The president and soon-to-be CEO of Builders FirstSource (BFS) plus the heads of several of the most active M&A-minded dealers will discuss the LBM mergers and acquisition climate during the 2018 ProSales 100 Conference this coming Feb. 28-March 2 in San Antonio.
BFS’ Chad Crow will be joined on the panel by Ruben Mendoza, president and CEO, Foundation Building Materials; and David Dittmer, CEO of TAL Holdings, the holding company for Tum-A-Lum Lumber and two other dealers. Michael Collins, a principal at Building Industry Advisors and ProSales’ “Big Deals” columnist, will moderate.
Builders FirstSource
Chad Crow
BFS now is over a year into its acquisition of ProBuild, the one-time No. 1 company on the ProSales 100, so Crow is in good position to describe his company’s experiences with the megamerger. Meanwhile, GMS has been busy; between spring and fall it bought ASI Building Products in Michigan, Washington Builders Supply in Pennsylvania, and Southwest Building Materials in Northwest Texas. All told, it has purchased roughly a dozen companies in the past two years.
Foundation–like GMS, a specialist in drywall, ceilings, and steel studs–has been equally busy. The California-based firm has made 10 acquisitions this year, accounting for 19 new branches across North America. In the third quarter alone, it made three acquisitions.
Based in the Columbia River Gorge, Tum-A-Lum is representative of the smaller dealer that looks for opportunities in its neighborhood. In 2016, Tum-A-Lum acquired Marson and Marson Lumber of Washington State, and it grew again in August when it acquired Brown Lumber Inc., parent company of Browne’s Home Center in Friday Harbor, Wash.
Aside from the March 2 M&A panel, dealmaking also is likely to come up the day before, during a session for CEOs. That panel will include Dan Tinker, president and CEO of SRS Distribution, one of the most active M&A companies in recent years. That panel also will feature Kyle Hooker, board chairman of Florida-based Tibbetts Lumber, and the CEO of ProSales’ as-yet-unnamed Dealer of the Year.
Leading Authorities
Polar explorer Ben Saunders
The ProSales 100 Conference traditionally kicks off with a mind-expanding keynoter. For 2018, it’ll be polar explorer Ben Saunders, the third person in history to ski solo to the North Pole and was leader of a 105-day roundtrip journey across Antarctica to the South Pole and back. He has covered more than 3,700 miles on foot in the Polar Regions since 2001. His appearance at the ProSales 100 Conference will take place just weeks after a new trip to Antarctica in which he will attempt to make the first solo, unsupported, and unassisted crossing of Antarctica.
In warmer climates, Saunders has given three TED Talks and has been called “a master storyteller” by that group. At the start of his appearance on BBC Radio’s famed Desert Island Discs interview show, Saunders was quoted as someone who “specializes in dragging heavy things around cold places”–great training for someone who also is an endurance athlete.
The 2018 event also will bring to the stage many of LBM’s biggest and most accomplished operations, including these commitments to date:
- Bill Myrick, former CEO of American Builders Supply and ProBuild as well as former COO of 84 Lumber
- Bert Stephens, VP of operational excellence, BMC
- Scott Morrison, lean operations/5S consultant
- Tom Dias, assistant operations manager, Shepley Wood Products
- Marilyn McCann, operations manager, Shaw/Stewart Lumber
- Mark Boud, chief economist, Metrostudy
- The members of our ProSales/Dealers Choice Four Under 40 Class of 2018
- Natalia Dittmer, marketing director, TAL Holdings LLC
- Ann Marie Chilcutt, owner, New Home Building Stores
- Thea Dudley, vice president of financial services, SRS Distribution
- Scott Ericson and Jennifer Swick, principals of Wheelhouse 2020
More CEOs and other leaders will be added to the list once they turn their tentative commitments into full ones.
The conference’s theme in 2018 is “Making the Best Better.” There will be sessions on leadership, lean operations, M&A trends, social media, and workforce development, plus key housing market forecasts from TWO national leaders.
The event is open to dealers and distributors; only vendors who sign up as sponsors can attend. To register, visit here. To become a sponsor, contact Dan Colunio.
