Builders Club Rewards Cleveland July 2021

bc-test.buildersclub.com | Builders Club Rewards | Page 3 Tom wants builders and remodelers to know that Mentor Lumber is com- mitted to exceeding their expectations. “I’m just a phone call away. Just know that we are here to take care of you, and we’re the experts in the industry.” Tom has five children, ages 18 to 24, including triplets, and is married 26 years. He enjoys fishing, all the local Cleveland sports teams, and is heav- ily involved in his church. Don Bowling Appointed Division Sales Manager for Mentor Lumber in Chardon Don Bowling is the new Division Manager for Mentor Lumber and Sup- ply’s Chardon location. Don replaces Rick Yaeger, who has retired after 25 years with the company. In his new position, Don oversees the staff, sales and operations for the Chardon location. Previously, Don worked in outside sales with Mentor Lumber. It’s a challenging time in the industry, from lead times and price fluctua- tions to hiring, but Don believes the company is up to the challenge. “Rick who was here for 25 years in Chardon has a great foundation in place, and a lot of great people, and it runs very smoothly,” Don said. “He was the best boss I’ve ever had, and I want to make sure I maintain the same level of open door, and Rick’s listening ability.” Price fluctuations in particular are a challenge today in the industry. Don said that Bob Sanderson, the former president of Mentor Lumber and Sup- ply, along with Chris and Roy, oversee a lot of the lumber planning, and do a fantastic job of planning ahead. “We have not run out of materials, and everything has been moving along very smoothly on stock items,” Don said. Don also focuses heavily on communications with customers. “I started last August sending customers a weekly email about what the market was doing and lead times, and people said how helpful that was. Now it is a companywide thing I produce for our customers,” he said, noting that a big part of serving customers is helping them to understand lead times and price fluctuations. “The futures market is not necessarily a reflection of what the cash market is doing, so there’s a lot of explaining and commu- nicating. It’s important for us to be on top of market conditions. The more you can communicate that, the better you will be.” The longevity of employees has helped Mentor Lumber to succeed for generations. “We’ve got a great combination of some young new hires over the last few years, and also a fantastic older group that has knowledge they are willing to pass on. We have two outside sales under 40, and two over 60, and that makes for a helpful transition with a lot of knowledge being passed on.” The average employee tenure at the Chardon division is around 19 years. Rick Yaeger retired after being manager for 25 years, and with 45 years of industry experience overall. Don started with Mentor Lumber and Sup- ply in 2013 after working with other lumber yards, and for his dad’s con- struction company. In all, Don has 40 years of building experience and an Associate’s Degree in architecture. “There’s nothing in lumber I haven’t done,” he said. Don started working with his dad part-time at age 8, and full-time at age 10 digging post holes and doing other work, and continued with his dad through college. Don had planned to take over the family construction business, but unfortunately knee problems made that impossible. Don has been married 30 years, and has three children, a daughter who teaches in Knoxville, and two sons, one is a plant inspector and the other is with the road department and volunteer fire department. When he’s not working, Don and his wife enjoy riding their Can-Am Spyder motorcycle on road trips. Justin Ball Appointed Division Sales Manager for Mentor Lumber in Mentor Justin Ball is the new Division Manager for Mentor Lumber and Supply’s Mentor location. Justin replaces Ray Sanderson, who retired after 48 years with the company. Justin previously worked as a commercial estimator/coordinator with Mentor. In his new position leading the Mentor division, Justin plans to continue to provide quality products and superior service to builders, while also maintaining Mentor’s positive culture. Continues on next page