People are more important than profit for Carter Lumber Store manager Rich Riedmaier, left, and Operations Manager Brian Twarek. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

BY SHERI TRUSTY

Jo Kopchak brings her interior design skills to her job as manager of Carter Lumber’s kitchen and bath center. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

PORT CLINTON – Store manager Rich Riedmaier said he is not trying to make Carter Lumber the top area lumber yard, and that’s why the business has lasted in Port Clinton for a quarter of a century.

“Part of the reason we’re still here is because we don’t want to be the number one lumber yard. We want to be your go-to lumber yard,” Riedmaier said. “Our biggest thing is our relationships with our customers.”

At Carter Lumber, the focus isn’t profit; it’s people.

“We want to make sure our customers are being taken care of. If we screw up, we’re going to take care of that 100%. If the customer screws up, we’re going to help them through that,” Riedmaier said. “Contractors want a good price and they want to be taken care of. That’s what we pride ourselves on.”

Riedmaier developed his successful management philosophy from years of business experience. He has been in the lumber business since graduating high school. He got his first job at the former Port Clinton Lumber that was located in what is now the Jet Express parking lot.

He remained there for about 15 years and then accepted a job as a contract salesman for another local lumber yard. He stayed there for 18 years until the struggling economy forced the business to downsize.

Then he spent a year selling advertising for The Beacon.

“That was all about relationships,” he said. “That was one of the most fun years I had.”

But then Carter Lumber asked him to manage its Port Clinton store, so he returned to the lumber world.

“It was an opportunity to get back to what I know,” he said.

When he took over, the store was generating about $2.5 million in sales. The store was primarily cash and carry, and Carter executives told him to turn the business into a store that would meet the needs of contractors. He successfully redeveloped the store, and it is still thriving today.

Carter Lumber Store manager Rich Riedmaier, left, and Operations Manager Brian Twarek lead a team that offers a myriad of products and services. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

“I’ve been totally blessed. We had $16 million in sales last year,” he said.

Carter Lumber offers an impressive array of services and stock which includes lumber, truss packages, shingles, doors, Anderson and Pella windows, siding, metal for pole barns and dry wall.

“Everything you need to build a house is what we sell,” Riedmaier said.

The store’s kitchen and bath center generates millions in sales annually. It offers full house design for kitchen and bath, closet systems, custom shower doors and more.

“Our gem is our kitchen and bath center. It’s run by Jo Kopchak,” Riedmaier said. “Jo just does a phenomenal job. She was an interior designer before this.”

She brought that experience to Carter Lumber.

“I’ve done everything in interior design – flooring, window treatments, furniture and had my own interior design business,” Kopchak said. “There’s nothing I don’t like about this job. I love working with people, and no two are alike. I have faithful clientele who are good to me.”

Like Kopchak, Riedmaier enjoys getting up and going to work at Carter Lumber every day.

“I’ve loved what I do from day one. I love the people. You think you’ve learned everything, and then you learn something new,” he said. “I love that we’ve become the area’s go-to lumber yard.”