Russ Kathrein is the Vice President of Lumber & Building Materials at Do it Best, based in Fort Wayne, IN. He was raised in his family’s lumber business and earned a degree in finance from Michigan State. He worked for NCR and United Airlines before returning to the building materials industry, where he has worked for industry leaders, such as 84 Lumber, BMC West (now BMC), ProBuild (now BFS), and Alexander Lumber Co. Russ is passionate about the art of leadership and the human element of business. He has successfully led many operations by first getting the people part correct and aligning the team, then focusing the team on the fundamental issues.