Hamshaw Lumber acquires Leader Home Centers
Hamshaw Lumber, Inc., based in Keene, N.H. has acquired Leader Home Centers, a chain of five retail stores with locations in Massachusetts and Vermont.
With this acquisition, each Leader Home Center will transition to a Hamshaw Lumber store, with some locations receiving extensive building renovations and updates to vehicles and equipment.
Current Leader staff will join with Hamshaw Lumber staff as the two businesses merge and grow, Hamshaw said in a press release.
Leader Home Centers was started in the early 1980’s by the original owner, Peter Filion, and grew to its current five locations in Greenfield, Deerfield, Amherst, and Barre, Mass., along with and Brattleboro, Vt.
“The joining of these two businesses will afford customers a broad selection of products and services across the entire Connecticut Valley region of New England,” said Hamshaw Lumber’s founder and Chairman of the Board, Douglas Hamshaw.
The chairman also said he believes that that personalized customer service and expert product knowledge, along with an expansive selection of in-stock inventory, is what today’s homeowner seeks in a local retail store.
Hamshaw Lumber is an Ace Hardware cooperative member, with locations in Keene, N.H. and Orange, Mass. Ace retail stores are all backed by a nationwide support program that allows locally owned businesses to compete with big box stores by offering a convenient hardware store experience with exceptional service and quality products.
Hamshaw Lumber, Inc. was started in 1980 by Douglas Hamshaw, who took over Old Colony Lumber in Keene, a local hardware store that was close to bankruptcy. The dealer currently has 165 dedicated employees, a number that will grow to 243 with the acquisition of Leader Lumber.
Hamshaw Lumber has an excellent record of giving back to its local communities, regularly supporting nonprofits in the Monadnock region, including United Way. Through more than 40 years of business, the company is proud to have navigated both extreme growth periods and economic recessions, without a single employee lay-off, and without compromising its mission to provide excellent customer service.
In 2019, Doug’s son, Ken Hamshaw, took over as President of the company, and has continued to lead its recent growth. Doug’s son, Scott Hamshaw, who now resides in Vermont, has also contributed to the company’s growth over the years.