AI, Consumer Trends, And Succession Planning: How A 100 Year Old Family Business Adapts To Change

AI, Consumer Trends, And Succession Planning: How A 100 Year Old Family Business Adapts To Change

What does it take to run a building materials company for 100 years and set it up to win for 100 more? That is the question at the heart of my conversation with Will Lummus, fifth-generation CEO of Lummus Supply, recorded inside one of the tiny homes his team built in their Acworth, Georgia, showroom.  With consolidation accelerating across the building industry, Will makes a strong case that the independent dealer has a durable niche when it commits to service over price, surrounds every customer with a hands-on team, and brings far more value before, during, and after the sale than lumber, millwork, and doors alone.  We get tactical about how Lummus sells windows and doors. Instead of leaning on energy efficiency specs, Will adapts to what homeowners and builders actually want: more glass, more natural light, and openings big enough to frame the view. The tiny home showroom lets buyers lift, open, and feel full-size doors and windows. As my friend Michael Tull says, “Show and tell and watch it sell.”  Over 92% of family businesses have no succession plan. Will explains how the CSA Next Gen program reshaped his own transition into leadership, and what excites him about watching his daughter Ashlyn bring fresh energy to the business.  We close on the conversation dominating our industry: technology and AI. Will shares where AI-generated takeoffs stand today, why accuracy matters most when you are building a home, and why a nimble independent can adopt AI faster than a giant big box store. Will’s approach is a practical, human blueprint for growing a family business in a changing market. What you'll take away today: Independent building materials dealers can thrive against consolidation by going to market differently and winning on service, not price. Selling windows and doors gets easier when customers can feel a full-size product in a showroom before they buy. Family business succession planning is a five-to-six-year journey. Start empowering the next generation now. Next generation leadership gets stronger through programs like CSA Next Gen that build networks, mentorship, and preparation. AI in the building industry is the biggest opportunity right now, and nimble independents can adopt it faster than the giants. Build Authority. Gain Visibility. Drive Growth. You do great work. The right people should know it. Grit Blueprint helps building industry companies and leaders build authority, increase visibility, earn trust, and turn that trust into revenue. 📅 Book a Strategy Call Ready to become more visible, more trusted, and easier to choose? https://meetings-na2.hubspot.com/stefanie-couch 📧 Join the Newsletter Get practical strategies and tools to build your authority, grow your visibility, and strengthen your business. https://421r60.share-na2.hsforms.com/2RMwQMXe2QLyk3sl9dv2gXQ 🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint Subscribe for honest conversations and growth strategies for the building industry. https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch 🚀 About Stefanie Couch Stefanie Couch is the founder of Grit Blueprint and a third-generation building industry professional. Grit Blueprint helps manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and industry leaders build authority, grow visibility, and become unmistakable in their market. 🔗Learn more: https://gritblueprint.com Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch

The Proven Technology Strategy All Independent Retailers Should Follow | Adam Gunnett

Technology is moving faster than our industry has ever seen, and on this episode of the Grit Blueprint Podcast I sat down on the floor of the National Hardware Show with Adam Gunnett, the VP of Business Intelligence and Strategy at Busy Beaver Building Centers. Adam has done something rare in independent retail. He took a 19-store neighborhood hardware chain in Pittsburgh and built it into one of the most technologically advanced independent home improvement operations in the country, earning a cover feature in Hardware Retailing and a CIO of the Year nomination along the way. In our conversation, Adam pulls back the curtain on how he separates signal from noise when it comes to technology that could improve his business. His filter is simple and powerful: what problem are you actually solving, and how will it make my people more efficient? You’ll learn why so much retail technology fails on adoption rather than implementation, and why over-engineered software with 500 features rarely survives contact with a busy store. Adam explains his change management approach, the difference between proof of concept and proof of technology, and why he insists on a 30 to 90 day trial before committing to implement any new technology. We also talk about the human side of technology. Adam shares how electronic shelf labels and AI tools free his associates from tasks they dislike so they can focus on the legendary customer service that independents win on. He tells the story of Bruce, the associate who knows every department, and how AI now helps a part-time high school student answer like a 30-year veteran. If you lead an independent hardware store, a lumberyard, or any building industry business and you want a clear, practical path to using AI and retail technology, this episode is built for you. Start where you are, and start today. What you'll take away today: Retail technology only works when it solves a real problem, so always ask what you are actually solving for before you implement anything. AI for independent retailers is most powerful when it levels up your people, like turning a part-time high school student into your most knowledgeable associate. Technology adoption depends on change management and team buy-in, not on how many features a tool has. A point of sale implementation can feel like the deep end, but listening to operations, merchandising, and finance is how you get it done. Electronic shelf labels and similar tools free your associates from tasks they dislike so they can focus on legendary customer service. Build Authority. Gain Visibility. Drive Growth. You do great work. The right people should know it. Grit Blueprint helps building industry companies and leaders build authority, increase visibility, earn trust, and turn that trust into revenue. 📅 Book a Strategy Call Ready to become more visible, more trusted, and easier to choose? https://meetings-na2.hubspot.com/stefanie-couch 📧 Join the Newsletter Get practical strategies and tools to build your authority, grow your visibility, and strengthen your business. https://421r60.share-na2.hsforms.com/2RMwQMXe2QLyk3sl9dv2gXQ 🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint Subscribe for honest conversations and growth strategies for the building industry. https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch 🚀 About Stefanie Couch Stefanie Couch is the founder of Grit Blueprint and a third-generation building industry professional. Grit Blueprint helps manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and industry leaders build authority, grow visibility, and become unmistakable in their market. 🔗Learn more: https://gritblueprint.com Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch

