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OWNER -TO- OWNER
SEPTEMBER 2024
www.franklinbuildingsupply.com | 208-514-2200 | 9222 W. Barnes Dr., Boise, ID 83709 INVESTING IN THE FUTURE — TODAY OPPORTUNITIES ON THE HORIZON
Am I the only one happy to have August behind us? With apologies, if your birthday or similar momentous occasion was in August, but with the heat, smoke, and everyone waiting on rates to drop to build or buy, it seemed to drag on a bit. Regardless, I hope it was a good end of summer for you and that you had a chance to grab time with family and friends for some summer fun. I’m now looking forward to the crisp and cool fall air and to our company-wide cornhole tournament this month celebrating employee ownership! As we get into the last four months of 2024, I want to share some things with you that I shared in an August update video with all our employees: • Most locations outside the Treasure Valley (TV) have been doing as well or better than expected based on forecasts and budgets we produced last Nov. and Dec. • In the TV, sales have been up and down related to building and buying activity being up and down. We have also had challenges winning over a new wave of new builders that came into the market in 2021 and 2022, but alas, we’re starting to hit our stride with renewed focus and revised strategies.
• As we navigate these next
four months, we need to strive to hit our net profit potential, which means extra vigilance around expenses and team size in the TV and across
all locations. As employee-owners, we all benefit when FBS has a healthy net profit and cash flow. When we all take responsibility for watching expenses, it adds up and makes a difference! • Even as we strive for healthy profitability this year by pushing to increase sales and reduce expenses, we also continue to make investments for the future with new or improved equipment or facilities. This may seem like a conflict at first glance, but it’s an important part of managing the tension in a healthy business between focusing on calendar year results while also maximizing future opportunities. We invest in areas that align with our 2026 Vision and allow us to improve quality, productivity, reliability, or capacity. • In addition to investing for the future, we are now actively looking at expanding our footprint in the future with additional locations. New locations may come through either buying and building on raw land or acquiring existing businesses. I hope you are as excited and committed as I am to steward and guide the business well through the year-to-year but also decade-to-decade journey. Business and economic cycles, especially in our industry, mean that there will also be some waves to ride, but we strive to ride them well and be proud of our performance. Doing well each year and doing well each decade is what drives significant value and builds wealth for you as employee-owners. Let’s never be weary of the work or apprehensive about the challenge. Opportunities are increasing, not decreasing, for our business. There’s never been a better time to be a part of FBS, where we can build the future together. -Levi Smith PRESIDENT
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HIGH FIVES!
Guide Daniel Midby, Bellevue To: Liz Wagner, Bellevue
Liz communicates clearly and is really accurate with dispatch. It’s nice to feel confident that customers’ requests in the notes are followed and that things like backorders are handled well. Well done, Liz. Wow From: Jeff Keeney, TVID Exterior To: Jim Priess, Caldwell I received a call from a customer telling me how impressed they were with Jim on an OHD service. I will hear about anything that goes wrong on a job, but it’s nice to hear when it goes right. Great work, Jim! Strive
Easy From: Joey Enochson, Boise To: Jason Rice, Boise Yard
I wanted to take the time today to recognize the FBS Yard Associate for the Boise Yard named Jason Rice. Jason exemplifies what it means to be an employee who helps make building easy. He works in the Boise yard’s will-call area and he just gets it. When I’ve come into the yard for a will call or return, he comes up promptly with a smile on his face and demonstrates great customer service every time. He’s a WOW factor for the yard, and we are lucky to have him. Thanks, Jason! Safe From: Casey Hazelbush, Burley To: Robert Rogers, Burley Robert checked all the company vehicles for first-aid kits. He made sure to put new ones in if they were missing one and updated old ones.
Javan Stansell, Bellevue To: Daniel Midby, Bellevue
Our GM, Daniel, is on a 20-foot ladder right now painting our store. Bosses tend to get overlooked a lot because we take it for granted that they’re A players. I could go on and on, but Daniel is top-notch in every aspect and is hands down my favorite manager I’ve ever worked for. Our entire crew loves the guy.
