Event Sponsors
Christi will kick-off the Women of LBM Session with a message of community, connection, and commitment for women in the construction and building materials industry. She will discuss how she developed 84 Lumber’s strong support network by actively engaging with other women in the field, and by developing and participating in professional organizations. She will show you how to foster meaningful connections through mentorship programs and networking events, and the importance of continuous learning, by seeking and developing training opportunities, and how to stay updated on industry trends. Christi believes that together, we can break barriers, excel in our industry, and pave the way for future generations. She will show you how we can build success, together!
Discover the transformative potential of experiences in reshaping beliefs and propelling women towards success in a male-dominated industry. Join us for an inspiring presentation that explores the vital role of supportive environments in empowering women to embrace their potential. Through captivating examples and evidence-based insights, we’ll uncover strategies for breaking barriers and fostering an inclusive culture. Together, let’s harness the power of experiences as catalysts for belief, unleashing women’s potential and catalyzing positive change in a traditionally male-dominated sector.
Women represent more than 50% of the overall population, yet comprise less than 15% of the LBM workforce. Our industry has a chronic shortage of talented young pros, yet many companies fail to connect with women. Addressing that reality head-on, this insightful panel discussion features female leaders from the inaugural LBM 40 Under 40 to discuss some sensitive and critical topics, including how to address pay gaps, where and when gender seems to matter, how to tackle discrimination, why it’s more important to put values around performance rather than gender, and more. Audience questions are encouraged.
, CJ Young
, Jenny Vasquez
, Sallie Keene Denton
Prioritizing employee well-being is essential for productivity and success. This engaging breakout session is designed to provide actionable strategies for initiating and implementing practical mental health initiatives at work. Participants will have the opportunity to share their experiences, brainstorm ideas, and leave with a toolkit of practical strategies to create positive change within their organizations. Awilda Jimenez tackles this very timely topic.
Vision Boards are a proven tool to help you visualize your success. In this session, you’ll learn how to create a vision board to manifest your professional and personal goals. Join veteran vision boarder Thea Dudley and newbie vision boarder Lisa Geth as they take you through the process.
, Lisa Geth
Learn the art of navigating tough circumstances that require crucial conversations, while upholding strong relationships and maintaining your integrity. All too often, we find ourselves placed in challenging situations that require difficult discussions. Join this roundtable to learn strategies about effective communications utilizing active listening and empathy to ensure constructive outcomes.
Uncertain times do not need to create uncertain sales expectations. The turbulence of recent years and conflicting news about the economic tides have created concerns about sales results, sustainable profits, and the future growth of your organization. LBM Journal has invited Rick Davis back to share insights on sales leadership that gets results in all market conditions. You’ll learn how the roles of sales managers are the key to long-term sales success; how to measure performance; and ways to build a team of performers that embrace accountability. Expect to walk away with abundant ideas you can put into place instantly to help your sales team outperform the market.
What happens when a builder and an LBM supplier share a common vision to change the industry with the goal of getting more houses built? In this session, LBM Pro Rachel Huntman and Custom Builder Jon Newbury will discuss how they manage the variables (i.e. supply chain issues, labor shortages) to deliver faster builds. Preston Feather has committed to shortening build cycles as a key growth strategy, and Jon’s time-saving philosophies in high-end custom homebuilding in Northern Michigan can be applied anywhere. Together they are making their vision a reality. If you like the idea of partnering with your builders to complete more homes – and supplying the material to make that happen – you won’t want to miss this session.
LBM dealers throughout the U.S. report that attracting, hiring, and retaining talent is a chronic challenge. In this session, Cassie Milam will share how The Detering Company, a 97-year-old, third-generation family-owned company recently earned a coveted spot as a Top Workplace in the hotly competitive Houston, Texas market. You’ll learn how Cassie and her team have created and nurtured a company culture that’s fluid enough to weather a changing business environment—including strong growth. If you want your company to become a place where people want to work and are excited to come to work, you won’t want to miss this session.
If you ask the owners of Walker Lumber & Supply to share the secret to their company’s success, they’ll tell you it’s no secret. “We know that if we focus on nurturing our team and our customers, success and growth will follow.” In this 60-minute discussion, Ray Hayles and Scott McMillan will share the struggles and successes that helped their revenues more than triple in six years (from $22mm in 2016 to $77mm in 2022). Driven by their mission “To Serve Others with Excellence,” you’ll learn how focusing on people fuels Walker Lumber’s success, and helped earn its place as an LBM Journal Dealer of the Year.
