Cover Feature
A STORY OF SHARED LEADERSHIP Hancock Lumber: The 2022 ProDealer of the Year. By Ken Clark
S
aco, Maine — During a tour of Hancock Lumber’s new-from-the-ground-up lumberyard and kitchen design showroom here in Saco, about a 30-minute drive south of Portland and about an hour south of corporate headquarters in Casco, a reporter chatted briefly with Steve Rickert, the York County Maine regional general manager. “We tell all of our new hires that working here is going to be different than anything you’ve ever experienced,” Rickert said. He looked at a reporter taking notes: “You really do have a great story here.” There you have it. The pressure is on to tell a great story about Hancock Lumber, the 2022 HBSDealer ProDealer of the Year, and seventh-generation family owned business whose sawmill roots date back to 1848. The sawmill division today churns out Hancock Lumber's 11-acre Saco, Maine, location incorporates some of the best ideas from around the company.
18
March 2022 HARDWARE + BUILDING SUPPLY DEALER
more Eastern White Pine boards than any other mill of its kind in the world. And the growing, retail division operates 11 lumberyards in Maine and New Hampshire, plus several manufacturing facilities and design centers. It would be easy to begin the story with CEO Kevin Hancock, the award-winning Maine executive, author of business-improvement books, sought after speaker, admirer and practitioner of Lakota spiritual growth techniques, and a man who shares a fascinating story of overcoming a life-changing rare voice disorder into a journey of self-discovery and business improvement. But this story — told largely in the words of those who lead the day-to-day operation — will begin with something far less dramatic, but immensely important to the growth and culture of the $300-million company: A survey. About 10 years ago, Hancock Lumber made a decision to expand and transform its survey process from what had been focused on customers into a process that looked inward for feedback from Hancock employees. It embraced the “Best Places to Work in Maine” survey and encouraged participation from everyone in the company. HBSDealer.com
