November 14, 2025 • 21 mins
What does it take to lead a team through real change in an industry that prides itself on tradition? We sit down with Kelly Scott, raised on a lumberyard, seasoned through multiple acquisitions, and now running a complex specialty distribution branch, to map the human side of operational excellence and the strategic moves that separate stagnant dealers from standout brands.
Kelly’s story begins with family: a Canadian mill and trim retail operation where product knowledge came from hands-on work and fearless selling. Her mother became a respected presence on major Toronto job sites, proving mastery beats bias when stakes are high. That foundation informs Kelly’s leadership playbook today, hiring for character, building trust that endures hard decisions, and creating a culture where the site runs smoothly even when she’s on the road. We dig into what branch management really looks like across logistics, sales, procurement, finance, and light manufacturing, and how clarity of roles plus strong feedback loops keep service levels sharp.
We widen the lens to the market’s inflection point. Building materials is an old industry, but the pace of change in technology, AI, consolidation, and shifting customer expectations is accelerating. Kelly explains why dealers who embrace change win more often: smarter assortments, reliable logistics, and data-informed decisions that protect margin and improve experience. We explore specialty building products as a strategic edge: millwork, doors, and decking that drive differentiation and higher profitability. The vision is simple and powerful: one truck, one invoice, deeper coverage, so independents can act bigger without losing their local touch. Partnerships with co-ops like Do It Best amplify this, unlocking buying power and access to categories smaller footprints can’t carry alone.
Topics we cover:
• Growing up in a lumber family and learning on the counter
• Lessons from a trailblazing mother winning respect in sales
• Selling the family business and navigating multiple acquisitions
• Why people, trust and hard decisions define leadership
• How a modern branch runs across sales, logistics and light manufacturing
• The industry’s inflection point and pace of change
• Where AI, consolidation and specialty products create leverage
• One-stop service advantages for independents
• Partnering with co-ops to expand reach and assortments
• Practical upsell
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Stefanie Couch (00:00):
The team's the only reason that happens and if
you have the wrong one or youhave the right one, it makes all
the difference.
Kelley Scott (00:05):
Absolutely.
Being able to create a team oran environment where people
trust you and are able to backyou during those hard decision
times because ultimately theycome.
Stefanie Couch (00:13):
When you get out of an independent business and
then you go see what that sideof it looks like and how they
operate and how they think, I dothink having both sides makes
you the best possibleentrepreneur.
I feel like you're anentrepreneur within their
business.
Kelley Scott (00:30):
It's an old industry and it's always going
to be around, it's always goingto be needed.
It's changed a lot, but I thinkright now we're at a particular
inflection point.
So, you know, dealers that areopen to just doing things a
little bit differently, beingopen to the possibilities that,
you know, the way we used to doit might not be the way we're
gonna do it in the future.
Stefanie Couch (00:50):
Welcome to the Grit Blueprint Podcast, the
playbook for buildingunmistakable brands that grow,
lead, and last in the builtworld.
I'm Stephanie Couch, thefounder of Grit Blueprint, and
I'm a lifelong building industryinsider.
I was raised here, built mycareer here, and now my team and
(01:11):
I help others win here.
The truth is, you can be thebest option in your space and
still lose to someone else whosimply shows up better and more
consistently.
Each week on the GritBlueprint, I'm going to show you
how to stand out, earn trust,and turn your brand into a
competitive advantage thatlasts.
(01:33):
If you're ready to be seen,known, chosen, and become
unmistakable, you're in theright place.
Let's get started.
Welcome to the Grit BlueprintPodcast.
I'm your host, Stephanie Couch,and I'm here today with Kelly
Scott.
Welcome to the show, Kelly.
Kelley Scott (01:51):
Thank you.
Stefanie Couch (01:51):
Thank you for having me.
I am excited to talk to youbecause you're a fellow lumber
girl from birth.
Sure am.
I mean, you don't meet a lot ofgirls that grew up on the
lumber yard, right?
No, absolutely not.
No, it's uh it's rare.
Yeah, for sure.
So I was pretty excited whenyou told me that you I thought
you just worked there, but thenI was like, no, she legit was
like born and grew up in thebiz.
(02:12):
Sure did.
I love it.
So tell me, you actually workat Alexandria.
I do, which is a specialtybuilding products company, and
you are in Washington right now,but you actually grew up in
Canada.
I did.
And so I want you to tell meyour story.
You grew up with a single momthat was a part of a business
that owned a molding company anda manufacturing company, and
(02:34):
you grew up running around anddoing all the things.
Tell me about that.
Kelley Scott (02:38):
Yeah.
So I grew up um, my family, mymom, my aunt, my uncles, they
started a hardwood moldingmanufacturing company and at the
same time opened up a retaillocation on the same property as
our mill.
Okay.
Um, and that retail locationwas for specialty trim and
moldings and and so on.
So for local contractors,custom home builders.
(02:58):
And um yeah, so I I grew up, mymom, my aunt, the same thing.
I mean, they were really my momalways tells a story of she
would go and visit customers, goto lumberyards, go to job
sites, big job sites in Toronto,and I was in her belly.
So I grew up on job sites andin the lumberyard, you know,
before I was even born.
Yeah.
Um, and you know, going thereand having a single mom, spent a
(03:23):
lot of time there.
I the employees were always sogracious.
They'd let me, you know, take asharper sterpie and write the
length of the lumber on the endand do all that kind of fun
stuff.
Stefanie Couch (03:33):
I annoyed a lot of people in my childhood too.
Kelley Scott (03:35):
I'm sure I I know they don't say it now.
I mean, I I obviously am stillclose with a lot of them and and
speak to a lot of them.
