Conference Speakers

Doug Jones, president of Hines Building Supply, joined Hines in 2010, with more than 30 years of manufacturing, technology and management experience in the building material supply industry. Doug’s professional affiliations include Activant (Epicor) advisory council chair, and LMC’s technology committee chair. Before joining Hines, Doug was the area vice president at ProBuild and market manager for Stock Building Supply. He also held numerous management positions at Seigle’s, including project manager, director of information systems, director of operations, and vice president of operations. Doug supports all of the US LBM initiatives and is currently a mentor for the Pulse program.

Sunny Bowman is president and owner of Dakota County Lumber, the 2019 Northwestern Lumber Association Dealer of the Year. She played hockey at Shattuck St. Mary’s in Fairbault, Minn., a virtual production line for future NHL stars, and graduated with a dual B.A. in International Political Economics and French and Francophone studies from Colorado College. Since taking over at Dakota County Lumber in 2013, she has more than doubled sales while managing a growing sales force, taking the single-location dealership through a complete renovation, and instilling a leadership vision that creates commitment from team members and unbreakable customer loyalty. She continues to be recognized for her advocacy efforts promoting the next generation of skilled craftspeople in the construction industry and elevating the profile of women in construction, and was recently honored as Housing First Minnesota’s 2019 Housing Industry Leader of the Year.

Craig Bradshaw is President of Mead Lumber Company, founded in 1910.  Mead operates 39 retail locations, 4 truss/wall panel plants and a countertop shop in 8 Midwest states. Mead has grown from 15 to 44 locations and over 900 employees during Craig’s 14 years as President.  In 2014 he helped guide the company through the transition from a family owned company to a 100% employee owned company. Mead Lumber was the NLBMDA’s 2019 Pro Dealer of the Year.

Scott Morrison is the President/Owner of Scott Morrison Consulting, LLC, which works with LBM dealers (many with accompanying manufacturing facilities) across the U.S. to teach them how to identify and systematically reduce and eliminate waste in their processes. He has Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Industrial Engineering from the University of Illinois, plus 35 years of experience in the fields of Quality, Engineering, and Operations. Excellent communication skills, combined with both shop floor and senior management experience, allow Scott to easily relate to everyone in your organization.

Mike joined Espy Lumber Company in 1982 as an outside salesman, becoming the General Manager in 1986, and Vice President in 1993. In 2013, Mike was appointed President of Espy Lumber Company by the company’s Board of Directors. Mike has been recognized for his leadership and active involvement in both community and industry affairs, including: Point Comfort Property Owners Association, Hilton Head Home Builders Association, Southern Building Material Dealers Association, Home Builders Association, Hilton Head Baseball Association, and Dixie Youth Baseball. He is married with two boys, and is a member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.

Chris Borrego joined the Kodiak Building Partners team as President of Premier Building Supply in August of 2019. He offers a unique blend of professional roles, having held positions in Executive Management including CEO and President, with the balance of his career in Operations leading multi-location management teams with LBM, Millwork/Door Shop, Component Manufacturing, and Installed Labor responsibilities throughout the U.S. He has served as President of the Rocky Mountain Lumber Dealers Association in 2018 and has advocated for LBM industry interests as part of the National Lumber and Building Materials Dealer Association Spring Conference in Washington D.C.

Sarah Borders (5th generation family member) began her career with Stenerson Lumber in 2000 part-time and became full-time in 2003. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and couples her education with extensive leadership experience through community service. Through the years, she has worked in each of the Stenerson Lumber locations and held many different positions from the ground up.  Currently, she manages the Moorhead, Minnesota store, and serves on the Stenerson Lumber Board of Directors. Sarah enjoys getting her hands dirty with projects, an hour a day at the gym with CrossFit, and spending time with her husband, Greg, at the lake year-round.

Rick Vancil is the Executive Vice President of Alexander Lumber Co, based in Aurora, Illinois. Raised in the midwest, Rick started his business career working in his father’s fire equipment company in Tampa, Florida. Wanting to expand his knowledge of business and leadership, he joined 84 Lumber Company. After three years, he accepted increasingly greater responsibilities with Wolohan Lumber Company, Wickes Lumber, Neumann Homes, Foxworth-Galbraith and Stock Building Supply. Rick is passionate about building high performance teams to drive positive performance and results. He has spent his career working in turnaround operations and is committed to working with others to help them achieve their goals.

Thea Dudley is an expert in the field of credit in the LBM industry. A career spanning three decades brought her to executive roles in companies such as Guardian Building Products and SRS Distribution. She is now an independent credit consultant and coach, as well as a columnist for LBM Journal. A frequent speaker and podcast contributor, Thea has been involved with the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association, and is currently board treasurer at the Mountain States Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association. She is active in National Women in Roofing, and a member of the National Association of Credit Managers.

Jason Worth serves as General Manager of Gilcrest/Jewett Lumber Company, which was established in 1856. Jason represents six generations of family ownership. He graduated from TCU, which he attended on a golf scholarship, then pursued a professional golf career for several years before returning to the family business in 1999. He began his new career assembling loads and making deliveries, then graduated to Inside Sales, Outside Sales and eventually helping manage the business. Jason enjoys the customer interaction and is proud of all of the teammates that help serve the Gilcrest/Jewett customer base. He lives in West Des Moines with his wife and two daughters, and still enjoys playing golf when time allows. 

