The Grit Blueprint
The Playbook for Building Unmistakable Brands in the Built World You can be the best in your market and still get passed over by a competitor who simply shows up better and more consistently where their customers are looking. The Grit Blueprint Podcast is where visibility, media, customer experience, and creative brand strategy turn trust into growth in the built world. Hosted by Stefanie Couch, a lifelong building industry expert born and raised in the business, this show explores how companies in building materials, construction, manufacturing, and distribution position themselves to win before the first conversation even starts. You’ll hear from executives, operators, and decision-makers who are rethinking how they show up in the market. You’ll also hear from Stefanie and the Grit Blueprint team as they share the systems, strategy, and content that make good brands impossible to ignore. Every episode turns insight into action. Because in this space, great work alone isn’t enough. You have to be seen, be known, be chosen, and ultimately, become unmistakable. Produced by Grit Media. Powered by Grit Blueprint.
Episodes
What if getting paid didn’t depend on business hours, paper checks, or a lucky round of phone tag? In this episode of The Grit Blueprint Podcast, I sit down with Erik Bornstein, Founder and CEO of TOOLBX, to explore how technology is transforming the lumber and building materials industry.
From sweeping job sites at 16 to leading one of Toronto’s top luxury homebuilding firms, Erik’s journey from contractor to tech founder gives him...
The market floor in Indy buzzed, but the real energy came from a simple idea: winning sales teams keep score and remove friction. Sitting with Eric Knox, Director of LBM Sales, we pull back the curtain on how a regional structure, clear metrics, and a new mindset around “no” transformed a team from scattered effort to compounding momentum. Eric’s story, from hauling bag goods to leading a hungry, data-driven crew, shows how clarity...
The market may be down in Q3 2025, but the data tells a different story about what's coming in 2026.
Stefanie and Todd unpack why home‑equity access is up 38% this year, why that capital hasn’t hit jobsites yet, and how a surge in windows and doors could create a 2021-style scramble as early as next year. If you sell to or through pros, this is the map for what’s about to move.
Stefanie shares her five-part BLEN...
I sit down with Do it Best’s Executive Vice President of Transformation and Integration, Marianne Thompson, live from a packed Market floor to unpack how vision-led change, AI, and co-op scale help independents out-execute giants. From last minute 2x4 runs to smarter planograms, service remains the moat while data becomes the drawbridge.
Topics we cover:
• Why transformation beats simple integration
• Aligning team...
Forklifts buzzing and mics rolling, that’s the spirit of this conversation with our friend Russ Cathrine, Vice President of Lumber & Building Materials at Do it Best. We dig into a simple idea with outsized returns: reduce friction from the moment a project is imagined to the moment the last unit is delivered, and you’ll win more often at better margins.
Russ brings a rare vantage point: family yard operator, corporate...
Faour Glass is revolutionizing the hurricane glass industry with its SLIMPACT system that provides maximum views with minimal metal framing while meeting Florida's stringent building codes. Three generations of glaziers share how they've created innovative products through design assistance, partnerships, and a philosophy that views failure as just another opportunity to learn.
• SLIMPACT was invented in 2012 to ...
Rick Schumacher of LBM Journal shares how independent lumber dealers can thrive amid industry giants by focusing on customer service, community connection, and embracing new technologies like AI. The conversation explores the power of storytelling in the building materials industry and how print media remains relevant in a digital world.
• Started LBM Journal in 2003 from home after previous magazine went bankrupt
• Bu...
Inefficiency is the biggest challenge facing the window and door industry today, but AI solutions can help companies automate repetitive tasks and respond to customers faster.
The Industry Insiders Podcast, powered by Paradigm, is where leaders across the industry share how they’re navigating change, building stronger businesses, and setting the pace for what’s next.
Hosted by John Wheeler, a 25-year veteran of building m...