But um, yeah, they don't sayhow annoying I was, but I can
only imagine.
Stefanie Couch (03:45):
I had one one older man that worked at the
counter with my dad.
Um, his name was David, and hehe was probably the hardest
worker I've ever met.
And he would let me ring peopleup, but you could just tell it
was like, oh my God, she's hereagain, you know.
Yeah.
But that's literally how Ilearned everything I knew was
figuring out, you know, thestuds and what is a stud and why
is it different than aneight-foot board, and what does
(04:06):
that mean, and why do people askfor it?
So I love that story.
Um, tell me a little bit aboutyour mom and like what what was
that like for her?
Kelley Scott (04:14):
You know, she was one of the only women in the
industry in Canada.
I can't speak to the US at thattime because I I don't know,
but in Canada, she was one ofthe only women in the industry.
Um, she's tough.
I bet.
Right?
She's tough and she, you know,larger than life.
She's retired now.
So when I say was larger thanlife, you know, just in her
career.
(04:34):
And um she was pretty amazing.
She um started out, you know,at the mill and and working
there, but quickly they realizedshe should be out on the road
and talking to people becauseshe talks a lot.
Yeah.
Stefanie Couch (04:47):
And I don't I don't identify with that at all.
Kelley Scott (04:50):
And uh so, you know, she uh she went out on the
road and she was going to big,big high-rise buildings in
Toronto and selling lumber.
And the reality is, is the menand the contractors and the
purchasers, they were they, youknow, she'd walk in with her
hard hat on and they woulddismiss her.
Um and as soon as she openedher mouth and started speaking,
and they were like, oh, sheactually knows what she's
(05:11):
talking about.
So she made a name for herselfpretty quickly.
Um, you know, obviouslycompetent, hardworking, um,
strong.
And uh and it and it workedreally, really well.
And, you know, as time went onand as we sold our family's
company to Alexandria and so on,and and she became our VP of
sales, and uh, you know, shejust her career is something to
(05:34):
be admired.
Stefanie Couch (05:35):
That's amazing.
I'd love to meet her one dayand and talk to her about that.
And uh I'd love to hear whatshe thinks about what you're
doing now because I'm sure she'svery proud of you.
Right.
I hope so.
Well, speaking of family, youactually have an amazing
daughter.
So tell me a little bit abouther because I was on a call with
you the other day and we wereprepping for something, and you
(05:55):
said that she not only playshockey and is an amazing goalie,
right?
Yes, but she plays on the boys'team and rocks their socks.
So I want to know all aboutthat.
Tell me about her.
Kelley Scott (06:06):
Oh lord, that child, love of my life.
I honestly like she neverceases to amaze me.
She um she's really, reallystrong and does really hard
things.
When we moved from Canada toYakima, so she she always played
with girls because in Canada,hockey culture is everything.
Stefanie Couch (06:22):
Yeah.
Kelley Scott (06:22):
Um, and so tons of girls playing hockey, just as
many girls as there are boys.
And she always played withgirls.
And when I took this job in inYakima, Washington, I said, you
know, there's no there's nogirls' hockey, you have to play
with boys.
And she was very nervous, shewas seven at that time, super
nervous, um, wasn't really intoit.
And then after her firstpractice, she was like, Oh, I I
(06:46):
I got this.
That's amazing.
No problem.
So yeah, this year she um shebeat out a bunch of the boys for
her spot on this rep team.
And I talked to her last nightand she uh they had a scrimmage
and she rocked it, as in herwords.
Stefanie Couch (06:59):
Wowed it.
Well, you tell her that whenshe's ready for a job, that she
just better call me because shesounds like my type of girl, and
I love that.
The tenacity that that takes togo out there and get that and
just do it.
Um, that's pretty cool.
So I love it.
I'm sure though she gets thatfrom you because you don't just
you have to have a role model inyour life to see that mirrored,
(07:20):
to know that you can doanything.
Like even the idea that shecould just say, Well, I'll just
go trial for the boys' team,that's pretty rare.
And so I'm I know that she hadto learn that from you.
Kelley Scott (07:29):
Yeah, well, me and my husband.
I mean, my husband is he's acoach for his for his job.
So he, you know, that's what hedoes, and he's very good with
her.
And I think between the two ofus, we complement each other
well as as parents, which isgood.
Stefanie Couch (07:44):
Well, 2012 was a big year for you and your
family.
It's it's kind of a weirdcoincidence.
We have a lot of similarities,but it's also the year that my
family sold their lumber yard,um, which is really interesting
to me.
But I think a lot about thattime, and I know selling a
family business is somethingthat is not done lightly.
I mean, it's it's a there's alot of thoughts and a lot of
(08:05):
emotion that go into that.
But you guys sold toAlexandria, which then sold to
US Lumber, correct?
And now is a part of specialtybuilding products.
Tell me a little bit about thatjourney.
What was it like?
What was great about it, whatwas hard?
Um, and and how has that turnedinto now 13 years later?
What does it look like?
You're right.
Kelley Scott (08:25):
You know, as a family, as a family, when you
decide to sell your business,it's it's heartbreaking as well
as exciting.
I mean, there's a reason you'redoing it.
For us, it was just uhhonestly, it was a lack of
succession.
So I was relatively young.
Um, I just wasn't ready.
I I um hadn't even started afamily yet.
And my husband and I had justgotten married.
We certainly were not in aposition to take over.
(08:46):
My cousins were in similarpositions, and it just was a
lack of succession.
So that was really the decidingfactor.
Um, heartbreaking though.
I mean, I think I as much as Ispent all this time in the
lumber yard and in the millgrowing up, I went off to try
and do my do my own thing and Iran my own contracting business
for a few years.
