Jim Croome’s office not only is command central for his family business, Sandersville (Ga.) Builders Supply, in this rural Georgia town of 5,700 but also for his volunteer post as board chairman of the authority that oversees Washington County Regional Medical Center. The hospital was in dire financial straits when he joined the board in 2015.
Mr. Hospital
Right now, I’m the face of the hospital. We developed a plan to ask taxpayers for nearly $15.5 million in bonds. Taxpayers approved the bond by over 70%. Because of Jimmy [his son], I can spend time helping the hospital.
Why Do It?
I wanted to be helpful. Like a lot of people, you run your business and it takes a lot of time. I’ve done a lot of civic things over the years.When this came up, I thought I could pay back the community for blessing my business.
A Family Business
My dad came to Sandersville in 1974 to run the lumberyard for [then-owner] Mr. Bell. In 1989, my dad called and said Mr. Bell was selling the business. We pooled our money and bought it. My dad died in 1994.
Small Town, Big Ideas
Both of us having come from working at chains and bigger yards [specifically, Wickes], we didn’t want our one location to be a small yard, so we serve customers in a 45-mile radius, and that has worked well for us. Because there are no large towns in our service radius, we looked for niche opportunities. Some people use us only for installed service. The retail side serves us well. Jimmy manages the installed sales division, but his responsibilities have broadened.
Is the Hospital Work Worth It?
There are 300 people at the hospital counting on us. Unless I die of a heart attack, I’ll keep on doing this. The [chairman’s] term is six years. I can’t see myself leaving until that term is up. I want to see this through.—as told to Kate Tyndall
