Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883

Cash and Carry Lumber: Building a legacy from the ground up

What started out as a small shop with a single office and a 4-foot gondola of hardware supplies has now grown into one of New Rockford's largest retail businesses.

Cash and Carry Lumber was established in March 1991 by Wayne Lesmeister. As the owner of Lesmeister Construction, he said he entered the lumber business because he needed a local outlet for supplies. At the time New Rockford had been without a lumberyard for about eight years; Lesmeister had to procure supplies for his construction projects out of town, which was inconvenient.

In its early days, Cash and Carry Lumber was located behind CenDak Cooperative in the building now occupied by Heskin Grain Processing and had two employees. Then, two years after it was established, the business moved into its present location along U.S. Hwy. 281. Initially Lesmeister built a modest 60-by-184 building with a 24-by-60 display and office space.

With the new space came the need for additional staff. In June 1993, Lesmeister approached Bruce Gedrose, who was working on his construction crew, about taking a position in the lumber business. Gedrose has served as the general manager since, and he celebrates 25 years with the company this month.

Throughout the years, the business and its footprint along U.S. Hwy. 281 has grown and changed considerably. By 2000 the building southeast of the office, out of which Lesmeister Construction had been operating, was overtaken by building materials as well. The southern, heated half now houses pallets of drywall, and the north end cold storage area holds roofing supplies and various special orders until customers are ready for them.

In 2002, Lesmeister built a 24-by-60 addition onto the original structure, which effectively doubled the display and office space. Gedrose recalls that before the addition was built, there were four people working in a tight office area. The new space also made it possible to expand the company's True Value hardware line and increase the cabinetry display area.  

In 2009 he purchased a building from Carter Richter just east of the office to house insulation, overhead doors and other materials.

The most recent addition to the complex came in 2012, when Lesmeister constructed a 90-by-144 indoor yard with 18 foot sidewalls to store lumber. The impressive structure features heavy metal shelving and large overhead doors on each end. Customers can peruse the building and choose their own lumber, load up their vehicles and drive right out, similar to a big box store. That building occupies a space that was formerly a vehicle display lot for New Rockford Chevrolet.

"A big part of our success has been the longstanding employees and the service they offer," noted Gedrose. Denise Reis has done the bookkeeping since 1997. That same year Jeff Knutson joined the team, and the company began offering computerized drafting and estimating with 3-D imagery. In 2001 Dallas Anderson came onboard for sales and estimating.

 Other full-time employees include Dave Skogen, sales and and office space. Gedrose recalls that before the addition was built, there were four people working in a tight office area. The new space also made it possible to expand the company's True Value hardware line and increase the cabinetry display area.  

In 2009 he purchased a building from Carter Richter just east of the office to house insulation, overhead doors and other materials.

The most recent addition to the complex came in 2012, when Lesmeister constructed a 90-by-144 indoor yard with 18 foot sidewalls to store lumber. The impressive structure features heavy metal shelving and large overhead doors on each end. Customers can peruse the building and choose their own lumber, load up their vehicles and drive right out, similar to a big box store. That building occupies a space that was formerly a vehicle display lot for New Rockford Chevrolet.

"A big part of our success has been the longstanding employees and the service they offer," noted Gedrose. Denise Reis has done the bookkeeping since 1997. That same year Jeff Knutson joined the team, and the company began offering computerized drafting and estimating with 3-D imagery. In 2001 Dallas Anderson came onboard for sales and estimating.

Other full-time employees include Dave Skogen, sales and estimating; Mike Brazil and Lane Koenig, yardmen; and Charlie Thompson, drafting, estimating and sales. Three part-time employees- Destiny Sewell, Jason Ehni and Connor Cronin- fill out the roster. On the supply side, Gedrose said the company has continued to add new suppliers and distributors to meet the demand of customers. Some of the mainstay product lines at Cash and Carry include Midcontinent cabinetry, Marvin and Andersen windows, Midland garage doors, True Value (formerly Tru Serv) and Minnkota windows.

Sales has changed dramatically. Gedrose said customers often research products online and come into the store knowing what they want. Those who evaluate options in-store find that there are many more brands all with varied featues from which to choose.  

The design work has grown as well. The SoftPlan architectural design program used by Knutson and Thompson has continued to change with every upgrade, offering customers a realistic, 360 degree view of the interior and exterior of their new home, garage or commercial building.

Cash and Carry Lumber delivers supplies to customers within a 75-mile radius of New Rockford.