SERVICES PRODUCTS ABOUT TOOLBOX CONTACT QUOTE ABOUT US Our Story. A bit about a little second generation, family-owned and operated yard in Farmington, Minnesota. OUR MISSION FROM DAY ONE: We’re here to get you what you need, when you need it. We got our start as a framer’s yard. Founder Steve Finden first started DCL after working ten years in the industry on both the framing and the supply sides of the industry. He knew that if he could build loads and deliver materials with the needs of the builders in mind, business would thrive. We’ve stuck to that principle ever since: getting our customers what they needed, when they needed it, and delivering to maximize efficiency on the jobsite became the core of what doing good business was all about. It’s 1984… Steve started the business in 1984 with a single truck, a $7500 loan from his father in law, and an idea of how he could do business differently. He worked as a framer and then in sales and management at a lumberyard in Northern Minnesota. When it was time to start a family, Steve moved back to his hometown and set up shop—on the very same street as his boyhood home even—with the goal of improving on what he had seen in the market and building something that would sustain his family and add value to his hometown of Farmington, Minnesota. Hardships & Triumphs Exponential growth with little access to capital was one thing Steve had to overcome. He tells stories of writing letters and pitching to nearly every banker in the metro area before finding someone that would take a chance on a high school-educated carpenter from a small town. The Great Recession 2007–2009 was a considerable challenge for us, as well as everyone. It cut our revenues in half and set us in a major hole we had to dig out of. While other companies laid off employees or closed their doors, Steve and his wife poured their own retirement savings back into the business in order to retain every single employee. That level of compassion is our gold standard for ownership and care for our employees to this day. The Next Gen by Sunny Bowman I came into the business in late 2012 with the intention of learning about the high-level management of the business and helping steward the business so that dad would be able to retire. I quickly fell in love with the business, the construction industry, the people I got to work with on a day-to-day basis, and realized I wanted to play a much more active role. Today I serve as the “Chief Everything” Officer—I’m the President/CEO, CFO, the General Manager, and the de-facto Sales and Marketing Manager (small business is like that—”all hands on deck”). I bought my parents and my older brother out at the end of 2018 and am now the sole owner of the business. I’m looking forward to watching it continue to grow and my goal is to double+ our revenue at our current location, and to expand to at least one other strategic location in the Metro area. I want to continue to build on the foundation that was laid by my dad, and continue to raise the bar for service among lumber dealers in the metro. Awards & Accolades 2019 Northwestern Lumber Association Dealer of the Year MULTIPLE YEARS ”Trillium” winner Housing First MN 2019 Housing Industry Leader Of the Year HBS DEALER MAGAZINE: Inaugural Top Women in Hardware & Building Supply 2021 HBS Dealer Independent ProDealer of the Year 28 8th Street Farmington, MN 55024 (651) 460-6646 CURRENT HOURS Mon–Fri 7am–5pm INFO Perfect Deliveryᵀᴹ Community The Crew Covid-19 ACTION Design Tools Get a Quote Contact Us ©2020 Dakota County Lumber Co.ᵀᴹ | All Rights Reserved | Made in Minnesota