At Wilson Lumber, faith is moving mountains
To paraphrase a popular axiom in Southern terms: Sometimes the Good Lord opens up a window when a door shuts in your face.
In the case of Huntsville, Ala.-based Wilson Lumber, a definitive “door slam” came courtesy of boll weevils in the 1940s, when the notorious pests ruined the cotton crop of a farmer named Clyde J. Wilson. Fed up with the onslaught of bugs upon his cotton fields in rural Winston County, Alabama, Wilson partnered up with his brother-in-law up the road in Huntsville to focus on a more resilient commodity both had access to at the time: timber.
“Grandad had a portable sawmill. They started cutting trees down and bringing them to Huntsville in 1949,” says Robb Wilson, Wilson Lumber’s CEO and third generation owner who’s been working in some capacity for the company since the age of 12.
By 1951, Clyde Wilson had bought out his brother-in-law (who, according to family lore, had a wooden leg and much preferred teaching to millwork), making Clyde the sole owner of the operation. From those humble beginnings, Wilson steadily grew, gradually expanding its offerings beyond lumber to paint, nails, hammers and all manner of building supply. As the company grew, so did Huntsville, which is now Alabama’s biggest city and continues to sprawl as one the U.S.’s top aerospace hubs.
As the company evolved over the decades—adding a door shop in 1971, a showroom in 1981, a truss plant in 1984, a second lumberyard in 1986, another truss plant in 2019, a second millwork plant in 2022—bedrock principles have remained. Namely, putting people first and abiding by Christian values. Today, the company has approximately 365 employees and annual sales exceeding $125 million.
“I’m sure granddad never dreamed Wilson Lumber would look like it does today,” says Robb. “But I think he’d be proud of the way we’ve grown the company and stayed true to the values that he instilled in us, to treat people how they want to be treated and to do the right thing.”
Faith-centric mission—and action
Wilson Lumber is unashamed of its Biblical approach to business. Its mission statement: “To build a successful company that upholds Christlike principles and inspires people to grow,” illuminates that faith-centric approach. The company even addresses the straightforward nature of the mission statement on its website, adding that it “might merit some explanation.” It does so thusly:
“At some point in our lives and in our business we must ask the question, ‘Why are we here?’ For any business there is an obvious answer. ‘To make money, of course!’ Well, that is true and certainly is a reasonable goal. But we aim for more.”
For Wilson Lumber, “aiming for more” means doing unto others as you’d have them do to you (see Matthew 7:12 for more). That Golden Rule sentiment goes for customers and vendors, but it also pertains to employees and to anybody in need.
When asked how the company settled on this Christ-centered mindset, Robb explains: “God owns everything we have. If God does own Wilson Lumber, and we’re stewarding it, there should be more than maximizing profit. There must be some greater purpose. We have a real opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives.”
Robb says Wilson Lumber Cares, the company’s charitable arm designed to serve employees, the community and global ministries, was formed as a result of wanting to be “more intentional about helping people.” To do so, Wilson Lumber Cares selects a charity to partner with each year.
Each year, Wilson Lumber Cares listens to presentations from 501c3 organizations to determine an ideal fit. The selection committee asks prospective charities:
- What is the mission of your organization?
- What opportunities are there for Wilson Lumber employee involvement?
- How would Wilson Lumber Cares be able to impact your organization and the community it serves?
Every year, each Wilson employee receives 24 hours of volunteer paid time off to participate in Wilson Lumber Cares organized events with partners, whether local or global. And the employees certainly step up. More than 40 employees recently donated 300 hours’ worth of work for Next Step Farms, which offers programs for special needs adults.
The company’s generosity extends well beyond Alabama’s borders, too. Wilson’s global partner is currently Awakening Hope, which helps folks in need in Guatemala. In coordination with Awakening Hope, Wilson plans three separate weeklong trips per year to assist a school in the village of Potrerilla, Guatemala. The school Wilson supports has grown from 19 to 40 kids. And 14 kids—who otherwise would not have had the means or opportunity to advance—have been able to progress on to secondary school.
Closer to home, the company maintains a benevolence fund for employees experiencing hardship. It also taps the services of Corporate Chaplains of America (CCA) to help bolster employees’ spiritual health and mental well-being. CCA provides two chaplains, one for Wilson’s North Alabama operations and one for its truss plant in nearby Tennessee.
According to Wilson, employees are informed that all discussions with the chaplains are voluntary, and no employee is required to use the services of the chaplains.
Overall, you can see what working for Wilson Lumber means to employees here, here, here and here. But according to Robb, this all ties back to culture, which provides a firm foundation for recruiting, retention and sustaining a healthy business. Robb says:
“There's nothing more important to recruitment than having a good culture. That's all there is to it. But if you're trying to have a good culture so that you can recruit, well, it's not gonna work. The reason you have a good culture is because that's the right thing to do for people.”
He adds: “Treating people right, defining what culture should look like and then holding people accountable to that … holding managers accountable to that and then allowing them to hold you accountable to it. Defining that culture and sticking to it has been the greatest thing we've ever done here.”
