Customers are more savvy and it's hard for the large stores to keep qualified, knowledgeable employees. Most of Hubbard Lumber's business is with area contractors, McConnell says. We order lumber and building materials for contractors and deliver them on schedule as construction proceeds. Most of the company's supply is transported from the West Coast, where the best domestic structural wood is found. What has helped locally owned independent lumber yards the most, McConnell states, is the affordable low interest rates in the housing market.
Interest rates are one of the primary factors in the industry right now.
Overall, it's easy to compete with these guys. Another advantage locally-owned lumber yards possess is an extensive list of longtime customers. Pa. His great-grandfather founded Flower in 1902. The company sells construction lumber, wood siding, wood flooring and has diversified into vinyl siding, drywall and insulation products. In this business, either you specialize or you keep a full line.