Wow.
Um just to because I I wantedto prove to my family, to
(09:10):
myself, that I could I could doit.
I didn't have to, you know, bewith the family.
Ultimately, I loved being withthe family, and so that's what I
did.
And when they decided to sell,it was pretty heartbreaking for
me personally.
Yeah.
Um entrepreneurial spirit, youwould, you know, you would
understand that's kind of whereI had seen myself.
Um, the experience ofAlexandria purchasing us was
(09:33):
very, very positive.
Um positive for the employees,positive for our family.
Um, it was it was a really goodthing.
Um and then by the time USLumber came around, uh, we had
already actually sold to aprivate equity prior to that.
Um so at this point I've beenthrough like four acquisitions
and it just feels like old hat.
(09:54):
I'm very fortunate though, theexperiences have been as
positive as that.
Stefanie Couch (09:57):
Yeah.
And well, the companies thathave bought you, um, I mean, uh
speaking of SBP and those guys,they are have a great mission.
They're very culture driven andthey have a, I think they have
a good ideology of where theywant to go and why they're doing
it.
So there's a real, it seemslike the business has a real
purpose about it that ispowerful, and I think that's
always important.
I do want to double click onsomething though, because it
(10:17):
resonates so deeply with me.
Um I was young when my dad soldhis business to, and we had
been through 2008, it was reallyhard.
Really hard.
Um, I mean, that it really 2008was hard, but then like 20,
2009, 2010, I mean, it just keptbeing hard.
The rebuild.
It was really tough.
And I remember a lot ofconversations like, is today the
day we gotta go getunemployment?
(10:38):
Like, are we gonna be able to,you know, pay, pay each other,
pay the salaries this week?
And we never had that moment,but it was it was scarring for
sure.
And so when I got to 2012 andmy dad was like ready to get out
of it, and then I thought, I'mgonna go do something different.
I did feel like I needed to seea different side of things.
And I also felt that samething, like I need to prove
(11:01):
myself outside of this business.
But I do wonder, like I landthat a lot and think, like,
should I have bought it?
But I wasn't ready then.
And so I think what I'velearned now through I I went and
worked at a very large Fortune500 company for 10 years in
two-step distribution as well.
And I don't believe I couldhave done what I'm doing now or
any capacity of like the levelwithout seeing what that looks
(11:24):
like.
When you get out of anindependent business and then
you go see what that side of itlooks like and how they operate
and how they think, I do thinkhaving both sides makes you the
best possible entrepreneur, oror I feel like you're an
entrepreneur within theirbusiness.
You're running your own branch,like it is your business.
And there's just some greatlessons.
What are some of those lessonsthat you've seen over the last,
(11:45):
you know, 13 years that havehelped you become a better
business leader?
Kelley Scott (11:50):
Um it really, it really, everything comes down to
people, right?
So you're absolutely right.
I I was too young, just likeyou, to take over.
And and I mean, could I could Ihave done it theoretically?
Yeah, of course, right?
You can do whatever you putyour mind to.
Yeah.
But would I have done it well?
I don't know.
Yeah.
Um, you know, there would havebeen a lot of hard lessons.
(12:11):
And not to say there hasn'tbeen, but um but that would have
been a lot more challenging.
I think today um the experienceI've had in in leading small
teams to larger teams has reallydeveloped who I am as a leader.
And and even being able to makehard decisions that affect
people.
Um that's the hardest, that'sthe hardest part of running a
(12:32):
business or just being inbusiness, period, or being in a
leadership position.
And um, you know, being able tocreate a team or an environment
with people where people trustyou.
Yeah.
Um and are able to back youduring those hard decision times
because ultimately they come.
It doesn't matter how good youare, it doesn't matter what
you're doing.
You have to make harddecisions.
(12:54):
Uh so if you have a good teamthat uh that you've built trust
with and a good culture with,that that's really the the
lesson I've learned.
Stefanie Couch (13:04):
This episode of the Grit Blueprint Podcast was
sponsored by Do It Best Group.
Do It Best Group is the largestco-op in the world, and they
help independent hardware andlumber yards all over North
America win.
Do It Best offers services,products, and people that can
help you win long term.
They are the champion ofindependence.
(13:25):
I love that.
Talent is something Iunderrated a lot of my career.
Uh, now that I have my ownbusiness and my last three or
four years, we were buildinggreenfield door shops and you're
starting from scratch andyou're building something huge,
and there's a lot of money and alot of time already spent, like
you got to make it go.
The team's the only reason thathappens, and if you have the
(13:48):
wrong one or you have the rightone, it makes all the
difference.
And that's absolutely I can'tovervalue that now that I have a
team.
And like we're here today, youknow, there's a lot of things
for us to be sitting here thathad to happen beforehand, and a
lot of people went into doingthat, but I'm the one sitting
here with you.
But that would have neverhappened.
Like the mic wouldn't work, Ipromise you that.
(14:09):
If it was up to me, we'd we'dbe just yelling at each other
with cameras going off,everything a lot of things
happening, it would not be good.
Um, the lighting would behorrible.
But I think that is justsomething that I love.
How tell me a little bit aboutyour team and like what does
your day-to-day look like?
Because you're you're a branchmanager.
Yes.
And what does that mean forpeople that maybe don't know
what it's like to be a branchmanager at that level?
Kelley Scott (14:30):
Yeah.
So um at our branch inparticular, so we have a
distribution facility, we haveall of our logistics and trucks
and drivers and and everything.
We have our whole sales team,procurement team, um, finance.
Um, and then we also have asmall manufacturing facility as
well.
So as it as time has gone on,that has been less and less.
