Thriving Through Uncertainty: What Independent Lumber Dealers Must Do Next
If you’ve spent time in the lumber and building materials world, you know uncertainty isn’t new. For most independent dealers, it’s practically a business partner. Markets rise and fall. Interest rates climb. Labor becomes harder to find. Regulations shift. Yet every year, independent yards across the Northeast open their doors, take care of customers, and […]
Market Outlook: Stable but Strained Conditions Shape Residential Building
The Farnsworth Group, a customer research firm serving the building materials industry, describes the residential building and home improvement market as fundamentally sound but operationally strained. Core demand drivers, including household formation, an aging housing stock, long-term homeownership aspirations, and high home equity, remain intact. Near-term activity, however, is constrained by affordability pressures, elevated interest […]
THE AI ASCENSION: Transforming Your Organization to Accelerate Growth
Zach Williams, founder of Venveo, shared a useful framework for leveraging artificial intelligence to drive significant business growth. Titled “AI Ascension,” the presentation offered a strategic roadmap for organizations to move beyond mere adoption and achieve true transformation through AI. He emphasized that while AI is becoming increasingly intelligent, the real challenge lies in using […]
Firing Line: Night Shift
“When it absolutely, positively has to be there by 9 p.m. … call Steve.” It was a little after 8 p.m., and I was just settling down with a bourbon when my phone rang. If you’ve spent any time in management, you already know what an evening phone call usually means—it’s rarely good news, even when you’re running a second shift. But this one was different. It was Steve, our second-shift yard supervisor. He had […]
The LC’s Top 5 of 2025
As 2025 comes to a close, the Lumber Co-operator looks back at a year driven by connection, innovation, and practical insight. Our most popular articles reflected what’s top of mind for members—strengthening involvement, embracing new products and trends, and preparing teams to work smarter and more efficiently. These five standout stories sparked conversation, shared valuable […]
FIRING LINE: How LBM Salespeople Can Become Invaluable
In every market cycle—boom, downturn, or somewhere in between—one constant remains true in the LBM industry: the salesperson is an important link between the dealer and the customer. They represent far more than price and product; they embody trust, expertise, and the ability to solve problems that builders face every day. The best salespeople in the LBM industry aren’t order takers … they are value creators. […]
FIRING LINE: Understanding Profitability in the LBM Industry…and How Salespeople Can Make or Break It
“Top-line sales are for egos—it’s the bottom line that counts.” That line always gets people’s attention. In the lumber and building materials industry, sales volume often takes center stage—but it’s profit, not revenue, that keeps a company alive. Understanding where profits come from, how they’re lost, and what salespeople can do about it is essential […]
Don’t Wait—Elevate: Why Young Employees Deserve the Fast Lane
Most LBM leaders we speak with agree: we need more young people seeking careers in the LBM industry. In recent years, there have been all kinds of initiatives out there attempting to attract young people to our industry. However, once we have them, how are we going to keep them? With all the education and […]
Rising Star: Giuseppe Bucciero
Location: Ballston Spa, NY Position: Controller • Curtis Lumber Co, Inc. How did you begin your career in the LBM Industry? I began my career as a part-time employee at Curtis Lumber, spending the summer after my junior year of college working in our Loss Control department. While I did not have any experience with building […]
Welcoming Incoming Chair: Genn Howley, GNH Lumber
Genn Howley initially went to college with plans of focusing on a career in advertising. Her father, Stan, however, had other plans. He asked her to give the family business a chance and serve her internship at GNH Lumber; she never looked back. Howley received an associate degree in journalism from SUNY Morrisville in 1996 […]