LAT names 2022 honorees
The Lumbermen’s Association of Texas has announced its 2022 honorees: a dealer and an associate member recognized by their peers for extraordinary accomplishments.
Walter Foxworth has been selected to receive the inaugural LAT Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes LAT members, dealers, and associates, who during their career have made outsized contributions of exceptional significance to the Texas building materials industry through their engagement in the association.
Foxworth served as president of LAT’s Board of Directors in 1990, was recognized as “Dealer of the Year” in 1993, and has over six decades of volunteer engagement.
“I started my career in 1959, and attended my first LAT Convention,” said Foxworth. “I have found that engaging and investing in the LAT mission is critical for each of our individual businesses and our industry. The friendships I made along the way have been some of the most meaningful of my life. As I look back at my over 60 years of involvement, I am committed to supporting the next generation and to giving back to an organization that I am so proud to belong to.”
Foxworth retired from his role as chairman-emeritus at Foxworth Galbraith Lumber Company, a division of US LBM in the fall of 2022. He continues to dedicate his time to LAT and the LBM industry, especially the up-and-coming professionals that will ensure its success in the decades to come.
“Walter has made his mark on our industry and the LAT membership,” said Kate Woodson Borroni, president of the LAT Board of Directors, human resources and principal at Woodson Lumber Company. “Every day he raises the bar on what it means to be a LAT member. He continues to inspire the next generation of leaders.”
The associate award is based on level of service to LAT’s dealer members and dedication to and engagement with LAT for the betterment of the industry.
Lynn Surls, chairman and president at Richardson Timbers has been selected as the 2022 Associate of the Year. Surls has been majority owner of Richardson Timbers since 2007. For decades, Surls has been an industry advocate, he has empowered his team to volunteer with LAT, and he has invested in LUMPAC and extended his relationships with legislators to advance public policies that have strengthened Texas’ economy.
“Having high-value relationships with our customers is how Richardson Timbers prospers and LAT has been at the start of so many decades-long partnerships,” said Surls. “As a business owner, you must look beyond the current business environment and try to anticipate changes. The advocacy work we do at LAT supports our success today and helps us be prepared for what the future brings. Thank you, to be recognized by you means so very much.”
Richardson Timbers, founded in 1949, specializes in milling wood timbers and producing custom millwork products.
“Lynn has worked diligently to build relationships with legislators and has extended those to benefit our industry,” said Borroni. “He has been a steadfast supporter of LAT and he encourages his team to engage in our work. We look forward to bestowing on Lynn and Walter our association’s most prestigious honors.”
The awards will be presented at the 137th LAT Convention & Expo: In a League of Its Own in Arlington, Texas on Sept. 19, 2023.
The awards will be presented during an evening dinner celebration that will include a keynote by Crawford Brock, Owner and CEO, of Stanley Korshak, an independent Dallas luxury retail store. To register for the event, please visit lat.org.
Founded in 1886 and based in Austin, Texas, the Lumbermen’s Association of Texas (LAT) is a non-profit trade association that represents lumber and building material dealers, a majority independent, multi-generational family-owned businesses.
