HOME CAREERS LOCATIONS OUR STORY NEWS Our Story A visual timeline of the Franklin Building Supply story. WITH GRATITUDE Humble beginnings | Ambitious growth Every person and every organization has a story. At Franklin Building Supply, our story is one of two founders who stewarded a company through growth and development into the Franklin Building Supply we are today. As we build on their legacy, our story continues to be written by incredible men and women who work together everyday to grow and improve the company for the benefit of our employees, customers and suppliers. Our best days are ahead and we are indebted to everyone who has and who will help write new chapters. AT A GLANCE 43 YEAR HISTORY 650+ EMPLOYEES 17 LOCATIONS Bud Fisher starts work with Boise Payette Lumber Co., which became Boise Cascade in 1957 1956 Dick Lierz is working for Hallock and Howard in Denver when the company is purchased by Boise Cascade. John F. Kennedy elected president. 1960 Evel Kneivel attempts to jump the Snake River Canyon at Twin Falls, ID; purchases building materials for the ramp from Volco Inc., gives Volco his Tombstone as collateral for credit charges made. 1974 Dick Lierz and Bud Fisher incorporate Franklin Building Supply Co. and begin operations in Boise. 1976 Franklin adds a second location with purchase of Caldwell Building Supply. 1977 Franklin teams with Boise company Trus Joist to become first ever stocking dealer of residential engineered I-beams. 1978 Dick and Bud launch Wholesale Distributing Co., known now as Boise Supply Co. 1979 Ronald Reagan elected president. 1980 Franklin opens a new store in McCall, ID. 1982 Caldwell location moves to the Boulevard, takes over former Hoff Lumber location. 1983 Company makes a controversial decision to relocate Boise store to the countryside on the edges of city limits; builds new lumberyard. Ronald Reagan re-elected. 1984 The rail comes to Franklin with addition of rail spur in Boise yard. George H.W. Bush elected president. 1988 Franklin branches into Nevada with opening of Elko lumberyard. 1989 Franklin opens second mountain community yard, this one in the Sun Valley area. 1991 Near miss report! Anderson Lumber fails in effort to buy Franklin. Within five years Anderson will be eaten by Stock Building Supply, which in turn abandons all southern Idaho locations by the end of the Great Recession. If Franklin had sold to Anderson it may have gone down with the Stock Building Supply ship. 1994 Bud Fisher retires! Creates opportunity for small group of second-generation employee owners. Bill Clinton re-elected. 1996 Franklin opens a lumberyard in Fruitland, ID. 1997 Franklin Opens a lumberyard in Winnemucca, NV. The company’s first truss plant opens in Boise. 1998 Franklin acquires Volco, Inc., adding yards in Twin Falls, Jerome, Burley, Gooding and a truss plant and long haul trucking operation. Initial inventory discovers Evel Kneivel’s tombstone in storage. Franklin quickly follows Volco purchase by adding Sawtooth Door Co., acquired from BMC. 1999 Franklin moves its Boise door shop to a building that once housed the first Trus Joist manufacturing plant. Dick Lierz introduces concept of employee ownership for third generation; board committee formed to study options. 2000 Franklin opens new lumberyard in Pocatello, occupying former BMC location. 2003 Boise customer and part time Air Guard bomber pilot Chad Crocker drops bombs on Bagdad. 2004 Franklin takes customers on a seven day wild water raft trip on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. Franklin completes its first total home build, supplying materials and labor, for Habitat for Humanity of Ada County. 2005 Franklin buys two Maravia rafts for Payette River fun with employees and customers. 2006 Evel Kneivel dies. Relatives come looking for the tombstone given to Volco. Franklin returns it to them. It’s a three-way tie for the Boise store’s annual chili cook-off! 2007 Franklin opens Design Innovations in Meridian; wins best design center award following year. 2008 Franklin launches Contractor’s College, to provide training to customers. 2009 Franklin wins ProSales “Dealer of the Year” award. Franklin is sold to its employees, becoming a 100% employee-owned company. 2016 Franklin is honored as one of the Top 10 Best Places to Work in Idaho in the large employer category. Franklin Building Supply opens a new truss plant in Jerome, Idaho. 2019 HOME CAREERS LOCATIONS OUR STORY NEWS BUILDERS Professional Grade Credit Application WebTrack Composite Housing Report HOMEOWNERS Design Centers CAREERS Open Positions Employee-Owned Culture & Leadership COMPANY Contact Us 50 Families | 50 Years Employee Resources Copyright © Franklin Building Supply. All Rights Reserved. Site by State.