Productivity is a big deal for the Manises, a trait they trace back to their father, Wheeler Manis, who Mark says “worked 365 days a year, even on Christmas” at the company he founded, and their grandfather, Tom Manis, a sawmiller with a third-grade education who nonetheless sent all his children to college and set up his four sons in businesses that included the lumberyard, a sawmill, a concrete plant, and a trucking company.
When Wheeler Manis turned over the company to Mark and Jim in 1986, he didn’t leave a succession plan. “He pretty much told us to figure out who ran what,” laughs Mark, although at the time it probably wasn’t that funny. When the brothers assumed control, Wheeler’s was getting half of its sales from homeowners, and got whacked, like many other independents, by the onslaught of The Home Depot. Mark says the warehouse giant actually did his company a favor by forcing Wheeler’s onto the pro-only path it now travels.
That road hasn’t always been smooth, which isn’t surprising given the brothers’ seemingly contrasting personalities. Mark, a former high school English teacher, is loquacious and extroverted; Jim is more reserved. But as sole owners—they bought out their sister in the 1990s—the Manises have struck a balance in terms of managerial responsibilities, with Mark handling distribution, legal, and credit while Jim oversees the company’s manufacturing, infrastructure, and information technology. The brothers insist that, even as consolidation among pro dealers accelerates, they aren’t interested in selling Wheeler’s because they want to give their children the opportunity to run the business.
“What distinguishes Wheeler’s from other family businesses is their commitment to work through their family ‘complex’ and move toward quick resolutions of any problem,” says Joseph Astrachan, director of the Cox Family Enterprise Center at Kennesaw State University, who has been a consultant to the Manises on family and business matters for more than a decade. At Astrachan’s urging, in 1994 the Manises formed a seven-person board of directors that meets three times a year. That board includes three outside members who run family businesses, too: David Drees, CEO of Fort Mitchell, Ky.–based home builder The Drees Co.; Tom Wolf, CEO of York, Pa.–based distributor The Wolf Organization; and, until last December when he stepped down, Jack Foxworth, COO of Dallas-based Foxworth-Galbraith Lumber Co.
During his period on the board, Drees says he’s seen the Manises become “a lot more open” about sharing information. And Foxworth says the board keeps the owners’ decision-making focused. “When you have individuals wearing multiple hats—owner, shareholder, etc.—you can forget sometimes what constituency you represent.”
Both board members and Astrachan agree that the Manises are, in Foxworth’s words, “expert listeners” and regularly heed the board’s advice, even when the brothers sometimes don’t act as urgently as the board—or even some customers—would like in areas such as computerization or yard expansion. The Manises, at heart, are cautious businessmen. In December they still hadn’t hired a new regional manager, after 18 months of interviewing. And Jim Manis says any diversification of its manufacturing isn’t likely to veer too far from what Wheeler’s makes already; for example, the company isn’t interested in kitchen cabinet fabrication. “I don’t see them taking a big risk or making a big investment here,” says Foxworth. “Profitability is very important to them.” —John Caulfield is a contributing editor for PROSALES.
Vital Statistics
Company: Wheeler’s Building Materials
Year founded: 1949
Headquarters: Rome, Ga.
Number of locations: 20
Number of employees: 700–800
2005 gross sales: $229.5 million
Pro sales percentage: 100 percent