Staying obsessed with the customer and what they care about is how you win long-term in business, as demonstrated by the 92-year-old Zamzows chain of stores in the Boise, Idaho area.
• Finding just 1,000 people who are absolutely obsessed with your company can create viral growth
• Jos Zamzow shares how his great-grandparents started with a small feed store during the Depression
• Passion for your product is more v...
Hardware store manager Bryan Scott shares how embracing AI and e-commerce analytics has transformed his small retail business into a competitive, future-ready operation. Using technical skills from his web development background, he's implementing innovative approaches to customer data analysis, store merchandising, and business operations that keep his independent store relevant in a challenging market.
• Bryan manag...
Jack Redden, Director of Architectural Sales for ES Windows, shares how vertical integration and hurricane-resistant engineering have positioned the company as a leader in the glass industry. With 30 years of experience and a passion for the business, Jack explains how ES fabricates their own glass and extrudes their aluminum to deliver consistent quality products that withstand Florida's extreme weather conditions.
•...
The building industry is experiencing a massive generational shift as younger leaders reshape businesses with new values and technological approaches, while facing the challenge of navigating rapid change.
• Jay Donnelly has grown Flanagan's Paint and Supply from one to five stores since joining his father's business in 2010
• Making friends is the foundation of the paint business – relationships remain centr...
Dalton Meny shares his journey as a fifth-generation hardware store owner, combining his computer science background with traditional retail to modernize his family's business while maintaining its community-centered values.
• Originally had no plans to join the family hardware business after graduating with a computer science degree
• Stepped in temporarily to help open a third store location and never left
...
Megan Menzer, a fourth-generation hardware store owner of Newton's True Value in Cherryvale, Kansas, shares her journey in the building industry and perspectives on mentorship, technology, and business transitions. Breaking barriers without even realizing it, she discusses how growing up watching her great-grandmother run their hardware store shaped her view that the industry has no gender limitations.
• Fourth-genera...
Randy Andes of Randy's Do it Best shares his journey from sweeping floors at 18 to winning the Beacon Award and running four successful hardware stores in Virginia. His story includes overcoming a devastating store fire in 2022, rebuilding in just 100 days, and developing innovative strategies to compete with big box retailers.
• Starting in hardware at 18, working at True Value and American Hardware stores before ope...
The co-op model empowers 9,000 independent hardware retailers to compete against big box stores through unified strength and comprehensive support systems. Jason Stofleth, VP of Merchandising at Do it Best, shares insights on how the recent acquisition of True Value is creating new opportunities for members.
• Merchandising at Do it Best covers vendor relationships, product selection, promotions, market events, and supply ...
Matt Spinks shares his journey from growing up in a family lumber business through the recession's hardships to becoming an award-winning young retailer at Lumber King in Danville, Kentucky. His story demonstrates how personal resilience and strategic innovation can transform traditional building supply businesses for modern consumers.
• Growing up in the lumber industry as the son of an 84 Lumber manager
• Experi...
Peter, a third-generation hardware store owner, shares how he maintains competitive advantage against big retailers by offering hands-on customer service and creating a pet-friendly environment that Amazon simply can't match.
• Third-generation True Value hardware store owner since 1965
• Recently joined Do it Best, gaining better buying power and product variety
• Differentiates by walking customers to items ...
Lori Ables shares the story of how she transformed a nearly empty store into an award-winning True Value hardware destination at 3 Sons Hardware in Minnesota. Her journey from reluctant retailer to passionate hardware store owner showcases the power of listening to customers and creating a family legacy business.
• Initially reluctant to enter retail when husband bought first hardware store in Ohio
• Purchased Minnesot...
Dave Ables shares how partnering with co-ops like Do it Best and True Value has enabled his independent lumber and hardware businesses to compete successfully against corporate giants. He discusses innovative strategies including building actual home structures inside his showroom and using technology to document product condition throughout the delivery process.
• Purchased and transformed a True Value store in 2022, winn...
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