National Hardwood Magazine - May 2023

“We work with everyone, from the person
building birdhouses to the contractor
constructing multi-family apartments.
We change with the times as the market
predicates it.”
– Sean Stevens, M&M Lumber
This is the front of M&M Lumber as it is today.
This rail car is one of many, laden with lumber, that M&M Lumber
receives.
Sean recalled, noting he joined the company in 1992,
soon after graduating from high school. “Then I married
my friend’s sister.”
As much as the first two generations of McKellars had
grown the business during its first 28 years, M&M Lumber
has changed even more dramatically in the 30 years
since Sean joined the business. That said, the ideals and
company culture that set the standard for good business
practices back in the 1960s remain intact today. Then
as now, the company emphasizes the value of good relationships
with customers and suppliers alike, and that
sense of loyalty has been the foundation on which the
Bicycles are the mode of transportation for several employees.
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business has continued to build success.
Sean pointed out that the past is never far from the
minds of those who work at M&M Lumber, and that
those values and that sense of dedication are always on
display at the company’s headquarters.
“We keep a wall dedicated to Whitney’s grandfather.
He persevered through thick and thin, sometimes in a
hostile environment,” he said, noting that Jim continues
to serve as president of the company. “We are happy to
represent the third generation to operate the company.”
That spirit of perseverance has been tested during the
past couple of years as M&M and the rest of the industry
navigated the challenges of the COVID pandemic. Sean
said that he believes the experience has actually made
the company stronger.
“The pandemic, for us, has strengthened our core,” he
said. “It hasn’t changed our values. In fact, it has brought
us closer together as a group. We had some early retirements
early on, and there was that element of the unknown.
For the most part, though, we’ve been fortunate.
We have been able to band together and make all the
changes we had to make to handle the influx of business
the demand and the volatility in the market.”
Sean noted that one reason the company continues to
do well is because it has always listened to the needs of
its customers, especially as those needs have evolved
and changed.
Please turn to page 64
MAY 2023 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 29