Um, but we do still do a smallamount of manufacturing there.
(14:53):
So, you know, there's a lot ofmoving parts to that site.
Yeah.
Um and it's you know, and itcan be complicated.
Up until recently, we were alsodoing some cross-border sales
as well.
So lots of back and forthbetween Canada and the US.
Yeah.
Obviously, based on um currentsituation, we've had to change
some of that.
Just it doesn't work in today'sworld.
Right.
Um, but you know, for the last25 years, we have.
(15:16):
So it's it's added somecomplications.
Day to day, the team is every Imean, I'm I'm here.
Yeah, I'm in Indianapolis andthe team is running the site.
Um, and I'm actually gone fortwo weeks.
I have to go to Atlanta nextweek.
So um that team is everything.
They um and it took a while tobuild it.
We needed to get the rightpeople and the right seats and
you know that old adage.
(15:37):
Yeah.
Um, and that takes time andgaining trust and and so on.
And but uh day to day, theythey honestly run it.
I I always joke and say, theydon't really, I don't think they
need me at this point.
Well, that's they're so youdon't place yourself, right?
I mean I mean that'sessentially that's essentially
(15:58):
it.
They don't really, I mean, theythey do, and I'm there to
support them and do all these,you know, and and probably sign
off on the things that theydon't want to put their name on.
But but the reality is is thatplace operates because they make
it operate.
Yeah, it has nothing to do withwith myself or whether I'm
there or not.
They are they are amazing.
That's awesome.
Yeah.
Stefanie Couch (16:17):
Well, hopefully I'll get to come tour your
facility one day.
I would love to do that.
And Washington is one of myfavorite places to visit.
Well, and it's wine.
Uh well, now you mean where yousit, you get to see a lot of
dealers out in the market.
You're here, and we're gonna betalking to, I think there's
gonna be like 9,000 members hereor something crazy.
Um, what what do you think setsapart the people in the
(16:38):
business from the reallysuccessful dealers to the ones
that do okay or stagnate?
What's the differences therethat you see?
Kelley Scott (16:47):
Biggest difference would be the dealers that are
open to change and open to sothis industry's old.
Yeah, right.
I mean, lumber industry is old,building materials, it's it's
an old industry and it's alwaysgoing to be around.
It's always going to be needed,but it it's changed a lot.
But I think right now we're ata particular inflection point
that is gonna change ishappening quick.
(17:07):
Yeah.
And uh, and before you know it,it's gonna look very, very
different.
So, you know, dealers that areopen to just doing things a
little bit differently, beingopen to the possibilities that,
you know, the way we used to doit might not be the way we're
gonna do it in the future.
Yeah.
That's I think really what'sgonna change.
And same thing for vendors.
I mean, as a as a distributor,you know, we we often go through
those same struggles trying tokeep up with what's new and so
(17:31):
much new.
Stefanie Couch (17:31):
I mean, with AI, it's literally every single
day.
It's life-changing.
It is really every day we wakeup and I have some newsletters
and stuff that I get, and it'slike, oh, it's been a week and
Chat GPT has changed everythingand now it's a totally different
experience.
And it's like exponentiallyeasier to do things, but it also
can be exponentially easier tothink that those things can
happen without, you know,certain checks and balances
(17:55):
being in place, I guess.
How do you see the future ofour industry as far as the
people?
If you could tell people one ortwo things that you're most
expensive about about whatyou're doing at SPP and all the
family of companies, what whatexcites you the most about the
future of our industry?
Kelley Scott (18:09):
So consolidation can be a scary thing, but I
think it also can be prettypowerful as well.
And um for us at SPP, I mean,obviously we've grown
exponentially over the last fiveyears, yeah, say, since COVID.
Um, and I think our ability toserve our customers on the
independent side with not justmoldings, not just doors, not
(18:31):
just decking, not just, youknow, we're able to supply these
dealers and these customerswith everything that we offer.
And that that's the plan.
I mean, not every site can dothat today.
Yeah.
But the hope is that we'regonna be this one-stop shop.
It's gonna be so much easier.
Everything's gonna come on onetruck, one bill, one invoice.
That is a big advantage.
Yeah.
And I think, and and I, youknow, SPP is different.
(18:53):
Specialty building products,it's exactly what we are.
Specialty, right?
We're not selling two by fours,right?
We're not selling drywall.
Um, that that's not what we do.
We're here to help on thedifficult product lines.
I love the hard stuff.
It's the fun stuff.
It is, and it's also the stuffthat looks good too, right?
Stefanie Couch (19:11):
If no one else wants to mess with it, great.
I'll take that challenge.
Yeah, let's do it.
I love it.
Yeah.
So we're here at the market andyou've been working with do it
best.
So tell me just one last thingabout what it's like to be a
vendor partner because you guysare one of their gold sponsors.
You've worked with do it bestin a lot of capacities.
We're collaborating on somepanels and some different
things.
What's the best part for co-opdealers and members that helps
(19:34):
them have a competitiveadvantage by working with people
like do it best and likespecialty building products?
Kelley Scott (19:39):
For the for the dealers, you know, being a part
of do it best, it it helps withyour buying.
It helps it, I mean, and notjust specially build specialty
building products, we can go toyour independent yard, um, but
we also work with the RSEs.
And that's a big piece as well.
I mean, if you don't have alarge enough yard in moldings in
particular, if you don't have alarge enough yard or a large
(20:01):
enough footprint in your retaillocation to carry that, you're
able to get it, regardless ofwhether you have that space or
not.
And I think being able topartner with um with a company
like Do It Best really, I mean,it helps us, gives us a bigger
footprint across the wholecountry.
