Employee of the Month hails from Cash and Carry Lumber

Attentive, careful and knowledgeable are just three ways New Rockford resident Jean Schuster described the first Employee of the Month honoree for 2019. Mike Brazil, a yardman at Cash and Carry Lumber, was recognized by the New Rockford Area Chamber of Commerce for his commitment to service.

Now seven years into his tenure, Brazil knows the yard at Cash and Carry like the back of his hand, which makes finding what customers need for their orders easy. He navigates the various buildings and bins on foot and on forklift, working quickly to get 2-by-4 boards, bats of insulation, siding, doors, windows and various special orders loaded. Add a commercial driver's license, and Brazil has an ideal mix of skills and abilities to not only get building materials onto the delivery trucks but also to the construction site in no time.

Brazil has nine years of prior construction experience. He built custom log homes in the ski resort community of Winter Park, Colo. Schuster noted, "He is very knowledgeable about the products the store has and is always willing to help you find what you need or help you come up with a better/alternative solution for your project."

On days like Wednesday, when temperatures were well below zero and customers needing items from the yard were sparse, the yardmen kept busy building a storage shed to display for sale. Brazil and colleague Lane Koenig painted doors and nailed on trim in the shop.

Brazil was born in Eureka, Calif., and traveled with his family throughout childhood. His dad worked in the meat department at Safeway Corp., a grocery store chain, helping with new store openings. After high school, he spent four years in active duty for the U.S. Marine Corps. He was stationed in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii and Okinawa, Japan. While some were deployed to the Somali conflict at that time, he did not see combat.

He and his wife Rachel lived in Laramie, Wyo., while she earned her master's degree. Mike said what ultimately brought these westerners to North Dakota was a career opportunity for Rachel at Cankdeska Cikana Community College (CCCC) in Fort Totten. The pair had narrowed their search to the upper Midwest or Northwest region of the country. Once CCCC offered Rachel the job, they looked for a community close to the college they could call home. Mike said they chose New Rockford because "this town's got a little bit of everything, enough that you can be happy." He added that the safety, affordable housing and overall amenities of New Rockford are what make it a great place for them to raise their two boys, Jackson and Oakley.

Cash and Carry Lumber is full-service building material headquarters. They have the materials and expertise to help customers plan, design and build the home, commercial property, shop or other building that suits them best. As a member of True Value, they also carry a full line of hardware, tools, paints and stains. Their winter hours are 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. - noon on Saturday.

To nominate someone for Employee of the Month, email [email protected] or pick up a nomination form at the Transcript office. Forms are also available online at cityofnewrockford.com/chamber.