Wilson Lumber No. 60 in Top 100 Lumberyards in the Nation

June 1, 2021 – HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Huntsville, Ala.-based building materials supplier Wilson Lumber is honored to be recognized in the inaugural LBM JOURNAL 100, a ranking of the nation’s top pro dealers and lumberyards by 2020 sales.

Wilson Lumber is number 60 on the list, reporting slightly more than 25% growth in gross sales from 2019 to 2020, during what proved to be a very tough year with the worldwide pandemic affecting supply, demand, and staffing. The company attributes its growth to its depth of experience in the building materials industry – more than 70 years – and working closely with customers to get ahead of supply issues the best it could.

“Sure, some sales growth happened due to the lumber market and a robust housing market, but our team has consistently been proactive in staying ahead of COVID protocols, shortages, labor scarcity and everything else 2020 threw at us,” said Wilson Lumber President Robb Wilson. “I believe that is why we remain the market leader in our area.”

Throughout 2020, Wilson Lumber saw an increased demand for materials as the Huntsville housing market is experiencing significant growth. Huntsville is now the second largest city in the state and projected to pass Birmingham and become the largest city in Alabama in a matter of years. The demand for housing has put a strain on area builders and on Wilson Lumber to meet builders’ needs, but the company has prepared for the growth for years by increasing production, acquiring additional locations, recruiting the best workers, and building relationships with suppliers.

“We could not have foreseen the increase in demand that happened in 2020, but we’ve been able to be flexible and react quickly when we needed to in order to keep our customers moving forward,” Robb said.

Relationships with suppliers is key when a product becomes scarce. Last summer, for example, the building industry experienced a shortage of interior doors, and Wilson Lumber and its customers were impacted. Wilson Lumber proactively devised a plan to manage the shortage by leveraging years of dependable relationships with suppliers to find doors but also by being transparent with customers about the issue and how the company was handling it. Throughout the summer months, if Wilson did not have the correct doors, they sent a construction slab so that the builder could move ahead with the build. Once the correct door came in, Wilson certified installers replaced the door on site at no additional charge to the customer. Why? Because it was the right thing to do, which is of one of the company’s core values. By the end of the shortage, Wilson Lumber had managed and replaced nearly 6,000 doors.

“Often the right thing to do is also the harder thing to do,” said Robb, “but we decided long ago that not only does the right thing honor God, but it is also good for the business in the long run.”

While 2020 was a monumental year in Wilson Lumber history, 2021 is shaping up to be another record-breaking year. Wilson Lumber continues to support area builders during a time of unprecedented increasing lumber prices and sharp demand by sourcing the best materials available and proactively communicating with customers. Wilson Lumber is committed to building materials, relationships and communities.