Company Profile
R.S. Lamson & Sons, Now Run by the Family’s Daughter
Left to right: David and Elsie Lamson, third generation; Lynne Sheldon and Lona Lamson, fourth generation; Lindsey Stepp, fifth generation, holding Harper Stepp, sixth generation; Elizabeth and Eben McCormick, fifth generation.
By Debbie Swanson
W
hen 22-year-old Rolla S. Lamson started an ice delivery service in 1887, he probably didn’t think he was laying the groundwork for a business that would thrive for five generations. Now, 127 years later, R.S. Lamson & Sons is a staple to the area building community and an esteemed figure in the lumber industry. From its early roots delivering ice out of Hudson’s Tripp’s Pond, the company has evolved into a trusted supplier of lumber, millwork, building materials, kitchen 10
cabinets and stone. Through the years, Lamson family leadership has remained constant, with each generation upholding their founder’s emphasis on maintaining valuable relationships and providing topquality products and service. Five Generations of Family Leadership Company patriarch Rolla Lamson raised three boys, one of whom was killed in action in World War I. Remaining sons Albert and Chester became partners in
their father’s growing business, spurring the renaming to R.S. Lamson & Sons. While Chester focused on sales, eldest son Albert eventually took the helm, then passed the business along to Chester’s only son, David. A sign of the times, David’s three daughters weren’t expected to take over the male-oriented business. “My sisters and I grew up hearing people tell us to marry someone to take over the business,” said Lona Lamson, current president. With her own plans in mind,