A lumber buyer purchases lumber for inventory or immediate resale to a construction contractor, a business that processes lumber (i.e. truss or wall panel fabricator), or a DIY consumer. The buyer is tasked with ensuring inventory is available at an acceptable cost to ensure profit, while managing risks associated with fluctuating commodity prices and working within the organization’s working capital constraints. A buyer in a lumberyard operation could be purchasing building materials for a single store or location or many locations. In smaller operations, it is often a senior leader that does the commodity buying due to the price risk and working capital requirements involved. Lumberyard buyers purchase materials from distribution, brokers, wholesalers, and directly from mills and manufacturers.