GBS 2011

GBS BUILDING SUPPLY

BLUEPRINT

Barreto, CEO of GBS Building Supply, » Bob with a group GBS team members.

Future

for the

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GBS Building Supply expands product lines, enhances services

t’s not enough to be a source for materials. GBS Building Supply is determined to become the solution to every builder’s needs.

This is a company created by builders, for builders; indeed, its founders – a group of 10 prominent Upstate homebuilders – framed GBS to be exactly the kind of supplier they themselves wanted to patronize. Now, based on a solid foundation of 39 successful years, a new CEO has drawn up plans to revitalize the builder-centric business with expanded product lines and

enhanced services at each of its four strategic locations.

“Our goal is to deliver more than just products,” says CEO Bob Barreto. “We want to truly partner with our builders and remodelers – to become an extension of their business. And we’re going to do that by providing more expertise, more innovative solutions and more support in more areas. We’re here to facilitate our customers’ success.”

Since 1972, the Mauldin-based company has supplied start-to-finish products to the professional building »

market. Barreto’s blueprint for expansion – with $1 million allocated for capital expenditures and job creation – includes upgrading showrooms into knowledge-based “idea stores” and developing new initiatives such as installed sales, green product lines, remodeling and restoration design services, and a commercial products division.

CREATING NEW NICHES Barreto – a Clemson grad with a rich background in top-level business operations and development – is the new man at a company storied for its longtenured employees. Many count their time in decades, rather than years, ensuring an institutional knowledge both broad and deep.

Saying these staffers have a vested interest in the company’s success is no mere cliché – through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), GBS Building Supply is 98% employee owned.

“Everybody’s got skin in the game,” Barreto says, and the ESOP guarantees dedicated customer service.

“Employees are certainly aware that how they interact with customers directly impacts their own bottom line.”

Thus there’s palpable enthusiasm among the ranks over GBS’s evolution into a stronger, next-generation building supply resource.

David Davis, manager of the Anderson store, sums it up thus: “There’s excitement about the ‘new’ GBS Building Supply,” he says. “We are not sitting back and waiting (for business to recover from the recession). Rather, we’re creating stronger niches in an industry that I have loved for over 40 years.”

This energy highlights GBS’s commitment 2

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to be the first choice for building products, services and solutions “We already make the builder’s job easier,” says Pug McAbee, a GBS salesman for the past 31 years who attributes the company’s enduring success to product knowledge, quality and dependability. Homebuilders can find everything they need at GBS – “from foundation to finish” – so there’s the convenience factor, too. “Carrying more products, offering more services, means even more benefits for our customers.”

SHOWING OFF Ambitious goals include upgrading GBS showrooms into knowledge-based “idea stores” where builders as well as homeowners can conveniently peruse samples and explore possibilities.

“We’re creating the kind of place where builders can meet with clients to talk through ideas, view product options and make informed selections,” says James Whiteside, manager of the GBS store in Hendersonville. “GBS is an extension of their business and we want to help make each builder-client meeting a success.”

Enhanced showrooms will offer in-house expertise regarding windows, doors, cabinets, custom millwork, green products, decking and fencing, hardware and more. “We’ll have specialists in each area, in each store, to assist builders and their customers,” Barreto explains. Also planned are recurring seminars focused on new products and technologies.

“The idea is to add value to the experience of working with GBS.” GETTING GREEN Green is the color of the future.

Thus GBS Building Supply has launched a new green sales division designed not only to supply natural building products but also to help educate builders and remodelers about the latest sustainable solutions.

“With today’s heightened interest in ecologically-sound building materials, it’s important for GBS to be the leading green resource for builders,” says Cindy Williams, purchasing manager for GBS. “We can help builders make informed green product choices so they, in turn, can satisfy their customers’ level of environmental consciousness and budget.”

GBS in Anderson is a 100% Green Certified Dealer, according to store manager David Davis. “The building sector accounts for 48% of all the energy consumption,” he points out, “and if we can help reduce these numbers by better directing our customers’ needs then not only do we win at the end of the day but our environment scores big, too.”

AT YOUR SERVICE Additional builder-focused initiatives include installed services, remodeling and »

restoration design services, and a commercial products division.

GBS plans to more fully partner with builders by streamlining their sub-contract work. As homebuilders express increased interest in outsourcing, “we’re filling that niche with our installed services,” Barreto says. “We’re letting customers drive our business – we’re doing what they say they need.”

A clear need has been expressed as well for more products, more solutions for the vibrant remodeling/ restoration market.