Steve Patterson is president and CEO of Central Valley — a leading multi-generational family business founded in 1955. With eight locations in Northern California serving contractors, builders and homeowners, Patterson’s multifaceted business also supplies agricultural supply products to family farms, and some of the largest vineyards in Napa and Sonoma Counties. The company’s brands include Foster Lumber Yards (a 100-year old lumberyard), and Napa Valley International (an import and export business). Fluent in Spanish, Patterson graduated from Pomona College and earned an MBA from UC Davis. Patterson is also a former board member of the Lumber Association of California and Nevada (now WCLBMA), where he served as legislative chair and president.

Amy Warren brings nearly 20 years of experience in the construction industry to the discussion. She started her career in branding and marketing. For the last 17 years, she’s held various roles in sales, marketing, communications, and technical design with Weyerhaeuser. Since 2015, she’s been Director of Business and Sales Development, stewarding the specialty products segment, strategic pricing, marketing and sales process for the $1.5 billion Weyerhaeuser Distribution business segment. Used to being the only female in the room, whether it’s the board room or a customer’s office, she’s passionate about making sure the LBM industry continues building bench strength with female leaders.

Carl came to Sears Trostel in 1994 and became operations manager in 2001. Carl led a team in 2002 and then again in 2008 to plan and implement a new shop floor and work procedures based on the principles of Lean manufacturing. Carl’s current focus is on simplifying and integrating the main shop floor computer systems, as well as continuing to identify waste in all aspects of the operation. In his free time, he enjoys playing guitar and playing chess.

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 30 years experience in management positions with Payless Cashways Lumber, Lowe’s, and Gilcrest/Jewett Lumber. Rick is a member of the Iowa LEAN Consortium and serves as president of the Waukee Leadership Institute. Rick and his wife, Sue, have been married for 37 years and enjoy spending time with their four grandchildren, being out at the lake on their boat, and golfing as much as possible.

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 ones you won’t want to miss.

Rikka Brandon is a serial entrepreneur, recruiter, author, and speaker. She is the Executive Recruiter at Building Gurus, a recruiting firm she founded in 2001 that’s focused on the building products industry. She’s spent her career helping companies find and hire the talent they need to achieve their goals. Her clients have ranged from small businesses to the Fortune 100. Over the years, she has hired over 500 people and done well over 10,000 interviews. She’s now sharing the secrets and strategies anyone can use to attract, find, and engage top talent for their business.

Armed with 22 years of sales, operations and manufacturing experience in the LBM industry, Shane Soule consults with LBM and component companies to increase profits and customer/team member experience. Shane has spent the majority of his career at Zeeland Lumber and Supply helping lead growth from 40M in sales to 140M while opening up four branches in two new regions. He has a passion helping LBM companies develop best in class customer and team member experiences by leveraging value add technology and processes.

Katie Bodiford is the Executive Vice President of the Construction Suppliers Association in Atlanta, GA and has 20+ years of experience working with associations in the lumber and building materials industry. With a background in marketing, graphic design and event planning, she has spent the majority of her career helping members better serve their customers through employee education, marketing consultation and customer service training. The Construction Suppliers Association serves independent lumber and building material dealers in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma.

Dena Cordova Jack is executive vice president of the Mountain States Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association (MSLBMDA). She has held various positions in her 29+ year career, from trading commodities, purchasing and sales management for Georgia-Pacific and Boise Cascade, to regional sales director for Foxworth-Galbraith Lumber. She also worked with Blue Tarp Financial as the national corporate sales manager. She is a passionate believer in continuing education, legislative advocacy, and service to community. Dena was the first woman president of MSLBMDA in 2009, and has also held board and leadership positions at the National Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association.

Jim Enter is a LBM industry consultant and founder of The American Association of Roundtables (AART). AART is the industry leader in developing financial trends and productivity ratios. Jim consults and writes about the financial and productivity issues facing LBM dealers. Prior to starting his own consulting practice in 1990, Jim held several positions, including VP of operations with a multi-branch LBM company. Jim and his wife Judy reside in Beaufort, S.C.

Nick White is the system administrator and inventory manager at Gilcrest-Jewett Lumber Company, which operates four branches and a truss plant. Nick started with Gilcrest-Jewett part-time in 2004 when he was 16 years old. After earning degrees in math and Spanish, Nick returned to the lumber business full-time in 2014. A third-generation Gilcrest-Jewett employee, Nick was one of four key members of the company’s ERP software conversion team in 2018. Since the conversion, Nick has focused on teaching himself SQL and creating business intelligence to help the company run more efficiently and take advantage of the vast features the new software offers.

John D. Wagner is a managing director for 1stWest Mergers & Acquisitions, which has transacted $1 billion+ in deal values and has a specialty practice in the distribution and LBM sectors.  John is also the M&A columnist for LBM Journal. He has served as a sell-side and buy-side advisor on dozens of M&A deals reaching back to 1999. John is the author of 17 books and 2,500+ articles that have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and many other outlets. His most-recent book is M&A Basics For People in a Hurry!

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.