In 2016, when Hiawatha Lumber owner Denny Gustafson decided to retire, he offered the yard to Tom and Dave Siwek of nearby Siwek Lumber. They said no. But their wives, Jan and Lisa, plus fellow sister-in-law Pat, saw Hiawatha as their shot to grow something of their own.
Seizing an Opportunity
Lisa: Denny came to the family because he wanted [the business] to continue as a lumberyard. Siwek was too busy to take it on, but we accepted it right away.
Jan: As a stay-at-home mom, I was ready to do something new. We really liked the idea of a woman-owned business. We thought that would attract other people. Hiawatha is also a Marvin dealer, and Marvin is exclusive. Siwek doesn’t sell that. If people come in just for Marvin and see the quality of the lumber, they come back to us. They would rather not dig for lumber in the big box stores. We have a lot of people who call in their orders, and we get it ready for them.
Growth Curve
Lisa: We serve more high-end customers here, and we have doubled our Marvin orders in the last year. We immediately built up the hardware, and brought in Do it Best. We’ve also expanded the showroom, added door and window displays, and added more molding patterns. We stock quality cedar, different types of fir, WindsorONE, and do special orders.
If you come in with an old window and don’t know how to fix it, our guys can help with it. Here is where you fix that window, and get that customer service.
Jan: People liked it that Hiawatha had a long history here. We want personal service to be key to our operation. The people here had lost some passion, but the store always made money. We added five people and would like to add another salesperson eventually. General Manager Jon Skogland, who’s been here 35 years, was key to our success. Jon has a huge customer base; people love him. Project salesman Chuck Preston also is a big part of the team.
We do neighborhood [projects] more and more, updating houses, so we keep all the old mouldings in stock. We try to keep what people are looking for. We like being here, and want to continue to grow the inventory. We are here to stay.
In 10 years, the new generation will be old enough to come into the business. My daughter says, “Mom, I’m so proud of you.”
