Throwback Thursday: Sunny days at Causeway Lumber
The August 1993 issue of National Home Center News, the forerunner of HBSDealer, reported on the expansion of Causeway Lumber into a new unit in Delray Beach, Fla.
The new store was Causeway’s fourth at the time and took advantage of exploding markets in northern Broward and Palm Beach counties.
President Scott Whiddon, president and third-generation owner of the family business, displayed good sportsmanship about his new competitors Gulf Stream Lumber and W&W Lumber Co. – “They’re both good yards,” he told National Home Center News. “They do a good job. We just want a small piece of the building action northern Broward and Palm Beach. I think there’s enough building for all of us.”
The new (in 1993) Delray Beach store was a clear pro-focused unit, unlike the company’s brightly lit Fort Lauderdale home center and showroom that generated DIY traffic. The reason: the new location was crowded by Home Depot, Builders Square and Scotty’s outlets.
Causeway Lumber is no longer in business in Florida, but it rode the Florida market well into the 21st century. In 2015, Scott Whiddon told the South Florida Sun Sentinel: "What drives me, the takeaway I've gained from being here for 30-some-odd years is the challenge of meeting people's needs, when they want it, how they want it," said Whiddon, 55. "The reward of seeing them satisfied when the product is finished."
Today, the Causeway lumberyard business is closed, but the Whiddon family continues to play the role of real estate developer in the Sunshine State.
Do you have memories of Causeway Lumber? Let us know at [email protected].
HBSDealer’s Throwback Thursday is sponsored by Schaffer Associates, a national management consulting firm specializing in executive search and organizational strategies for the hardware, home improvement, building materials, and consumer products industries. As the premier management consulting firm serving the industry, we help build organizations and leadership teams that foster corporate growth and success well into the future. Contact us at SchafferAssociates.com.
The new store was Causeway’s fourth at the time and took advantage of exploding markets in northern Broward and Palm Beach counties.
President Scott Whiddon, president and third-generation owner of the family business, displayed good sportsmanship about his new competitors Gulf Stream Lumber and W&W Lumber Co. – “They’re both good yards,” he told National Home Center News. “They do a good job. We just want a small piece of the building action northern Broward and Palm Beach. I think there’s enough building for all of us.”
The new (in 1993) Delray Beach store was a clear pro-focused unit, unlike the company’s brightly lit Fort Lauderdale home center and showroom that generated DIY traffic. The reason: the new location was crowded by Home Depot, Builders Square and Scotty’s outlets.
Causeway Lumber is no longer in business in Florida, but it rode the Florida market well into the 21st century. In 2015, Scott Whiddon told the South Florida Sun Sentinel: "What drives me, the takeaway I've gained from being here for 30-some-odd years is the challenge of meeting people's needs, when they want it, how they want it," said Whiddon, 55. "The reward of seeing them satisfied when the product is finished."
Today, the Causeway lumberyard business is closed, but the Whiddon family continues to play the role of real estate developer in the Sunshine State.
Do you have memories of Causeway Lumber? Let us know at [email protected].
HBSDealer’s Throwback Thursday is sponsored by Schaffer Associates, a national management consulting firm specializing in executive search and organizational strategies for the hardware, home improvement, building materials, and consumer products industries. As the premier management consulting firm serving the industry, we help build organizations and leadership teams that foster corporate growth and success well into the future. Contact us at SchafferAssociates.com.