Next Generation Leadership Future Proofs Family Businesses | Brookelyn McClellan, Hardware Sales Inc

What does it really take to carry a legacy business into its fourth generation without losing what made it special?  In this Grit Blueprint Podcast conversation, I sit down with Brookelyn McClellan of Hardware Sales, a Bellingham, Washington institution that began selling dynamite to loggers and miners back in 1962 and has grown into a multi-million dollar retailer with its own e-commerce engine.  Brookelyn was named a 2025 NHPA Young Retailer of the Year Honoree, and she is a textbook example of next-generation family business leadership done right.  We explore hardware store e-commerce through her company's lean Amazon operation that manages and protects national brands, an entirely separate revenue stream that keeps the business diversified. We unpack her private label brand strategy, how she pressure-tests new products and partners, and why she leans toward high-volume, brand-agnostic items where a store brand can win.  Brookelyn opens up about social media marketing for retailers, sharing how creative, slightly unconventional content took the brand from zero to thousands of followers fast. She also walks through her approach to community marketing for a local business, from co-branded craft beer and cider releases to collaborations with breweries, gyms, and mountain biking groups that make the store the heartbeat of its town.  Whether you run an independent hardware store, lead a building-industry company, or are simply ready to modernize a business that has always relied on word of mouth, you will leave with ideas you can use right away. This is a bold, practical, human conversation about getting found, getting trusted, and getting chosen. What you'll take away today: Social media marketing for retailers can take a brand from zero to thousands of followers in under a year when you post authentic, out-of-the-box content instead of trying to look like everyone else. Next-generation family business leadership means carrying the legacy forward while bringing in new ideas, like social and e-commerce, that the generations before you never had the chance to try. A private label brand strategy can grow your margins and your identity when you focus on the commodity, price-sensitive products you already move in volume. Hardware store e-commerce, like selling and managing brands on Amazon, can become one of your fastest-growing revenue streams without adding a single brick-and-mortar location. Community marketing for a local business, from craft beer collabs to local partnerships, turns your store into the heartbeat of the town and earns the kind of loyalty money cannot buy. Build Authority. Gain Visibility. Drive Growth. You do great work. The right people should know it. Grit Blueprint helps building industry companies and leaders build authority, increase visibility, earn trust, and turn that trust into revenue. 📅 Book a Strategy Call Ready to become more visible, more trusted, and easier to choose? https://meetings-na2.hubspot.com/stefanie-couch 📧 Join the Newsletter Get practical strategies and tools to build your authority, grow your visibility, and strengthen your business. https://421r60.share-na2.hsforms.com/2RMwQMXe2QLyk3sl9dv2gXQ 🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint Subscribe for honest conversations and growth strategies for the building industry. https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch 🚀 About Stefanie Couch Stefanie Couch is the founder of Grit Blueprint and a third-generation building industry professional. Grit Blueprint helps manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and industry leaders build authority, grow visibility, and become unmistakable in their market. 🔗Learn more: https://gritblueprint.com Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch

The Powerful Secret to Career Growth: Embrace The Messy Middle with Sarah Lee of Blish Mize Co.