Um, and hopefully, you know, doit best feels that they benefit
in partnering with us and ableto help their dealers.
Stefanie Couch (20:22):
Yeah, absolutely.
Well, thank you so much forjoining me.
I hope you have an amazingmarket.
I'm gonna see you on stage in afew days.
We're gonna have another paneltogether uh teaching upselling
and how to use millwork to growyour margin in your business,
which I'm pretty pumped aboutbecause we're we're both
millwork girls.
So I love that.
Well, I will talk to youhopefully again soon because
this is a great episode and Iwant to come and see your
(20:44):
Washington facility pronto.
Look forward to it.
Well, thank you for joining meon the Grit Blueprint.
Thank you for listening to theGrit Blueprint podcast.
If this episode helped youthink a little differently about
how to show up, share it withsomeone in your building world
who needs it.
If you're ready to turnvisibility into growth, then
head to gritblueprint.com tolearn more and book a call to
(21:08):
talk to us about your growthstrategy.
Until next time, stayunmistakable.
The team's the only reason that happens and if
you have the wrong one or youhave the right one, it makes all
the difference.
Kelley Scott (00:05):
Absolutely.
Being able to create a team oran environment where people
trust you and are able to backyou during those hard decision
times because ultimately theycome.
Stefanie Couch (00:13):
When you get out of an independent business and
then you go see what that sideof it looks like and how they
operate and how they think, I dothink having both sides makes
you the best possibleentrepreneur.
I feel like you're anentrepreneur within their
business.
Kelley Scott (00:30):
It's an old industry and it's always going
to be around, it's always goingto be needed.
It's changed a lot, but I thinkright now we're at a particular
inflection point.
So, you know, dealers that areopen to just doing things a
little bit differently, beingopen to the possibilities that,
you know, the way we used to doit might not be the way we're
gonna do it in the future.
Stefanie Couch (00:50):
Welcome to the Grit Blueprint Podcast, the
playbook for buildingunmistakable brands that grow,
lead, and last in the builtworld.
I'm Stephanie Couch, thefounder of Grit Blueprint, and
I'm a lifelong building industryinsider.
I was raised here, built mycareer here, and now my team and
(01:11):
I help others win here.
The truth is, you can be thebest option in your space and
still lose to someone else whosimply shows up better and more
consistently.
Each week on the GritBlueprint, I'm going to show you
how to stand out, earn trust,and turn your brand into a
competitive advantage thatlasts.
(01:33):
If you're ready to be seen,known, chosen, and become
unmistakable, you're in theright place.
Let's get started.
Welcome to the Grit BlueprintPodcast.
I'm your host, Stephanie Couch,and I'm here today with Kelly
Scott.
Welcome to the show, Kelly.
Kelley Scott (01:51):
Thank you.
Stefanie Couch (01:51):
Thank you for having me.
I am excited to talk to youbecause you're a fellow lumber
girl from birth.
Sure am.
I mean, you don't meet a lot ofgirls that grew up on the
lumber yard, right?
No, absolutely not.
No, it's uh it's rare.
Yeah, for sure.
So I was pretty excited whenyou told me that you I thought
you just worked there, but thenI was like, no, she legit was
like born and grew up in thebiz.
(02:12):
Sure did.
I love it.
So tell me, you actually workat Alexandria.
I do, which is a specialtybuilding products company, and
you are in Washington right now,but you actually grew up in
Canada.
I did.
And so I want you to tell meyour story.
You grew up with a single momthat was a part of a business
that owned a molding company anda manufacturing company, and
(02:34):
you grew up running around anddoing all the things.
Tell me about that.
Kelley Scott (02:38):
Yeah.
So I grew up um, my family, mymom, my aunt, my uncles, they
started a hardwood moldingmanufacturing company and at the
same time opened up a retaillocation on the same property as
our mill.
Okay.
Um, and that retail locationwas for specialty trim and
moldings and and so on.
So for local contractors,custom home builders.
(02:58):
And um yeah, so I I grew up, mymom, my aunt, the same thing.
I mean, they were really my momalways tells a story of she
would go and visit customers, goto lumberyards, go to job
sites, big job sites in Toronto,and I was in her belly.
So I grew up on job sites andin the lumberyard, you know,
before I was even born.
Yeah.
Um, and you know, going thereand having a single mom, spent a
(03:23):
lot of time there.
I the employees were always sogracious.
They'd let me, you know, take asharper sterpie and write the
length of the lumber on the endand do all that kind of fun
stuff.
Stefanie Couch (03:33):
I annoyed a lot of people in my childhood too.
Kelley Scott (03:35):
I'm sure I I know they don't say it now.
I mean, I I obviously am stillclose with a lot of them and and
speak to a lot of them.
But um, yeah, they don't sayhow annoying I was, but I can
only imagine.
Stefanie Couch (03:45):
I had one one older man that worked at the
counter with my dad.
Um, his name was David, and hehe was probably the hardest
worker I've ever met.
And he would let me ring peopleup, but you could just tell it
was like, oh my God, she's hereagain, you know.
Yeah.
But that's literally how Ilearned everything I knew was
figuring out, you know, thestuds and what is a stud and why
is it different than aneight-foot board, and what does
(04:06):
that mean, and why do people askfor it?
So I love that story.
Um, tell me a little bit aboutyour mom and like what what was
that like for her?
Kelley Scott (04:14):
You know, she was one of the only women in the
industry in Canada.
I can't speak to the US at thattime because I I don't know,
but in Canada, she was one ofthe only women in the industry.
Um, she's tough.
I bet.
Right?
She's tough and she, you know,larger than life.
She's retired now.
So when I say was larger thanlife, you know, just in her
career.
