LMC Annual returns in person
For the first time in two years, the Lumbermens Merchandising Corporation (LMC) network of dealers, suppliers and staff met in person for the 2022 LMC Annual, March 23-25, in Tampa.
LMC said its dealers attended high level professional education seminars, took advantage of show specials, and discovered new products at what attendees called the “Super Bowl” of LBM events, highlighted by NFL MVP and Super Bowl Champion Joe Theismann as the keynote speaker.
“The LMC Annual is one of the top events in the LBM industry where thought leaders convene for the best market insight, purchasing opportunities, and networking,” said Sean Tighe, LMC senior vice president of purchasing.
Over the course of three days, said LMC, dealers met with key supplier partners and the biggest names in the LBM industry to learn about new products and make purchases to prepare for prime building season. The LMC team was also on hand to help build new relationships and offer expert insight into the market.
“We take great pride in the relationships that we’ve built within the LBM industry,” said Paul Ryan, LMC president and CEO. “While it is important to provide our dealers with great purchasing opportunities, the LMC Annual also allows us to reconnect in person and continue building the foundation to meaningful and lasting relationships within our network.”
Ryan spoke on separate occasions at the LMC update breakfast and the stockholders meeting about the state of the industry, to supply and labor challenges, to an outlook in 2022 with sentiment remaining largely positive for the foreseeable future.
The LMC president and CEO reported on tremendous growth with combined dealer retail sales totaling $25 billion with over 400 members, and $7.9 billion of their purchases through LMC in 2021.
Ryan also took time to recognize the organization’s most recent national Dealer of the Year award winners – Hancock Lumber in Maine, and Capital Lumber in Wyoming, along with LMC team members Kelley McFadden and Rachel Hoops for being recognized as a “Top Women in Hardware & Building Supply” by HBSDealer.
Professional education seminars were led by members of the LMC team and key supplier partners such as ModernView, Epicor, and Kenzai USA, to name a few.
Additional highlights included the LMC Party - “LMC Rocks at Raymond James Stadium,” held at the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the 21st Century Leaders Night Out at Splitsville bowling and restaurant, that hosted the top young leaders in the LBM industry.
The next LMC Annual will be held at the Charlotte Convention Center in North Carolina, March 8-10, 2023.
The Lumbermens Merchandising Corporation is the leading forest products and building materials buying group in the U.S. owned by independent lumber and building material dealers. There are over 1,500 LMC dealer locations in the U.S. and the Bahamas. “Building Business Together” is the LMC’s philosophy, rooted in a history of working together and standing the test of time since 1935.