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PROFILE: Building a Golden State of Mind

Serving roughly 80-90% professional contractors, including big developers, construction framers and custom homebuilders, Golden State Lumber is comprised of approximately 315 employees— which includes an outside sales force. With recent changes executed within the last few years, Golden State Lumber hopes to continue its growth with additional innovative resources and the opening of a new location planned for 2015.

Recent Changes

Less than two years ago, Golden State Lumber went live with a new POS system. With hopes to simplify daily processes and procedures, Scerri says that while the company experienced a fair amount of challenges during the initial stages of the installation—such as getting employees familiar with the system— it has certainly expanded opportunities within the business.

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Since the implementation of the POS system, Golden State Lumber has been considering a wide-range of options that will not only allow for more efficiency and ease for employees and existing customers, but will also help grow the business.

“This past year we looked to see where we could diversify,” Scerri says. “We looked at the different kinds of customers and the business we received from each of them to find where our opportunities are.”

In turn, Scerri explains that one of the company’s opportunities for the future is to install a customer relationship and management (CRM) system within the near future. Technological changes, Scerri admits, are always an adjustment for any operation, but Golden State Lumber plans on welcoming innovation with open arms.

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But it’s not just system upgrades that are making the difference. This past year, Scerri has introduced an incentive program and a revamped vision for the company. Using measurements and incentives throughout the departments, employees are rewarded with additional bonuses if they meet their predetermined goals.

“We have seen an impact in our results with these programs,” Scerri notes. “We noticed that people wanted to engage more, saw the impact on employees when they hit their goals and enjoyed being able to reward them with incentives.”

Because the company has heavy involvement within its community, Golden State Lumber began a program in 2013 allocating expenses to the local communities within the business’s four locations; each manager from every location is assigned a portion of the budget to distribute to the community accordingly.

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“I like to give them [the managers] the authority to do this because they’re the ones working with the people in their communities,” Scerri explains. “They’re able to take the money and spend it where they see fit.”

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