(04:34):
And um she was pretty amazing.
She um started out, you know,at the mill and and working
there, but quickly they realizedshe should be out on the road
and talking to people becauseshe talks a lot.
Yeah.
Stefanie Couch (04:47):
And I don't I don't identify with that at all.
Kelley Scott (04:50):
And uh so, you know, she uh she went out on the
road and she was going to big,big high-rise buildings in
Toronto and selling lumber.
And the reality is, is the menand the contractors and the
purchasers, they were they, youknow, she'd walk in with her
hard hat on and they woulddismiss her.
Um and as soon as she openedher mouth and started speaking,
and they were like, oh, sheactually knows what she's
(05:11):
talking about.
So she made a name for herselfpretty quickly.
Um, you know, obviouslycompetent, hardworking, um,
strong.
And uh and it and it workedreally, really well.
And, you know, as time went onand as we sold our family's
company to Alexandria and so on,and and she became our VP of
sales, and uh, you know, shejust her career is something to
(05:34):
be admired.
Stefanie Couch (05:35):
That's amazing.
I'd love to meet her one dayand and talk to her about that.
And uh I'd love to hear whatshe thinks about what you're
doing now because I'm sure she'svery proud of you.
Right.
I hope so.
Well, speaking of family, youactually have an amazing
daughter.
So tell me a little bit abouther because I was on a call with
you the other day and we wereprepping for something, and you
(05:55):
said that she not only playshockey and is an amazing goalie,
right?
Yes, but she plays on the boys'team and rocks their socks.
So I want to know all aboutthat.
Tell me about her.
Kelley Scott (06:06):
Oh lord, that child, love of my life.
I honestly like she neverceases to amaze me.
She um she's really, reallystrong and does really hard
things.
When we moved from Canada toYakima, so she she always played
with girls because in Canada,hockey culture is everything.
Stefanie Couch (06:22):
Yeah.
Kelley Scott (06:22):
Um, and so tons of girls playing hockey, just as
many girls as there are boys.
And she always played withgirls.
And when I took this job in inYakima, Washington, I said, you
know, there's no there's nogirls' hockey, you have to play
with boys.
And she was very nervous, shewas seven at that time, super
nervous, um, wasn't really intoit.
And then after her firstpractice, she was like, Oh, I I
(06:46):
I got this.
That's amazing.
No problem.
So yeah, this year she um shebeat out a bunch of the boys for
her spot on this rep team.
And I talked to her last nightand she uh they had a scrimmage
and she rocked it, as in herwords.
Stefanie Couch (06:59):
Wowed it.
Well, you tell her that whenshe's ready for a job, that she
just better call me because shesounds like my type of girl, and
I love that.
The tenacity that that takes togo out there and get that and
just do it.
Um, that's pretty cool.
So I love it.
I'm sure though she gets thatfrom you because you don't just
you have to have a role model inyour life to see that mirrored,
(07:20):
to know that you can doanything.
Like even the idea that shecould just say, Well, I'll just
go trial for the boys' team,that's pretty rare.
And so I'm I know that she hadto learn that from you.
Kelley Scott (07:29):
Yeah, well, me and my husband.
I mean, my husband is he's acoach for his for his job.
So he, you know, that's what hedoes, and he's very good with
her.
And I think between the two ofus, we complement each other
well as as parents, which isgood.
Stefanie Couch (07:44):
Well, 2012 was a big year for you and your
family.
It's it's kind of a weirdcoincidence.
We have a lot of similarities,but it's also the year that my
family sold their lumber yard,um, which is really interesting
to me.
But I think a lot about thattime, and I know selling a
family business is somethingthat is not done lightly.
I mean, it's it's a there's alot of thoughts and a lot of
(08:05):
emotion that go into that.
But you guys sold toAlexandria, which then sold to
US Lumber, correct?
And now is a part of specialtybuilding products.
Tell me a little bit about thatjourney.
What was it like?
What was great about it, whatwas hard?
Um, and and how has that turnedinto now 13 years later?
What does it look like?
You're right.
Kelley Scott (08:25):
You know, as a family, as a family, when you
decide to sell your business,it's it's heartbreaking as well
as exciting.
I mean, there's a reason you'redoing it.
For us, it was just uhhonestly, it was a lack of
succession.
So I was relatively young.
Um, I just wasn't ready.
I I um hadn't even started afamily yet.
And my husband and I had justgotten married.
We certainly were not in aposition to take over.
(08:46):
My cousins were in similarpositions, and it just was a
lack of succession.
So that was really the decidingfactor.
Um, heartbreaking though.
I mean, I think I as much as Ispent all this time in the
lumber yard and in the millgrowing up, I went off to try
and do my do my own thing and Iran my own contracting business
for a few years.
Wow.
Um just to because I I wantedto prove to my family, to
(09:10):
myself, that I could I could doit.
I didn't have to, you know, bewith the family.
Ultimately, I loved being withthe family, and so that's what I
did.
And when they decided to sell,it was pretty heartbreaking for
me personally.
Yeah.
Um entrepreneurial spirit, youwould, you know, you would
understand that's kind of whereI had seen myself.
Um, the experience ofAlexandria purchasing us was
(09:33):
very, very positive.
Um positive for the employees,positive for our family.
Um, it was it was a really goodthing.
Um and then by the time USLumber came around, uh, we had
already actually sold to aprivate equity prior to that.
Um so at this point I've beenthrough like four acquisitions
and it just feels like old hat.
(09:54):
I'm very fortunate though, theexperiences have been as
positive as that.
Stefanie Couch (09:57):
Yeah.
And well, the companies thathave bought you, um, I mean, uh
speaking of SBP and those guys,they are have a great mission.