What does it really take to grow a career inside one company for 25 years? In this episode of the Grit Blueprint Podcast, I talk with Sarah Lee, VP of Purchasing at Blish-Mize Co., who answered that question by living it. She walked in the door as a receptionist in 2001 and worked through the catalog, advertising, and purchasing departments before becoming the first female merchandise manager and, eventually, the executive setting the assortment for a fifth-generation family business that has been running since 1871. We get honest about the part of the journey nobody likes to talk about: the messy middle. Sarah explains why she kept saying yes to new roles, how the roles she didn't love sharpened the leader she became, and what it takes to move a 155-year-old, change-resistant team without breaking what made it strong. If you lead people inside a legacy company, her approach to testing the old way against today's reality will give you language you can use moving forward. This one is also a masterclass for anyone selling into the channel. Sarah breaks down how two-step distribution actually works, the filter she uses for building materials purchasing decisions, and what makes her stop at a booth when she is buying for more than 1,500 independent hardware retailers across 13 states. She also gets into the brand shifts reshaping the shelf, why private label keeps gaining ground, and how the right technology keeps a legacy distributor competitive. Her take on selling at trade shows, and the one cold-call story that turned into real opportunity, is worth the watch on its own. We close on something I care about deeply: a clear, encouraging word for women in leadership and for anyone climbing without a map. Decide, stay open, and keep building. Hit play, take a few notes, and pass it along to someone in your building world. What you’ll take away today: Career growth in a family business doesn’t require leaving — Sarah’s 25-year climb from receptionist to VP shows how saying yes to every role builds an unmistakable career. Two-step distribution becomes clear when you see how Blish-Mize connects manufacturers to more than 1,500 independent hardware retailers across 13 states. Building materials purchasing decisions come down to a simple buyer filter: does the product grab attention, can your stores win with it, and is there room for everyone to profit. Selling at trade shows still beats the cold email — one face-to-face conversation on a trade show floor can open a door that a buried inbox never would. Women in leadership facing the messy middle get a clear directive: decide, stay open, and treat every step as a stepping stone. Build Authority. Gain Visibility. Drive Growth. You do great work. The right people should know it. Grit Blueprint helps building industry companies and leaders build authority, increase visibility, earn trust, and turn that trust into revenue. 📅 Book a Strategy Call Ready to become more visible, more trusted, and easier to choose? https://meetings-na2.hubspot.com/stefanie-couch 📧 Join the Newsletter Get practical strategies and tools to build your authority, grow your visibility, and strengthen your business. https://421r60.share-na2.hsforms.com/2RMwQMXe2QLyk3sl9dv2gXQ 🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint Subscribe for honest conversations and growth strategies for the building industry. https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch 🚀 About Stefanie Couch Stefanie Couch is the founder of Grit Blueprint and a third-generation building industry professional. Grit Blueprint helps manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and industry leaders build authority, grow visibility, and become unmistakable in their market. 🔗Learn more: https://gritblueprint.com Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch

Demo, Renovation & Building Our Future: Behind The Scenes at Grit Studios | Building Grit E1

This is where Building Grit begins.  In this first episode, I hand you the keys to Grit Studios on day one and let you see the messy, exciting reality of building industry entrepreneurship from the inside. We just signed the lease for this space, and you will catch the very first moments: taking down old shelving, lighting candles so it feels like home, and planning out every corner. I show you where the podcast studio is going, where clients will sit, where we will photograph the windows, doors, and product lines that fill this industry, and the private pink room where guests will get ready.  More than a tour, this episode is a real reflection on scaling a small business three years in. I talk about getting fired, starting over, building a team of passionate people, and choosing to plant our flag in the North Georgia mountains instead of a big city. I explain what a category of one business actually means and why I am convinced we can build one. No one has created a media and visibility company built specifically to grow reputation and revenue in the building industry, and that blue ocean is exactly where I want to swim.  I also share my family lumber roots, the granddad and dad who ran lumberyards before me, and why so many strong women in the building industry are part of what we are building. If you have ever dreamed of building something epic that has never been done, watch this and remember the moment with me.  The work can be hard. Let's make it unmistakable. What you'll take away today: Entrepreneurship and scaling a small business are hard, but you will see exactly what three years of grit, momentum, and real progress look like behind the scenes. A category of one business is built by doing what no one else has done, and I will show you why I am betting everything on that bold idea. Building a podcast studio and a full media space from scratch improves our ability to create great content for Grit Blueprint and our clients in the building industry Building industry visibility, media, and AI are where the future is heading, and getting found early is how you stop being the best kept secret and become the first choice. Women in the building industry are leading, building, and winning, and you will meet the passionate, smart team making it happen. Build Authority. Gain Visibility. Drive Growth. You do great work. The right people should know it. Grit Blueprint helps building industry companies and leaders build authority, increase visibility, earn trust, and turn that trust into revenue. 📅 Book a Strategy Call Ready to become more visible, more trusted, and easier to choose? https://meetings-na2.hubspot.com/stefanie-couch 📧 Join the Newsletter Get practical strategies and tools to build your authority, grow your visibility, and strengthen your business. https://421r60.share-na2.hsforms.com/2RMwQMXe2QLyk3sl9dv2gXQ 🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint Subscribe for honest conversations and growth strategies for the building industry. https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch 🚀 About Stefanie Couch Stefanie Couch is the founder of Grit Blueprint and a third-generation building industry professional. Grit Blueprint helps manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and industry leaders build authority, grow visibility, and become unmistakable in their market. 🔗Learn more: https://gritblueprint.com Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch