Conference Speakers

AJ Konynenbelt’s first parttime job at the age of 15 was with Zeeland Lumber. Directly after college, he transitioned into fulltime employment with Zeeland, and learned many different facets of the business through various departments. At the bottom of the market in 2008, AJ moved into an Account Manager role and built a pipeline for growth, which led to his promotion to West Michigan Sales Leader. In 2016, he was promoted to Zeeland’s Vice President of Sales, directing three Regional Sales Leaders who oversee a staff of 38 account managers, coordinators, and estimators.

The son of an LBM manager, Bradley Hartmann was born into the business. Upon graduating from the University of Illinois, Hartmann built more than 1,000 homes with national homebuilder Pulte Homes before transitioning into an area purchasing role. After 11 years at Pulte, Hartmann launched Red Angle, Inc., a training and consulting firm helping dealers improve sales, productivity, and profitability. As President of Red Angle, Inc., Hartmann’s four core service areas are sales and marketing strategy facilitation with executive teams, customized sales management coaching, sales rep workshops, and keynote speeches. Bradley has written five books. Hartmann lives in Dallas, Texas, with his wife and two sons.

Chris Goebel is Chairman of the Board and CEO at Star Lumber & Supply Co., Inc., in Wichita. His responsibilities include leading the Board of Directors, President, and COO, as well as corporate real estate and various other special projects. Star Lumber is a private family business, founded in 1939. Last year, the company’s consolidated sales were $122 million with 335 employees. Approximately 92% of sales are to professional contractors. Star’s primary activities include sales, manufacturing, installation and distribution of lumber, building materials and flooring products to the central Kansas and Oklahoma regions.

Dena Cordova Jack is a 25+ year veteran of the LBM industry. She has held various positions in her career, from trading commodities, purchasing and sales management for Georgia Pacific and Boise Cascade, to Regional Sales Director for Foxworth-Galbraith Lumber Company. She has also worked with Blue Tarp Financial as the National Corporate Sales Manager, which added perspective in the financial challenges in our industry. By building her career in all facets of the LBM industry, Dena has a unique perspective and advantage to understanding the many challenges that our members face as our industry continues to evolve. Dena serves at the Vice Chairman for the Federated Association Executives for NLBMDA, and is the Executive Vice President for the Mountain States Lumber Dealers Association, which represents Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and Wyoming.

Dennis Stine is the CEO of Stine Lumber Company, a family-owned chain of home improvement stores with locations in Louisiana and Mississippi. He has an extensive background of community and government involvement, having served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, and was Commissioner of Administration for the State of Louisiana from 1988 to 1992. He has also been an active board member for a wide range of community and industry organizations. Stine is a graduate of McNeese State University with a degree in accounting as well as an M.B.A. and graduated from the John F. Kennedy School of Government Sr. Executive Program.

Derek Roche is an Operations and Logistics Manager with 20 years of experience leading change in top fortune 500 companies such as UPS, Express Scripts, CocaCola, and Weyerhaeuser Co. Derek graduated from Ottawa University with a degree in leadership and management. Over the last 15 years, he has used Lean principles and methodology to lead the development of improved work stations, streamline processes, increase productivity, and more, all while decreasing cost and making working conditions safer.

Doug Carlson is Vice President of Sales and Operations at Drexel Building Supply, a Wisconsin-based lumber/building material dealer with a mission to “Supply Happiness.” Doug holds two BA degrees in operations management and marketing from Marquette University and an MBA. Doug launched his career as Manager in Training with Stock Building Supply, where he developed his skills and his passion for the LBM industry and was eventually promoted to District Sales Manager. The industry leap that helped create massive success was when Doug joined the Drexel team as VP. At Drexel, he has been the Vice President of Sales for the past eight years, leading a robust sales team of leaders. Drexel now has seven locations throughout Wisconsin with continued growth on the horizon.

The changing dynamics of the LBM industry, construction, communication, and competition have forced a new dynamic in sales performance. Old school practices will leave your salespeople behind in the new environment. The modern salesperson is a business development expert supported by an organization equipped to gain more wallet share in a team selling environment. This lecture and panel discussion will illustrate how powerful business models of the most competitive LBM dealers are taking market share without sacrificing margin while creating unbreakable customer loyalty.

Jeff Tweten is a Managing Member of WorkSafeWorkSmart.com, LLC and a CoFounder of Lumber Buddy, Inc. Jeff focuses on providing safety and productivity solutions for the LBM Industry. Jeff has visited more than 1,800 lumberyards across the U.S. and Canada in the past 18 years. He has become a champion for Lean process improvement and encourages the “2 Second Lean” approach to building a lean culture of engagement in organizations. He has given out hundreds of copies of the book “2 Second Lean,” by Paul Akers, in hopes of planting the seed of positive change within the LBM industry.

