CUSTOMER FEATURE
Star Lumber’s offerings include pre-hung doors, moldings and many other building materials for its pro customers.
decorating store. The corporate offices
are in the building next door, with the
outlet store right behind them. Other
warehouses and a distribution facility are
just blocks away.
While business is strong, Star Lumber,
like many companies, felt the effects of the
recession in recent years.
“Periodically, recessions cause everything
to reset; businesses have to kick out every-
thing they aren’t good at,” says Chris. “It’s
funny; we were founded during the Great
Depression, and now we’re in another
recession. We’ve made lots of changes since
2008 or so to become more efficient. You
do what you have to do: narrow your focus
to what you’re good at. Things you aren’t
good at, you quit doing.”
Today, Star Lumber has six locations—
four in Wichita, one in Manhattan, Kansas,
and a flooring-only store in Oklahoma
City—and two sales offices in Hutchinson,
Kansas, and Topeka, Kansas.
Building a City
About 90 percent of Star’s customers
are pros, and the company offers any-
thing a builder or contractor could need.
That includes foundation material,
framing lumber, cabinetry and more. Star
Lumber manufactures roof trusses and
wall panels; does millwork and offers
moldings, pre-hung doors, flooring,
countertops, tile and more.
For its D-I-Y customers who may be
doing repairs or remodels, Star offers a
wide variety of Blish-Mize’s Hardware
House products. “Hardware House
products are very nice products at a good
price point,” says Patrick. “We have
full collections for anyone fixing up or
remodeling a room.”
For a company that’s so involved in new
residential construction, the drop in hous-
ing starts a few years ago had a significant
effect on Star Lumber. While the num-
bers aren’t back at their highest, they’ve
rebounded over the past couple of years,
bringing some more hope to Star staff.
“At worst, housing starts were at 20
percent of their normal rate,” Chris says.
“Now, they’re up to 40 percent. We wish
they were at 60, but we can’t complain—
we’re glad they’re up.”
A brighter spot is multifamily housing.
“Those start numbers are exceptionally
good,” says Chris. “That’s helped carry
us; they’ve helped us come out of the
recession as well.”
Two Companies in Tune
Chris and Patrick Goebel both empha-
size working with Blish-Mize means per-
sonalized treatment from a supplier who
knows their business very well.
Doug Weathers, their Blish-Mize
sales representative, is always available,
says Patrick.
Continued on Page 14
10
Fall 2014 •
Hardlines
Strategies