SPOTLIGHTING CALDWELL TRUSS
The recent move to a new, state-of-the-art truss plant has marked a significant milestone for the Caldwell Truss Team, with both challenges and triumphs along the way. The transition to the new facility has not been without its hurdles, but the team has embraced the change with resilience and a commitment to continuous improvement. One of the key innovations in the new plant is the implementation of auto-set puck tables, which have streamlined the truss assembly process. The transition to a fully computerized system took some time but has proven successful. “It was a struggle at the beginning to get everything — shop, office, and tables — communicating correctly,” Caldwell Truss Manager Chuy Heredia said. Several visits from technicians were necessary to get the system running smoothly, but now, the plant operates with greater efficiency than ever before. A larger facility meant expanding the workforce. “Adding new members to the good team we already had was not easy,” Chuy noted. Fortunately, some experienced professionals, “old friends of the trade,” applied, strengthening the team and bringing valuable expertise to the table. With managers in new roles, weekly meetings have become a cornerstone to strong team formation, fostering open communication and shared goals. The huddles are where they discuss “what bugs them” and brainstorm process improvements. “Everyone’s opinion counts, and everyone is heard,” Chuy emphasized, highlighting the collaborative spirit that drives the team forward.
Attention to safety is essential to the Caldwell Truss’s day-to-day operations, and they hold safety-focused huddles three days a week. The plant is also zoning in on how to improve its “WOW” experience for customers. Recognizing the critical role that Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) play, the team is dedicated to finding new ways to increase productivity and enhance customer satisfaction. One thing that we are doing in conjunction with our other truss plant in Jerome is helping each other with some particular jobs in order to meet both markets’ demands. As the team continues to grow and adapt, its goal is to be seen as problem solvers — both by its customers and within the company. “We pride ourselves on making some of the best quality trusses in the business,” Chuy concluded. The Caldwell Truss Team’s dedication to excellence is an important part of how Franklin makes building easy for our customers.
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Shared Company Ownership A Path to the American Dream I recently came across a 2022 Fortune.com op-ed by Darren Walker and Pete Stavros. The article argued that “shared company ownership may be the missing path to the American dream.” As the economy seems to continually beat on the working class, they suggest that a growing movement, including investors, financial institutions, and labor advocates, believe employee ownership can address the economy’s structural challenges. sold off, separation increased between management and the workers, and wealth began to concentrate at the top. Consequently, dissatisfaction also began to brew at the bottom. Fortunately, the advent of employee stock ownership programs has helped revive some of that worker relationship to company and profitability, improving both business outcomes and employees’ lives. An economically engaged company employs five key practices: 1. Customer Engagement: Understanding customer value and being a partner 2. Economic Understanding: Aligning all employees with the company’s success metrics
3. Economic Transparency: Allowing employees to learn from the company’s performance 4. Economic Compensation: Providing employees with a stake in the results 5. Employee Participation: Lowering turnover and enhancing relationships Effective employee ownership, combined with active participation and responsibility, can lead to significant improvements in business performance and contribute to achieving our American dream! – Anthony Henry MCCALL EO GUIDE
financial growth. Even more recently, the rise of the employee-centric workplace has paired nicely with the owner/employee model like ours. We take wins together, we take losses together, and we pull together. A rising tide floats all boats, and that is even reflected in our builder relationships! Survey data over the past five years highlights that partnership and participation substantially improve business performance. Companies in the top quartile of the Economic Engagement index show double the profit growth compared to their peers. Economic engagement involves partnering with employees to enhance customer service
The American dream was essentially built on employee ownership, with the “Company” typically being the family business, farms, service, etc. Participation in the family business was a given, and “employee” engagement was organic but mandatory. As the family grew, usually so would the business footprint. Generations benefited from this early form of employee ownership being passed on, elevation of generational wealth, and protection of the upward mobility of all involved. As the country shifted to mass production models and family businesses were consolidated and
