They took the pledge, how about you?

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO — “Can we all raise our right hands and pledge that we’ll never say ‘lumberyards are not sexy’ ever again?”



Thus spoke Wendy Whiteash, chief culture officer of US LBM Holdings, the fast-growing acquisition-oriented lumberyard company based in Green Bay, Wisconsin.



From the perch of a panel discussion on labor issues, her comment was directed at an audience of lumber dealers with a problem on their hands: The best and the brightest millennials aren’t considering LBM as a career path.



Bolted onto that pledge was the question: Where is the next generation of talented and dedicated leaders going to come from, if we don’t work together and individually to promote the virtues of the business?



You don’t have to twist Brian McCoy’s arm. He took the pledge. The industry needs more CEOs like McCoy — “chief enthusiasm officers.”



 “If I’m in front of McCoy folks, they have to feel that I love this business,” said McCoy, whose McCoy’s Building Supply operates about 95 units, mostly in Texas. “And if I’m in front of business students, they have to feel that after 40 years, I’m still excited to be in this business. Our leaders have to be attractive to all of those who are looking at us.”



Steve Swinney, CEO of Denver-based Kodiak Building Partners, took the pledge. Here’s how Swinney sees it: If you’re a millennial, and what we’ve heard about you is true, then this is an industry for you.



“They should love it,” he said from his seat on the panel. “It’s project-based: working on teams, solving problems. Those are things that should be really attractive to that younger workforce. But from the outside looking in, it looks like we’re just throwing some wood on a truck and sending it out to a job site.”



How big is the problem? Consider that the massive talking point of Obamacare was on the agenda, but it was never addressed — drowned out by a steady stream of audience participation in a combination of millennials, recruiting, culture and the big idea of promoting the lumber business as “sexy.”



Some of the voices suggested hiring hard-working military veterans. Others suggested promoting the culture of the family-owned business. Both are great ideas.



Linda Nussbaum, CFO of Long Island, New York-based Kleet Lumber, took the pledge. “Treating our employees like family is something that a big corporation can’t offer, and we can,” she said. “It’s a strength that we have. It’s why a lot of people want to come back.”



They all took the pledge. Let us know if you’ll take the pledge. And if you have thoughts on recruiting and retention, write to us here: [email protected].