Top Women Profile Series
Lumberyards were a distant abstraction to Katherine Cornelius when she was studying graphic design at the Maryland Institute College of Art. But not too distant. The Cornelius family business —TAL Building Centers of Vancouver, Washington—was always a presence in the background.
Today, as marketing director for the independent prodealer with more than 30 locations across four states, Cornelius brings a fresh perspective to an industry that’s not traditionally known for visual innovation.
And her professional experience as a designer and creative director has served her well.
“Some of the smartest people I’ve met were in art school,” she says. “Graphic design is about analyzing complex ideas and distilling them into something clear and compelling. It’s really about communication—and that skill translates to any industry.”
That skill found a natural home at TAL Building Centers when a position opened up about four and a half years ago, Cornelius explains. “It made sense—I could do what I love, but for something my family built.”
While most lumberyards stick to a traditional “trucks and gravel” aesthetic, TAL’s Pendleton, Oregon, location took its design to a new level. The store features bright colors and a massive word cloud painted on the exterior—an eye-catching nod to the company’s core values and community.
“Design has always been important to our family, and we wanted to do something that was exciting, that looked different and brought attention to our store,” Cornelius said. “Everybody deserves great design, even in places they might not expect it.”
The response? Overwhelmingly positive. “People really appreciated that we were investing not just in inventory and products but also in their community,” she says.
Another element that sets TAL apart is its family of legacy brands—14 in all.
The company’s story began with the iconic Tum-A-Lum Lumber brand in Pendleton founded by Cornelius’s stepmother’s great-grandfather in Walla Walla, Washington, in 1906.
Each brand has deep roots in its community, and Cornelius embraces the marketing challenge of maintaining multiple identities, such as Badger Building Center, Best Built Builders Supply and a dozen others. “We’ve really leaned into local branding,” she said. “We highlight the owners’ stories, their roles in the community, and their history. There are challenges to that approach, but we believe it’s worth it.”
Cornelius acknowledges that the industry remains male-dominated, with women comprising an estimated 17% of the workforce in the field, though that number varies by source and segment. “I think any position at our company can be held by a man or a woman,” she says. “And we’re increasingly seeing more women.”
TAL recently spotlighted four of its top female leaders in its internal newsletter, The TAL Tribune. “It’s a project I’m very passionate about,” says Cornelius. “Their stories were incredible—reflecting on challenges, growth and where the industry is headed.”
“I think we’re very lucky at TAL that we have very strong women leaders in lots of different positions.”
TAL’s independent, family-owned structure gives it a meaningful advantage, she says. “Our mission statement is we help build better communities,” Cornelius said. “That resonates, and that’s part of our DNA.”
When asked about the best career advice she’s ever received, Cornelius credits her father, TAL chairman Bill Cornelius. “He always says, ‘If you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backward.’ That idea—of staying curious, asking questions, and always looking for the next opportunity—has really shaped how I work.”
# # #
Click here to learn more about HBSDealer’s Top Women in Hardware & Building Supply event slated for Chicago, Nov. 10-11.