In this 30 minute session, we recognize excellence and accomplishments in our LBM Community, including the 2023 LBM Dealers of the Year, inaugural members of the LBM 40 Under 40, the LBM Century Club, and the LBM 100.
Attracting, hiring, and retaining young talent is tough for many companies. To learn what tomorrow’s leaders are looking for, we invited several members of the inaugural LBM 40 Under 40 to take the stage. During this interactive session, these LBM pros will share personal insights on what makes a business attractive during the hiring process and beyond. You’ll discover the different work values younger generations have and how to implement programs and processes that make you a top employer in your area, saving valuable resources for your organization in what is currently an endless hiring loop to find the right employee.
This presentation will be a fast-paced look at how six brothers working a lifetime in the family lumber business pivoted from working IN the business to working ON the business. This is a story that spans 77 years, from the founder and his six sons, to include third and fourth generation family members. Special emphasis will be made of the selection and leadership transition of the President’s role from second to third generation. Dennis Stine, CEO, will describe the work done by the family over the last 10 years creating Stine Lumber’s multi-generational business. He will introduce third generation President, Wendy Stine, and they will discuss the work done to help Wendy and Stine Lumber have a successful transition in leadership that exceeds stockholder’s expectations.
In this session, Jim Sobeck will review the various exit strategies he evaluated before selling his business, New South Construction Supply, in February 2023. There is no “one size fits all exit strategy,” so Jim will review the pros and cons of the many different options available to business owners and will share the reasons why he chose to sell to a private equity firm. You’ll leave this session with practical insights and food for thought as you consider the continuation of your company. Live Q&A will follow.
LBM companies are selling for slightly less now than they were in 2022/early 2023. This is due to “normalizing” of lumber prices, inflation, and–the granddaddy of all influences–rising interest rates, which have put
downward pressure on new housing and repair & remodel. It’s a dip in the market, yes, but it is temporary.
Can you still attain a good value when selling your company in this current environment? And what will values look like in 2024? We will delve into the KPIs that are being closely examined by acquirers, and explain what business owners should focus on now to prepare for an exit in the near future.
In this session, you’ll learn: precisely why recent acquisition values dipped; how to identify weak spots as you look to shore up your value; and the M&A valuation outlook for 2023-24.
Join us Thursday evening and explore the legacies of the legends of this sport while immersing yourself in the excitement, passion and history of NASCAR through ever-evolving exhibits and interactive experiences–including the famous pit stop challenge and interactive racing simulators. We will have food and drinks all evening. Sponsored by Simpson Strong-Tie and Handle.com
As industry consolidation continues and commodity volatility dominates daily discourse, the need to differentiate has never been more important. Yet sales teams continue to candidly acknowledge “Well, we do all have the same products and the same trucks,” while executives green light more and more clutter: more products, more features, more email blasts, and more social media posts. “More” isn’t helping your customers. They are searching for better and different—and they need it now. In this engaging and interactive session, Bradley Hartmann will demonstrate how small, practical changes to your leadership diet will encourage innovative thinking that amplifies your differentiation.
Learn how Spahn & Rose Lumber has doubled its size in four years, with plans to double again in the next four. Dave Davis will discuss the data-driven tactics that helped this Iowa-based lumberyard exceed sales of $200 million per year on its way to becoming a 2022 LBM Journal Dealer of the Year. As only the eighth person to run the family-owned company since its founding in 1904, and only the second from outside a founder’s family, Davis will talk about how a clarity of purpose, including a focused growth strategy, is key to the company’s future.
The shortage of workers entering the building trades doesn’t just affect builders and remodelers, its impact is felt all the way up the building supply chain. In this important session, Doug Ford will discuss Curtis Lumber’s six-year journey into its innovative workforce development initiative, which is focused on educating students, counselors, school administrators and parents about the career opportunities in the building trades. Doug will share how their lessons-learned can be applied by dealers, distributors, and vendors. While there’s no quick fix, you’ll leave this session with a clear vision of how you and your company can make a difference.
It’s human nature to avoid tough conversations and situations, consequently we kick that can down the road. Discussing bad debt, AR tech and trends, retirement and raising up a new breed of AR partner, all things that make up your back office and impact your rate of cashflow. The flow may “work” but how well and at what cost. The comfort zone is a dangerous place, join Thea as we start the tough conversation.