In the world of building materials, selling lumber is a unique process and it takes specialized tools and technology to do it proficiently and profitably. That’s where our 40 years of industry experience gives us the expertise to help LBM businesses succeed.

“Lumber is a different entity. What other industry do you buy something one way and sell it another?” asks Josh Hanson, managing partner of Tightwads Discount Building Supply in Prineville, Oregon. “Take paint, for instance. You buy five gallons of paint, one gallon of paint, a quart of paint and you sell it that way. Lumber, it’s all by footage and you buy it in different lengths than you sell it in. Paladin’s lumber tools were what attracted me. We use them extensively.” 

Tightwads has used many of our lumber-specific tools to grow from a derelict warehouse and elm-infested storage yard to an LBM industry success. Hanson and his two partners knew the business. All three had experience in milling, mill sales, wholesale lumber distribution and retail, so they knew what kinds of tools, technology and products they needed to succeed. 

Tightwads’ “go-to” tool for selling everything from a single stick to an order large enough to build a house is our thousand board-foot conversion. It easily converts mill unit pricing to retail pricing, allowing the business to stay on top of its inventory and provide a quality customer experience. 

Other valuable lumber-specific tools include:  

• Yard Orders protect confidential contractor pricing while assuring pickup or delivery vehicles are loaded accurately. 
• Lumber-Specific Special Orders allow businesses to create orders across multiple suppliers. Items in the order are tagged with special instructions and once the order is received, the delivered cost is updated to match the receiving cost. 
• Custom Pricing helps businesses build customer loyalty by setting up special pricing or volume discounts for regular customers and contractors. 
• Job Account Management allows businesses to help their customers track purchases for individual projects. It also lets retailers create historical invoices upon request. 
• Construction Bundles and Kits increase profits by grouping products for large orders under a single part number. 
• Mobile2Deliver™ is an app that enables businesses to schedule, navigate, attach instructions or photos, and track the status of deliveries in real-time.

These tools, along with Paladin’s Market Driven Inventory Management™, helped Tightwads go from startup to success in under two years. 

“I have pretty lofty goals. Pretty bold,” Hanson explains. “We started with three terminals; we’ve already added a fourth because we’re doing so much (business). That’s the biggest thing. We know what we’re doing and where we’re going.”