Ashley Elliott is the general manager of SBSI’s Mountain Building Supply in Hayesville, NC, a full-service lumberyard serving western NC and north GA. She started in the industry at 17 as an office admin with zero experience, learning the business from the ground up—coordinating orders, pulling hardware, managing stock, and handling customers. That hands-on start carried her to office manager, then GM, where she led the branch’s transformation into a full-service contractor operation, growing sales 20% in her first year. She has since supported company-wide initiatives, including multi-location store resets and ERP and HR platform updates. She leads with trust, betting on people the way someone once bet on her.