Independent ProDealer of the Year
Outside sales rep Andy Theirl’s office at Dakota County Lumber sits just outside that of second-generation owner Sunny Bowman. Their proximity, along with Theirl’s natural ability to look at things from his customers’ point of view, means he’s usually one of the first in line to vet ideas that come out of the corner office, or fine tune them.
Whatever the idea, from people to packages to pricing, the proof of the company’s success always seems to rest in the execution. The 26 employees at the yard operate as if they’re aware that their reputation is on the line with each transaction.
The challenges of 2020 began with confusion over the state’s position on the pandemic-induced construction shutdown. Like many businesses throughout the state, DCL went into disaster planning mode and engaged in budget-revision sessions and experienced some sleepless nights. “And then, things just took off,” Bowman said. “We kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, and things to slow down, but they just never did.”
The company finished the year up about 40% in sales, with a small amount of that growth attributed to commodity inflation. Total sales hit $21.5 million. And early 2021 is up 80% over the pre-pandemic 2020 (before the demand surge).
With an emphasis on specialty products, DCL’s business breaks down into three relatively equal parts: deck builders, remodelers and new home construction.
“I think that one of the reasons why we were so fortunate and insulated was because of our diversification into a lot of the specialty products because we found those niches where we could do well.”
Case in point: Decking. DCL grew its business by taking a stocking position in some of the decking products and focusing on specific deck builders as they were entering the Twin Cities market. “It just took off, Bowman said. “It was a category in which we could be competitive early on, even as a small yard.”
It also played to the company’s strengths in communication, delivery and customer service.