“We see remodeling picking up quite a bit,” says Dewey Ellis, assistant store manager of GBS in Six Mile, who notes the growing trend of homeowners choosing to remodel rather than move. They’re adding content to current homes instead of building bigger ones, or they’re downsizing into existing homes but upgrading with new finishes, “so we’re expanding our product mix to include more

GBS sales team member, Tito Rivera, provides customer service assistance to Shane Holman at the Mauldin location.

of the products that typically go into renovation projects.”

A revitalized commercial division – a logical expansion of the GBS’s customer base – is already enjoying rapid growth.

“GBS is responding to the needs of the market place,” Barreto explains. “Diversification into commercial applications adds to our resiliency, consistency and ability to meet a broader array of our customers’ needs.”

Indeed, GBS is committed to meeting – and exceeding – builders’ expectations in every possible way.

“Service has always been a GBS hallmark,” says Ellis.

“That’s why so many of our customers have been with us for years and years. They’ve learned that we do what we say we’ll do. They know we are reliable, honest and fair.”

Pug McAbee emphasizes that “years and years” applies to many an employee, too.

“I’ve been here so long,” he says. “I love GBS. I’m one hundred percent dedicated.

There’s not a better place to work in this industry – and if you’re a builder, there’s not a better place to bring your business.”

Speciality Products Personalized Service

www.uslumber.com B u y W h e r e t h e B u i l d e r s B u y – GBS BUILDING SUPPLY

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BUILDING

By Builders,

FOR BUILDERS Company founders saw need for a better supplier

If you want something done right, sometimes you just have to do it yourself.

That’s why, back in 1972, a group of 10 Upstate homebuildersever in search of a better source for lumber, roofing, millwork and more-decided to construct a company of their own. Who better to run a supply business, they reasoned, than the very folks who purchase said supplies.

And thus, under the leadership of R. Buford Landers, began Greenville Builders Supply.

The founding builders/stockholders – Landers along with M. Graham Proffitt III, John C. Cothran, Ellis Darby, David Balentine, Edward H. Hembree, W.N. Leslie, Alvin Trammell, Chester A. Reece and W.C. Balentine – intended the company to serve as their own supply source while also meeting the needs of all professional builders.

Construction broke ground in June 1972, under Landers’ close supervision, and by October of that year the original Mauldin location began delivering materials. From its earliest days, Greenville Builders Supply enjoyed a steady business.

Within five years the company expanded into Anderson. To ensure a name that embraced its growing geographical aspirations, Greenville Builders Supply became GBS Lumber in September 1979. Subsequent expansions included Hendersonville, NC, in 1981 and Six Mile, SC in 2005; from its four strategic locations, GBS now serves both Carolinas and parts of Georgia.

Growing from a startup with just 10 workers to an employee-owned company with a staff nearly 100 strong, GBS has thrived thanks to strong executives and a supportive board of directors comprising pillars of the home-building community. Landers, the company’s first president, was followed by Jim Harrell, then Ron McNeely and, most recently, Bob Barreto. Two of the original board members – Graham Proffitt and John Cothran – continue serving to this day.

With the past 39 years as the most solid of foundations, GBS in mid-2011 laid plans for yet another expansion built on both new and enhanced products, services and solutions. Focused, as ever, on its building-based clientele, the company rebranded itself as GBS Building Supply, removing “Lumber” from its name to emphasize not only strength as a lumber yard but also expertise in installed sales, green products, remodeling/renovation design services and commercial applications.

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GBS thrives by help Four bedrooms, 5,500 square feet, 850,000 dollars. And one, just one, small squeak.

“We built an exquisite home for a very demanding customer,” recalls Michael Galloway, who along with his brother Mark runs Galloway Custom Homes. “Everything was perfect … except for a single squeak that only happened first thing in the morning.”

Eliminating the problem – which others might have ignored – necessitated a re-build of the garage ceiling under the bonus room, an extensive (read: expensive) project completely underwritten by GBS, whose vendor had provided the engineered wood utilized in the original construction.

“The homeowner expected the impossible – and with the help of GBS, we were able to make it happen,” says Galloway. “We didn’t have to absorb the cost (of the re-do) ourselves. And that, right there, is why we do business with GBS. They absolutely stand behind the products they sell.”

Galloway is a second-generation builder – his dad founded R.C. Galloway back in the ’60s – and like many in the industry he’s a second-generation GBS customer, too. He especially appreciates the builder-focused showroom, where his homeowners can “look, touch and try” products such as windows, doors, cabinetry, millwork and other interior finishes.