BIRTHDAYS OCTOBER
LOCATION - EMPLOYEE - YEARS OCTOBER ANNIVERSARIES
Jerome Truss Pocatello Caldwell Truss Caldwell Truss Jerome Truss Pocatello Boise Caldwell Truss Caldwell Truss Caldwell Pocatello Pocatello TVID - Exterior Corporate Corporate Pocatello Caldwell Pocatello Boise Finish TVID - Interior
TVID - Interior Pocatello TVID - Interior Corporate TVID - Interior Boise Pocatello Pocatello Twin Falls TVID - Interior Boise TVID - Interior Corporate Bellevue Fruitland Boise Caldwell Truss Boise Burley TVID - Exterior Corporate Burley Boise Fruitland Corporate TVID - Exterior Twin Falls McCall Jerome Truss Caldwell Elko Corporate Boise Finish
John McCauley Alex Evans Jordan Crow Kaleb Turner Linda Hampton Chase Wood Aaron Lowther Bobby Bray Jessie Rodriguez Kevin Teague Kale Black Cat Bedegi Serjio Cervantes Kyle Jenner Eduardo Granados
Art Hazelbush Saul Fabian Mendoza Michele Nelson Austin Marsh Javier Ramirez Robert Evans Quijano Juan Ruelas
1 1 1 2 3 3 5 5 5 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 8 9 9
16 17 17 17 18 18 19 19 20 20 20 21 22 22 22 23 24 26 26 27 28 28 28 28 29 30 30 30 31
Michael Alaniz Brayden Casper Danny Castellanos Jose Cervantes D Kelsey Parker Libby Sara Mcevilly Joshuah Mora Juan Mora Jr. Nathan Narte Skylar Phillips Alex Ruffridge Dylan Shields Jeff Denker Melissa Murano Kaleb Turner David Armstrong Rebecca Carter Emma Choules Marcus Dennison Zach West Kyle Willes Zachary Flatter Steven Grijalva Jose Herrera Adam Hinshaw Jason Kelley Mackinley Lawson Mikel Place Michael Brown Jared Choat Anthony Healey Chris Hunt
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4
Jennifer Malone Susan Mowers Austin Rosales Alex Tarasenko Francis Vitug
4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 9
Greg Boone Kris Hudson Darin Neal Jeff Morgan
Kyle Willes Arlen Main
Tom Reuangrith Layne Bingham Melissa Gray
Gustavo Silva Clinton Hawks Jeremy Hume Jeffrey Chance Stacie Rowley Travis Rice James Snow Wayne Dingman Taylor Shanda Christopher Cross Derek Bloxham Steve Meyers Sierra Baker Justin Perkett Cobey Christoffersen
Kathleen Putman Michael Robillard James Bermudez Reuben Gutierrez Sr. Ricardo Rodriguez Serrato Sarah Hall Casey Hazelbush Casey Kennedy Kaylee Stevenson
Joshua Swartz Jamie Sinclair Shawn Nelson Christopher Morgan Charmaine Meredith Deane Paul Ludwig Sophia Alvarez
12 12 14 18 19 19 20 20 21 23 24 26 28 31 32
Pocatello Pocatello Boise
Doug Anderton Joey Enochson Corey Garcia Josh Booher Jim Priess Linda Hampton Dana Parker Craig Barnes Adam Hyer Marie Matys Dano Otero Trent McKnight
10 11 11 11 12 12 12 15 15 15 16
TVID - Exterior TVID - Exterior TVID - Interior
Eric Howell Pablo Cruz
Twin Falls Pocatello Elko McCall
Kris Connors Aaron Davis Jose Martinez Cody Ball Chuck Sisco Mary Ann Harris
Curtis Larsen Joey Enochson Zachary Flatter Terry Brits Ty Eldred
TVID - Exterior TVID - Interior Twin Falls
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PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
www.franklinbuildingsupply.com 9222 W. Barnes Dr. Boise, ID 83709
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Opportunities on the Horizon High Fives! Spotlight on Caldwell Truss Accessing the American Dream Through ESOP October Birthdays and Anniversaries In the Spotlight — Nicholas Torres
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MEET NICHOLAS TORRES FROM OUR FRUITLAND LOCATION Building Success, One Team Member at a Time
For every great experience at a restaurant, dry cleaner, or grocery store, the employees and staff are directly responsible. The same is true here at Franklin Building Supply. We are a family that works hard together to deliver the best for our customers. Our success is built on the energy and passion our team brings daily. We’re incredibly grateful to have such an amazing crew. Nicholas Torres, one of our doors and trim delivery drivers at our Fruitland location, is a fantastic example of one of our most dedicated and caring team members. Every day, he shows up to work with a positive attitude, loves to make jokes, and creates a fun and enjoyable environment. Nicolas’ main duties include keeping the yard clean and tidy and ensuring all materials are delivered safely and promptly. He loves seeing the final projects come together for our customers. Outside of work, Nicolas is a devoted husband and father to three girls. He loves camping and barbecuing every chance he gets! He takes great pride in being clean and sober for five years and counting and sees the positive side of everything. Nicolas, we are so thrilled to have you as part of our family and look forward to many more years of serving our community together!
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