A toast to Bliffert Lumber
There are seven breweries within walking distance of Bliffert Lumber & Hardware’s downtown Milwaukee location. In recognition of that statistic, and in homage to the brewing tradition of the Cream City, here are seven reasons to raise a glass to the award-winning Milwaukee-based institution—the 2024 ProDealer of the Year.
1 Growth-oriented mindset
The family business has been on a notable growth streak — adding seven locations in three years, pushing its footprint to 14 locations. Building on that expansion and possibly establishing a physical presence in neighboring states, will be a key to success in coming years, Eli Bliffert said.
“I think there’s going to be much more consolidation in our industry in the next five years,” he said. “You either have to be a very strong single location dealer, or you have to have multiple locations. For us, the key will be getting into more markets, and bringing up that next group of leaders.”
The current crop of company leaders are quick to point out that teamwork and people are the basis for success.
“Our teams are very close and tight knit,” said Chris Hegeman, manager of the company’s Morgan Avenue location. “They care for each other, have each other’s backs help to empower each other and celebrate each other’s wins. It really is wonderful to see.”
2 This five-star review on Yelp!
“I can see why people have so much love for Bliffert …. It's big enough to have everything you need (including a surprisingly big lumberyard) but not so big that you'll get lost looking for a furnace filter …. They sharpen ice skates too, should you need that service. I saw the sign on the door when we came in and thought ‘wow, that's kind of a random thing.’ But as we were checking out a guy brought in a pair of hockey skates for sharpening.”
3 Entrepreneurial spirit
If there’s an opportunity to bring a new category to a new market, the company has a stock answer: “We’ll give it a try.”
For instance, with some of the company’s new acquisitions, there was a feeling in the yards that if they could get a solid inventory of shingles and a boom truck to deliver them, then business would follow. And it did, says Eli Bliffert.
About the award
The ProDealer of the Year Award is selected by the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association in partnership with Hardware & Building Supply Dealer. This prestigious national award is designed to recognize a high-performance lumberyard with a commitment to values consistent with the lumber and building material industry: excellence in customer stewardship, devotion to its employees and a positive workplace culture.
“We are honored and humbled to be named the 2024 ProDealer of the year,” said Eli Bliffert, vice president and CEO. “We are fortunate to have generations of great customers and dedicated team members that have made winning this award possible.”
The company is slated to accept the award at the 2024 ProDealer Industry Summit in Savannah, Ga., Oct. 10.
“We tell all of our outside salespeople and our managers that if they want to try something, then we’ll try it. Absolutely.”
The company’s leaders feel that their breadth of assortment and variety of expertise that have accumulated in the 14 different locations are a major advantage when it comes to building business. From hardwood lumber to fire-treated lumber to engineered lumber — we just have more of it than anybody else,” Eli said.
Even crating lumber is a Bliffert specialty niche. These crates containing various manufactured products are shipped all across the globe.
4 Next-level ESOP
In 2020, the company transitioned to an ESOP in an extraordinary way. A big chunk of shares were generously gifted to the employee trust, which owns 30 percent of all shares.
Eli Bliffert explained that the ESOP plan came about when the company was growing significantly, and he found himself with 82 percent of the shares. “I felt that it was too big for me,” he said. “I thought, ‘I’m never going to sell it, so I should just share it with everybody.’”
The move wasn’t a loan, but an outright gift of a significant chunk of shares. The move made the ESOP transition as inexpensive as possible for the employees to get vested.
Four years later, the move is paying off.
“Our team understands that the company’s success directly affects their future retirement benefits,” said Chris Hegeman, manager. “The sense of ownership in their roles within the company really shows — and that translates into a better experience for the customer.”
5 This great story from 23 years ago
As told by COO Josh Brown: “I went to school in Madison and I was on my way back to New York deciding what kind of lawyer I was gonna be. But then, I had made some friends in Milwaukee and I came here to stay for what I thought was maybe six months or a year to kind of figure out what I wanted to do. In the meantime, I needed a job. So I opened up the newspaper (which most people today don't understand why you would look at a newspaper for a job,) and I saw a help wanted ad from a lumber yard.
I knew a guy from Brooklyn who owned a lumber yard. So I called him up and I said, ‘hey, I'm gonna write on my resume that I work for you because I need to get this job at the lumber yard for $9 an hour so that I can survive for a little bit.' I rode my bike over to the lumber yard, came in all sweaty for my interview.
I remember a question by Eli’s uncle, the president of the company at the time. He asked me if I was building a bird house, what kind of nail would I use? I was barely able to know the difference between a hammer and a nail. So I said: ‘I don't know, sir. But if you tell me once, you'll never have to tell me again.’ (The answer he was looking for was a four-penny galvanized finish nail.)
And, 23 years later, I'm still here.”
6 Elite community-centricity
Across Bliffert Lumber, each location is connected to its community in different ways. One example is the Morgan Avenue location, which since 2020 has outfitted a delivery truck in all pink to bring awareness and support to breast cancer research. For every mile the pink truck drives, 20 cents is donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
There’s also an enterprise-wide effort to support Habitat for Humanity, and Revitalize Milwaukee. Eli explains: “We need good neighborhoods, especially in the cities,” he said. Habitat for Humanity “helps the city, helps us, helps everybody.
“Each of our locations is really connected to its community," he added. "Our managers know their areas best, so they get to choose who to donate to locally. It's a way for us to give back in a meaningful way."
7 It even smells great
Milwaukee Magazine ranked Bliffert as one of the best smelling hardware stores in the city.
From the article: “Every corner of the store has an individual, but refined smell. The wood has a strong, but velvety aroma and the fertilizer near the front is distinct with its acidic scent. Bliffert represents the new modern hardware store, a place that has everything for anyone, but still retains its personality.”
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Bliffert also traditionally offers free six packs with a purchase of any grill. Cheers!