Jim Davis is an owner, President/CEO of Barrons Lumber, which serves the Washington D.C. market. Jim is also a Director and Vice Chairman of Advantage Buying Group. Jim started with Barrons in 1978 in the stockroom and as the janitor. He worked in virtually every area of the company and eventually became President and CEO in 2008. Jim graduated from the Harvard Business School’s Executive Education Owner/President management program. He was invited into the ownership group at Barrons in 1991, and has helped foster and perfect the custodial ownership model, which is designed for dynamic growth and to continue the company into perpetuity.

A columnist for LBM Journal where he writes about mergers and acquisitions, John D. Wagner serves as a Managing Director for 1stWEST Mergers & Acquisitions. He leads the firm’s efforts in the technology, lumber, construction, and building materials sectors. John is also the CEO of J Wagner Media, a leading marketing and PR firm for the construction sector, with a special focus on software and technology. He is the author of 14 books and 2,000+ articles that have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, NY Times, NPR, and other leading outlets. John is also an Adjunct Professor in the Business School and the School of Architecture + Art at Norwich University, where he teaches classes on architecture and entrepreneurialism.

Justin Ellis is CoFounder and CEO of Elco Building Supply, a teamfocused dealer specializing in solutiondifferentiated commercial and specialty building supplies. Justin cofounded Elco in 2018 after the sale of his family’s company, Builders Stores of New Mexico, where he served as President. Justin believes that the most basic building block of any company is the team member, and he focuses his energy on building a worldclass team. In addition, Justin serves on the board of the Mountain States Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association, and The Chaves County CASA organization.

Kimberly Simonson is Executive Vice President of Simonson Design Studios. Kimberly played an active role in the creation of Simonson Design Studios, including the use of 3D renderings that allow contractors and homeowners to see a virtual version of their project before beginning construction. More recently, the company created software that coordinates with their designs to create a virtual reality tour for clients to navigate their new home—much like navigating a video game. Under Kimberly’s leadership, Simonson Design Studios has established relationships with LBM dealers, as well as builders, developers and architects around the U.S.

Mark Hopkins is COO of Hancock Lumber Company in Maine. Mark is responsible for Hancock’s retail division, which includes a network of lumberyards and design showrooms, as well as wall panel and truss manufacturing operations. Mark brings over 20 years of experience working at Hancock Lumber, covering everything from counter sales to Account Manager, General Manager and Sales Manager. Mark says that his enthusiasm, drive and commitment to excellence truly set him apart. Mark’s favorite part of his job is the people and being connected to all the employees, contractors, and vendors, helping to build lasting relationships that the 170yearold company is known for.

Rick Davis is the contributing Sales Editor to LBM Journal and regarded by many as the leading sales trainer and consultant in the LBM industry. He has been the Owner of Building Leaders, Inc. for 20 years and trained tens of thousands of salespeople in our industry. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and applies his studies in economics and psychology to deliver scientific measurement of sales performance and the power of influence that produce predictable future results. His presentations are the ones you don’t want to miss.

Rick Kyser is Operations Manager at Gilcrest/Jewett Lumber Company in Waukee, Iowa. With a BS in agriculture education from the University of Nebraska, Rick has more than 25 years experience in upper management positions with Payless Cashways Lumber, Lowe’s, Des Moines Bolt, and Gilcrest/Jewett Lumber. Rick is a member of the Iowa LEAN Consortium and has achieved formal LEAN training certification in 2012.

Rick’s introduction to the LBM industry began in 1990 with Building Material Retailer magazine, and continued with the launch of LBM Journal in 2003. Since then, Rick and a team of hardworking, high performing publishing pros have built LBM Journal into the leading national media brand serving the LBM distribution channel. With degrees in English and marketing, Rick is passionate about delivering insights and information to help readers run their businesses better and smarter.

Rikka Brandon, founder and Chief Executive Recruiter of Building Gurus, works exclusively with building product manufacturers and distributors to find, hire, and retain top sales and executivelevel talent. Brandon provides experience that an inhouse HR department often cannot: a deep pool of active and passive candidates, an understanding of the details that appeal to each candidate, and the knowhow to balance business acumen with company culture. In her 17 years as an industry recruiter, Rikka has worked with numerous industry leaders, placing over 500 building product professionals.

Steve Swinney is the Founder & CEO of Kodiak Building Partners, a company focused on building products distribution, based in Denver. As Chief Executive Officer, Steve is responsible for the overall vision, strategy and execution of Kodiak’s business plan and also serves on Kodiak’s Board of Directors. Since its creation in July 2011, Kodiak has grown to over $1 billion in revenue through a series of nearly 20 acquisitions and one business launch along with extensive organic growth of its portfolio companies. Prior to the founding of Kodiak, Steve was the Vice President of Financial Planning & Analysis with ProBuild Holdings.

Terrance K. Resnick is a Partner in Resnick Associates, a nationally recognized business succession, estate planning and life insurance advisory and implementation firm with offices in Harrisburg, Penn., and Kansas City. Terry works with many lumber related coops and their individual business owner members across the United States, including LBM Advantage, LMC, Do it Best and Allied Building Stores. He is a CoFounder of the Elizabethtown College Family Business Center in Elizabethtown, Penn., one of the largest college based family business centers in the United States. In addition, Terry is an invited speaker at a number of law schools.