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Michael Galloway of Galloway Custom Homes meets with clients to review granite countertop options.

With enhanced display areas, every GBS showroom is designed as a one-stop idea shop where builders and homeowners can peruse samples and explore product possibilities.

Billy Dunn of Dunn Custom Builders consults with Tim Lucas, a window specialist at GBS Building Supply, to determine the best options for a new home client. GBS’s four knowledgebased service centers offer in-depth expertise on a variety of product lines-windows, doors, cabinets, millwork, flooring and more-thus making it easier for builders to make informed selections.

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GBS Building Supply sells everything – from foundation to finish – to build homes such as this soon-to-be brick beauty in Hollingsworth Park at Verdae.

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tw re a a S th

co re p

BUSINESS ing builders thrive

Bob Sadler began his homebuilding career in 1971 working for wo of GBS Lumber’s founders; in addition to longstanding personal elationships, he utilizes the supply house because of price, service and follow-up. “Through all these many years, they have consistently and competitively serviced our needs,” says Sadler, now president of Sadler Company Inc. of Greenville. “That’s the mainstay of GBS: he service.”

Long a favorite supplier for start-to-finish new home onstruction, GBS has intensified its focus on the remodeling/ enovation market. Alan Boone, owner of Advanced Renovations, patronizes the company because of its consistent fulfillment of his

Bob and Todd Sadler, the father-son duo behind Sadler Company Inc. of Greenville, meet with Dave Slyder, manager of GBS Cabinets, to research environmentallyfriendly options for kitchens and bathrooms. GBS’s new green product sales division provides expert advice to builders interested in utilizing ecologically-sound materials.

just-in-time requirements.

“They carry what I need, when I need it,” Boone says, explaining the nature of remodeling means there’s seldom the luxury of extended lead time. “Waiting for out-of-stock supplies is not an option.”

Merely providing materials isn’t enough for GBS – the company is committed to becoming a true business partner to residential and commercial builders as well as remodelers. Community roots run deep.

“GBS is and always has been local,” says Billy Dunn of Dunn Custom Builders. “We know them. We trust them. It’s been a very long, very good relationship.”

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BEFORE

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These beforeand-after photos feature a bathroom remodel by Alan Boone of Advanced Renovations.

GBS has revitalized its product mix and design services for renovation projects as part of its commitment to partner with the entire professional builder market – residential and commercial as well as remodelers.

AFTER

New Beginnings Ron McNeely retires after 39 years with GBS Change, there’s been aplenty. And most of it good. But as Ron McNeely reflects on forty-some years in the building supply business, he points with satisfaction to some things that have stayed the same.

“What hasn’t changed is that GBS Lumber started out as a locally owned company and we remain so to this day,” says McNeely, GBS’s recently retired president and general manager. “We have deep roots in our community.”

McNeely worked his way through Clemson University with a side job in building supplies. After earning a degree in industrial management and serving a stint in the military, he hired on as a salesman for what was then the new Greenville Builders Supply. “I’ve been here since we were a startup in ‘72,” McNeely says, and within a dozen years he worked his way up to general manager and, in 1994, took over the reins as company president.

The advent of big-box retailers, headquartered from afar, shook the foundations of many a local lumberyard. But GBS survived – indeed thrived – based on its builder-centric business model.

“Our business model has always been the same,” McNeely says, noting that the company’s founders, a group of 10 Upstate homebuilders, framed GBS to be exactly the kind of supplier they themselves wanted to patronize. “GBS has been a success story from Day 1.”

When GBS Lumber faced a possible outside takeover in the early 1980s, McNeely was instrumental in implementing an Employee Stock Ownership Plan instead. The process, begun in 1984 and fully realized in 2001, yielded a company that’s 98% employee owned.

“It’s been such a good ride,” McNeely says, noting GBS has grown from one location to four, with a market that now covers both Carolinas and parts of Georgia. “I couldn’t be more pleased with the career I’ve had.”

And while proud of every accomplishment, McNeely anticipates a more relaxing pace as he settles into retirement. He plans to focus on health/wellness, church and, of course, family. He and his wife Carolyn, married for 42 years, have one son, Brent, and four grandchildren who live just down the street, thus allowing McNeely plenty of opportunity to revel in his role of granddad.

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BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS GBS Building Supply partners with hundreds of quality vendors to offer a foundation-to-finish inventory unrivaled in our industry. We’ve built solid relationships with producers of everything from lumber, siding and roofing to windows, doors and interior finishes … and everything in between for residential and commercial builders as well as remodelers.

