business review Koopman recognized as ‘Best Family-Owned Business’ Koopman ‘Dealer of the Year’

The Worcester Business Journal (WBJ) recently announced that it is recognizing Koopman Lumber , a familyowned and - operated business with 11 locations in Massachusetts, as the “Best Family-Owned Business” in its Best of Business Awards.

“This award means a lot to us because we are proud to be a family-owned business that honors the same values our grandfather, Peter T. Koopman, established when he founded Koopman Lumber in 1939. every day, we strive to meet the high standard he set so many years ago. honesty, integrity and hard work undergird all we do at Koopman Lumber.”

- Dirk Koopman; CEo of Koopman lumber

Koopman is now co-owned by its third generation. Dirk Koopman’s sister, Denise Brookhouse is the company’s CFO and her husband, Tony Brookhouse, serves as COO. Koopman's son, Peter Koopman, and his daughter, Sarah Thomas, also play key roles within the organization as part of the fourth generation of the Koopman family.

Denise Brookhouse noted, however, that the Koopman name does not guarantee employment in the family business. “Our rule is that family members have to work four years somewhere else before they can join the company,” she said. “Once they do, they complete a series of 9-to-11-month rotations within different areas of the business. They also work with outside consultants and are reviewed by other employees who are not relatives before their career path is developed.”

The WBJ’s Best of Business Awards, which was held on Thursday, January 26, at the Beechwood Hotel in Worcester, to celebrate the business-to-business companies in Central Massachusetts that have been recognized by their peers as the "best of the best."

Professional builders and remodelers make up about 90 percent of Koopman’s client base. Their locations include three full-line lumber, hardware, paint, lawn and garden stores in Whitinsville, Uxbridge and North Grafton; one lumber, hardware, paint and kitchen design center in Sharon; a full-service paint store in Milford; lumber yards and kitchen design centers in Hudson, Andover, Fairhaven and Indian Orchard; and distribution centers in Uxbridge and Sutton. A new location in Dennis on Cape Cod is currently under construction and expected to open this April.

To learn more, visit koopmanlumber.com.

Third-generation owners of Koopman Lumber (L to R): Tony Brookhouse, COO; Denise Brookhouse, CFO; and Dirk Koopman, CeO; and fourth-generation Koopman family employees Sarah Thomas and Peter Koopman.

Koopman Lumber, was recently recognized by the Lumber and Building Material Journal (LBM) as its “Dealer of the Year .” The award recognizes four LBM companies of different sizes that epitomize the entrepreneurial spirit. The “Dealer of the Year” designation is awarded to companies with leadership that excels at identifying underserved or emerging markets, satisfying customers and constantly working to grow and improve business while demonstrating a fierce commitment to finding ever-better ways to serve their customers & their communities.

“We are proud of the Koopman family name and are committed to its legacy,” said Tony Brookhouse. “If you do business with our company, you are nearly always working with one of us directly. As an independent lumberyard, we can respond in realtime to business challenges, giving us an agility that larger corporations can’t match.”

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