

The trio are veterans at Hilltop Lumber. Thorson

has been on sta for the past 12 years, while Franson has 15 under his belt. The years have almost piled too high to count for Klimek.

“I was their first employee,” he said, receiving a round of tongue-in-cheek

SALES

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Hilltop Lumber’s sales team includes (left to right) Paul Chan, Mike Lyngen, Ed Thorson, KC Franson, Orvin Krueger, Jon Froemming, Kerry Anderson and Kenny Klimek.

Yard workers are experienced

by Celeste Edenlo cedenlo @echopress.com

Rick Koep and Jeremiah Rindahl have nearly 45 years between them as employees of Hilltop Lumber in Alexandria.

Koep, who started working for Hilltop when he was 17-years-old, has been with the company for 28 years. He is the yard foreman and handles the delivery side of the business, including but not limited to loading, unloading and whatever and wherever else he is needed to help out.

“I like the physical work of my job,” said Koep, who smiled and added, “but it’s starting to kind of take a toll on my body. I like to be one of those foreman who does the physical work.”

When asked if there were any challenges to his job, Koep didn’t really have much to say other than the

spring and fall can sometimes get a little hectic without their summer help.

“We’re steady all year, but this time of year, before winter sets in, seems to be busier,” Koep said.

He also said he enjoys working for Paul and Brian Klimek. “They treat me well,” he said.

Rindahl, who has been a yard delivery driver for nearly 17 years, not only takes care of deliveries, but helps with inspections of the trucks each morning and will help with loading and unloading, as well.

Rindahl said he mostly delivers windows, lumber, sheetrock or any other materials needed for construction purposes. He loves that every day is di erent and that he gets to drive to many di erent locations.

One of his most memorable delivery trips was also the farthest trip he’s

ever made, Rindahl said. It was to a town in South Dakota that was only 120 miles from the Wyoming border. He also remembers doing deliveries to three di erent houses in Minot, North Dakota.

Although he has made a few long-distance deliveries, Rindahl said the majority of deliveries happen in the Douglas County and surrounding areas.

In doing deliveries, Rindahl said there can sometimes be challenges in driving the big trucks, especially when it comes to not always having a lot of room to maneuver and always watching out for power lines.

But driving the big trucks has its advantages as well, he said, especially when

YARD

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Hilltop Lumber yard

2018 - Hilltop Lumber

DESIGN from page 7

been with Hilltop for 22 years, and his team work with sales people and contractors much more often than they do with customers.

Suchy’s team begins work after Bradford’s team is finished, and after a salesperson helps the customer decide which materials to use. Suchy and Mason Thorson make sure the builders get the right amount of material for the job –

not too much and not too little – while team member Kara Gerdes figures out special order pricing.

“It’s all computer estimating so it’s very consistent and accurate,” Suchy said.

“Hilltop prides itself in a house being customized to the individual homeowner.”

RENTAL from page 10

Rolin said if customers don’t know exactly what they might need, he said they should either call or just stop on down to Hilltop Lumber and he or someone in the rental department can “show you what we have and how to use the equipment.”

HARDWARE from page 9

to ask them, “What you are working on?” He said by finding out about the whole project, it makes it easier to get them set up with what they need.

Hilltop Lumber - BIAD 2018

TEAM from page 6

YARD from page 12 accounts to show Whiting and Ziesemer what they like. The design team is able to zero in on wishes that the customers themselves might not even be aware of. For instance, they might say they want a stained kitchen, but the designers notice they’re bringing in pictures of white kitchens.

They can help customers as much as the customer wishes, even scheduling contract labor for removal and installation.

SALES from page 11

applause from Franson. “Is it 30 years or 31?”

“I don’t know,” Thorson laughed. “Since ‘88?”

“Yeah,” Klimek assured himself. “So it’ll be 31 in February. … Long time.”

The banter is commonplace in the o ice, which helps keep the mood light in a fast-paced environment.

“We all get along pretty well,” Thorson said. “That’s the best part: It’s almost like you’re a big family on a team. It makes it fun to come to work every day.”

“It’s pretty light,” Franson added. “We goof around and have fun, but we still get our jobs done.”

That job includes just about everything, from estimating and contractor

sales to navigating a rush of phone calls and assisting builders on site. A lot of e ort goes into each project, but the process throughout and the payo in the end help make the work rewarding.

“Sometimes it’s not just the finished product, it’s helping people through their project,” Klimek said. “It’s the people you work

the house next to the one having items delivered is a daycare.

“It’s lots of fun to see all the kids with their faces pressed up against the windows watching us,” he said. “That’s a fun part of my job.”

for, but it’s also the projects that you do together.”

Although the job demands a lot, there’s good reason why the sta has stuck around so long.

“It’s the accomplishment of having a satisfied customer in the end,” Thorson said. “That’s what it boils down to.”

“We’re there for the whole thing, not just for the initial part,” Ziesemer said.

One of the best parts of my job is getting to talk about Alomere Health—and the entire Alexandria area—to talented physicians who are considering joining our team.

Medical professionals come from all over to see our world-class, nationally acclaimed hospital—and they leave feeling blown away by everything this community has to offer. Many end up moving here to stay. They are thrilled that, here, they can build a career they’re proud of, with the lifestyle they want, in a place they love.

The best of the best

“How the heck are all these great things happening in Alexandria?” This is a question I hear all the time. And I know it’s a question our business community, our school district and community nonprofits hear too.

My answer is simple: It’s our commitment. And our community.

This home is our home We support this community because we live here, we love it and we want it to be great— just like you.

Sincerely,

Eddie Reif, Alomere Health Director of Community Relations and Development