They're very culture driven andthey have a, I think they have
a good ideology of where theywant to go and why they're doing
it.
So there's a real, it seemslike the business has a real
purpose about it that ispowerful, and I think that's
always important.
I do want to double click onsomething though, because it
(10:17):
resonates so deeply with me.
Um I was young when my dad soldhis business to, and we had
been through 2008, it was reallyhard.
Really hard.
Um, I mean, that it really 2008was hard, but then like 20,
2009, 2010, I mean, it just keptbeing hard.
The rebuild.
It was really tough.
And I remember a lot ofconversations like, is today the
day we gotta go getunemployment?
(10:38):
Like, are we gonna be able to,you know, pay, pay each other,
pay the salaries this week?
And we never had that moment,but it was it was scarring for
sure.
And so when I got to 2012 andmy dad was like ready to get out
of it, and then I thought, I'mgonna go do something different.
I did feel like I needed to seea different side of things.
And I also felt that samething, like I need to prove
(11:01):
myself outside of this business.
But I do wonder, like I landthat a lot and think, like,
should I have bought it?
But I wasn't ready then.
And so I think what I'velearned now through I I went and
worked at a very large Fortune500 company for 10 years in
two-step distribution as well.
And I don't believe I couldhave done what I'm doing now or
any capacity of like the levelwithout seeing what that looks
(11:24):
like.
When you get out of anindependent business and then
you go see what that side of itlooks like and how they operate
and how they think, I do thinkhaving both sides makes you the
best possible entrepreneur, oror I feel like you're an
entrepreneur within theirbusiness.
You're running your own branch,like it is your business.
And there's just some greatlessons.
What are some of those lessonsthat you've seen over the last,
(11:45):
you know, 13 years that havehelped you become a better
business leader?
Kelley Scott (11:50):
Um it really, it really, everything comes down to
people, right?
So you're absolutely right.
I I was too young, just likeyou, to take over.
And and I mean, could I could Ihave done it theoretically?
Yeah, of course, right?
You can do whatever you putyour mind to.
Yeah.
But would I have done it well?
I don't know.
Yeah.
Um, you know, there would havebeen a lot of hard lessons.
(12:11):
And not to say there hasn'tbeen, but um but that would have
been a lot more challenging.
I think today um the experienceI've had in in leading small
teams to larger teams has reallydeveloped who I am as a leader.
And and even being able to makehard decisions that affect
people.
Um that's the hardest, that'sthe hardest part of running a
(12:32):
business or just being inbusiness, period, or being in a
leadership position.
And um, you know, being able tocreate a team or an environment
with people where people trustyou.
Yeah.
Um and are able to back youduring those hard decision times
because ultimately they come.
It doesn't matter how good youare, it doesn't matter what
you're doing.
You have to make harddecisions.
(12:54):
Uh so if you have a good teamthat uh that you've built trust
with and a good culture with,that that's really the the
lesson I've learned.
Stefanie Couch (13:04):
This episode of the Grit Blueprint Podcast was
sponsored by Do It Best Group.
Do It Best Group is the largestco-op in the world, and they
help independent hardware andlumber yards all over North
America win.
Do It Best offers services,products, and people that can
help you win long term.
They are the champion ofindependence.
(13:25):
I love that.
Talent is something Iunderrated a lot of my career.
Uh, now that I have my ownbusiness and my last three or
four years, we were buildinggreenfield door shops and you're
starting from scratch andyou're building something huge,
and there's a lot of money and alot of time already spent, like
you got to make it go.
The team's the only reason thathappens, and if you have the
(13:48):
wrong one or you have the rightone, it makes all the
difference.
And that's absolutely I can'tovervalue that now that I have a
team.
And like we're here today, youknow, there's a lot of things
for us to be sitting here thathad to happen beforehand, and a
lot of people went into doingthat, but I'm the one sitting
here with you.
But that would have neverhappened.
Like the mic wouldn't work, Ipromise you that.
(14:09):
If it was up to me, we'd we'dbe just yelling at each other
with cameras going off,everything a lot of things
happening, it would not be good.
Um, the lighting would behorrible.
But I think that is justsomething that I love.
How tell me a little bit aboutyour team and like what does
your day-to-day look like?
Because you're you're a branchmanager.
Yes.
And what does that mean forpeople that maybe don't know
what it's like to be a branchmanager at that level?
Kelley Scott (14:30):
Yeah.
So um at our branch inparticular, so we have a
distribution facility, we haveall of our logistics and trucks
and drivers and and everything.
We have our whole sales team,procurement team, um, finance.
Um, and then we also have asmall manufacturing facility as
well.
So as it as time has gone on,that has been less and less.
Um, but we do still do a smallamount of manufacturing there.
(14:53):
So, you know, there's a lot ofmoving parts to that site.
Yeah.
Um and it's you know, and itcan be complicated.
Up until recently, we were alsodoing some cross-border sales
as well.
So lots of back and forthbetween Canada and the US.
Yeah.
Obviously, based on um currentsituation, we've had to change
some of that.
Just it doesn't work in today'sworld.
Right.
Um, but you know, for the last25 years, we have.
(15:16):
So it's it's added somecomplications.
Day to day, the team is every Imean, I'm I'm here.
Yeah, I'm in Indianapolis andthe team is running the site.
Um, and I'm actually gone fortwo weeks.
I have to go to Atlanta nextweek.
So um that team is everything.
They um and it took a while tobuild it.
We needed to get the rightpeople and the right seats and
you know that old adage.
(15:37):
Yeah.
Um, and that takes time andgaining trust and and so on.
And but uh day to day, theythey honestly run it.
