
News spread fast recently in the Building Materials industry, with James Hardie announcing a new distribution partnership and naming Lumbermen’s as one of two distribution partners to represent the James Hardie portfolio of exterior building products throughout our service territory while also expanding into Western Pennsylvania.
Our customers naturally have questions, which is why Shawn Montague, Senior Vice President of Building Materials, answered questions about how this partnership was formed, what it means for our customers, and where it can take the company in the future.
A: “The service and partnership that you have grown to know and love about Lumbermen’s just got better. By adding James Hardie to our lineup, we plan on creating value and helping our customers learn more about fiber cement and what makes James Hardie a standout in the premium cladding space. Our level of distribution will be better than anything our customers have ever seen with this category. This creates a unique opportunity to take our existing partnerships on the TimberTech and AZEK side of the business and couple it with an amazing product like James Hardie – all on the same truck, coming from the same place, working with the same people.”
Q: What made James Hardie a good fit for Lumbermen’s and the customers we serve?
A: “Lumbermen’s has always been known as a premium cladding distributor and James Hardie helps us close the gap on vinyl siding. We are going to help new and existing customers discover the features and benefits of fiber cement. We also felt strongly that our continued success with the TimberTech / AZEK team played really well for us as we transition into this new partnership. There is a familiarity with many of the same people that we could build on to service the market better. That led to a conclusion for us centered around our customers; in which we know that we will get the support necessary to help our customers grow their business.”
A: “This will be a fluid process for us as we look to bring stock inventory into all six of our distribution centers while also growing our DC network by potentially TWO new DCs in the next 12 months. We plan on loading in one DC at a time with James Hardie products with all of them being complete by December of this year. Our customers should know that we will always keep them at the center of our decisions. We will strive daily to get it right the first time and deliver to them what they need while staying safe along the way.”
A: “One thing that is important to us is transparent and streamlined communication. We have set up some internal controls to keep our teams informed so they can keep our customers informed. These will serve as the pipeline of communication that will let our customers know what specific products will be serviced in what areas. In short, we plan on supporting all sidings, trims, panels, etc. in every market we serve. We will build a robust service platform that will service prime product, ColorPlus, Dream, as well as a custom-color offering with our ColorFusion brand.”
A: “We recognize that our partnership with LP was and is still strong. We enjoyed servicing our customers with LP products and we want to help transition them into finding a new distributor partner, if possible. We are working closely with LP through this transition and have open lines of communication. We also know that LP products have become an important part of our customers’ businesses and we respect that. That said, we also intend on offering a strong service platform with James Hardie products. These same customers who have experienced a high level of service with LP products will now be able to experience the same high level of service with James Hardie products.”
A: “We are willing to help you get through this in every way possible. We do not want to leave any customer behind – what does that mean? If you are a strong and loyal LP customer with us, we want to help connect you to the right people to get you new partners in this space. We will not abandon anyone through this process. We have strong lines of communication set up with LP to navigate any and all situations that come our way.”
A: “We are currently going through a rigorous forecasting process to help support the additional TimberTech / AZEK business while also preparing for the new James Hardie business. This process helps inform the next steps to build out our operational resources that we see as necessary to deliver a best-in-class experience for our customers. A few things to note would be additional employee-owners, training, additions to our fleet, inventory, and warehouse space. We also plan on bringing on ONE or TWO new distribution centers in the next 12 months to help support Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. These investments remain top of mind for us and we have an amazing group of people leading the charge!”
A: “If there is one thing that gets discussed more than anything else, it is this. Every meeting, conference call, email, phone call, text, and interaction – this challenge remains constant through them all. As leaders, we are holding each other accountable to this. Growth is important, but keeping our authenticity matters even more.
Through growth, there will be change. I don’t know many people who have been part of a successful growth journey and not experienced change along the way. I think it will be important that we stay authentic through each change. Our people are our secret sauce. They will help us stay true to our customers and one another through this journey.”
A: “We believe in meaningful interactions that have continuous connection points. Sure, we are a distributor whose fundamental role is to have inventory, sell inventory, deliver inventory. But we are not JUST a distributor. We want to go beyond the transaction and build a relationship with this audience that helps them love the building materials industry and have success within it. Now we get to do this with James Hardie products! We are excited about the people we haven’t met yet or the situations we haven’t experienced yet. The opportunities that are waiting for us will be some of the most meaningful to date.”
A: “WE GOT YOU! We exist to enrich the lives of people by intentionally caring for all who experience us. That means that we will be here for each of you through this transition and beyond. We are VERY excited about our future together!”






