Billion-dollar purchasing power ensures competitive prices backed by unwavering guarantees.

GBS Building Supply is an active participant in the Home Builders Association of Greenville, National Association of Home Builders, Better Business Bureau and Greenville Chamber of Commerce. GBS belongs to two national buying groups, Orgill and Lumbermens Merchandising Corporation.

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B u y W h e r e t h e B u i l d e r s B u y – GBS BUILDING SUPPLY

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Four Service Centers, One Goal GBS Building Supply is a local, employeeowned company that provides quality start-tofinish products to the professional building/ remodeling market. Founded in 1972 by a group of 10 Upstate homebuilders – with a goal of becoming the type of supply house they themselves would want to patronize – GBS serves its builder-centric clientele through four strategic locations in North and South Carolina. Each store is designed to meet the unique needs of its individual market.

MAULDIN

location revamped as an “idea store” with a knowledgebased showroom where builders and remodelers can meet with clients to talk through ideas, view product options and make informed selections. Expanded display areas feature everything needed to build a home from the ground up: siding, roofing, windows, doors, cabinetry, countertops, trim work, flooring, decks, fencing and more. “We are well-versed in all of these areas,” Whiteside says.

SIX MILE ANDERSON STORE MANAGER: David Davis LOCATION: 100 Ashley Rd., Anderson, SC 29621 PHONE: 864-225-0555 HOURS: Monday-Friday 7:30AM-4PM; Saturday 7:30-11:30AM

STORE MANAGER: Russ Henson LOCATION: 103 Old Mill Rd., Greenville, SC 29607 PHONE: 864-288-6754 HOURS: Monday-Friday 7:30AM-6PM; Saturday 8AM-1PM GBS founder Buford Landers oversaw construction of the company’s first facility on Old Mill Road back in 1972, and to this day the site bustles with energy while fulfilling the original – and on-going – mission to be the preferred building material supplier by providing products and services of unsurpassed excellence.

“The Mauldin location is the company’s largest volume store,” says store manager Russ Henson, “and it also has our millwork specialty center.”

As a company 98% employee owned, GBS has a jump on other suppliers that are headquartered from afar. “We are unique in this market because we are locally owned,” Henson says, “and that enhances our customer focus and our customer service.”

Managing the original GBS store is especially rewarding.

“The best part,” Henson says, “is being part of a company that always operates with honesty and integrity.”

GBS strives to be the best and deliver more

As manager of GBS Building Supply in Anderson, David Davis oversees two of the company’s most unusual employees. Goats Elvis and Lilly are the store’s “experts in the area of grass trimming and weed control,” jokes Davis who then, more seriously, explains that these animals provide eco-friendly upkeep on the store’s property surrounding a retention pond. Utilizing goats for grounds maintenance is a green alternative to chemicals and machinery.

And the Anderson location is all about green; indeed, it was recently designated a “Green Certified Dealer,” says Davis, outlining a new emphasis on sustainable products and services. “We want to educate area builders and remodelers about ecologically-sound building materials so they can make the best recommendations to their customers.”

As a dedicated environmentalist, Davis is pleased his store has become the market’s leading green resource for builders.

STORE MANAGER: Bronson Whiteside LOCATION: 148 S. Main St., Six Mile, SC 29682 PHONE: 864-868-9900 HOURS: Monday-Friday 7:30AM-6PM; Saturday 8AM-1PM An enhanced emphasis on the local retail customer makes the Six Mile store unique amongst GBS service centers. While the core of its business remains supplying materials to professional builders and remodelers, the Six Mile location recently expanded its product offering and extended business hours to meet the needs of residents in the nearby lake communities. The store now carries a wider variety of home improvement products and landscaping supplies.

“This change is an added value for the community and something not offered by other GBS locations,” says store manager Bronson Whiteside. “We’re still focused on providing our builder-based clientele with the best service and quality products possible. A retail offering just gives us the ability to say ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’ more often.”

HENDERSONVILLE

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STORE MANAGER: James Whiteside LOCATION: 507 Duncan Hill Rd., Hendersonville, NC 28792 PHONE: 828-697-2471 HOURS: Monday-Friday 7:30AM-4PM GBS Building Supply’s Hendersonville store has serviced the WNC area for 30 years. This longevity, according to store manager James Whiteside, is all due to higher standards.

“We have better service than the competition AND better materials,” he says. What’s more, “we also have the flexibility to order products that the big-boxes cannot provide.”

As part of a company-wide initiative, the Hendersonville

years of serving the professional builder