I I always joke and say, theydon't really, I don't think they
need me at this point.
Well, that's they're so youdon't place yourself, right?
I mean I mean that'sessentially that's essentially
(15:58):
it.
They don't really, I mean, theythey do, and I'm there to
support them and do all these,you know, and and probably sign
off on the things that theydon't want to put their name on.
But but the reality is is thatplace operates because they make
it operate.
Yeah, it has nothing to do withwith myself or whether I'm
there or not.
They are they are amazing.
That's awesome.
Yeah.
Stefanie Couch (16:17):
Well, hopefully I'll get to come tour your
facility one day.
I would love to do that.
And Washington is one of myfavorite places to visit.
Well, and it's wine.
Uh well, now you mean where yousit, you get to see a lot of
dealers out in the market.
You're here, and we're gonna betalking to, I think there's
gonna be like 9,000 members hereor something crazy.
Um, what what do you think setsapart the people in the
(16:38):
business from the reallysuccessful dealers to the ones
that do okay or stagnate?
What's the differences therethat you see?
Kelley Scott (16:47):
Biggest difference would be the dealers that are
open to change and open to sothis industry's old.
Yeah, right.
I mean, lumber industry is old,building materials, it's it's
an old industry and it's alwaysgoing to be around.
It's always going to be needed,but it it's changed a lot.
But I think right now we're ata particular inflection point
that is gonna change ishappening quick.
(17:07):
Yeah.
And uh, and before you know it,it's gonna look very, very
different.
So, you know, dealers that areopen to just doing things a
little bit differently, beingopen to the possibilities that,
you know, the way we used to doit might not be the way we're
gonna do it in the future.
Yeah.
That's I think really what'sgonna change.
And same thing for vendors.
I mean, as a as a distributor,you know, we we often go through
those same struggles trying tokeep up with what's new and so
(17:31):
much new.
Stefanie Couch (17:31):
I mean, with AI, it's literally every single
day.
It's life-changing.
It is really every day we wakeup and I have some newsletters
and stuff that I get, and it'slike, oh, it's been a week and
Chat GPT has changed everythingand now it's a totally different
experience.
And it's like exponentiallyeasier to do things, but it also
can be exponentially easier tothink that those things can
happen without, you know,certain checks and balances
(17:55):
being in place, I guess.
How do you see the future ofour industry as far as the
people?
If you could tell people one ortwo things that you're most
expensive about about whatyou're doing at SPP and all the
family of companies, what whatexcites you the most about the
future of our industry?
Kelley Scott (18:09):
So consolidation can be a scary thing, but I
think it also can be prettypowerful as well.
And um for us at SPP, I mean,obviously we've grown
exponentially over the last fiveyears, yeah, say, since COVID.
Um, and I think our ability toserve our customers on the
independent side with not justmoldings, not just doors, not
(18:31):
just decking, not just, youknow, we're able to supply these
dealers and these customerswith everything that we offer.
And that that's the plan.
I mean, not every site can dothat today.
Yeah.
But the hope is that we'regonna be this one-stop shop.
It's gonna be so much easier.
Everything's gonna come on onetruck, one bill, one invoice.
That is a big advantage.
Yeah.
And I think, and and I, youknow, SPP is different.
(18:53):
Specialty building products,it's exactly what we are.
Specialty, right?
We're not selling two by fours,right?
We're not selling drywall.
Um, that that's not what we do.
We're here to help on thedifficult product lines.
I love the hard stuff.
It's the fun stuff.
It is, and it's also the stuffthat looks good too, right?
Stefanie Couch (19:11):
If no one else wants to mess with it, great.
I'll take that challenge.
Yeah, let's do it.
I love it.
Yeah.
So we're here at the market andyou've been working with do it
best.
So tell me just one last thingabout what it's like to be a
vendor partner because you guysare one of their gold sponsors.
You've worked with do it bestin a lot of capacities.
We're collaborating on somepanels and some different
things.
What's the best part for co-opdealers and members that helps
(19:34):
them have a competitiveadvantage by working with people
like do it best and likespecialty building products?
Kelley Scott (19:39):
For the for the dealers, you know, being a part
of do it best, it it helps withyour buying.
It helps it, I mean, and notjust specially build specialty
building products, we can go toyour independent yard, um, but
we also work with the RSEs.
And that's a big piece as well.
I mean, if you don't have alarge enough yard in moldings in
particular, if you don't have alarge enough yard or a large
(20:01):
enough footprint in your retaillocation to carry that, you're
able to get it, regardless ofwhether you have that space or
not.
And I think being able topartner with um with a company
like Do It Best really, I mean,it helps us, gives us a bigger
footprint across the wholecountry.
Um, and hopefully, you know, doit best feels that they benefit
in partnering with us and ableto help their dealers.
Stefanie Couch (20:22):
Yeah, absolutely.
Well, thank you so much forjoining me.
I hope you have an amazingmarket.
I'm gonna see you on stage in afew days.
We're gonna have another paneltogether uh teaching upselling
and how to use millwork to growyour margin in your business,
which I'm pretty pumped aboutbecause we're we're both
millwork girls.
So I love that.
Well, I will talk to youhopefully again soon because
this is a great episode and Iwant to come and see your
(20:44):
Washington facility pronto.
Look forward to it.
Well, thank you for joining meon the Grit Blueprint.
Thank you for listening to theGrit Blueprint podcast.
If this episode helped youthink a little differently about
how to show up, share it withsomeone in your building world
who needs it.
If you're ready to turnvisibility into growth, then
head to gritblueprint.com tolearn more and book a call to
(21:08):
talk to us about your growthstrategy.
Until next time, stayunmistakable.
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