As a builder, you have many decisions to make about each job that you take on, from subcontractors and materials to timelines and profit margins. Every time you need plumbing done as part of a job, you probably don’t thumb through the phone book (or go to good old Google) and call each of the local listings, perusing reviews and asking for a quote. If you did that with every single aspect of every single job, you’d never get anything done. Instead, you likely rely on a handful of trusted contractors and check with those to see whose schedule and expertise coordinates best with your project.
You can save significant amounts of time and frustration by adopting a similar approach to sourcing materials. Of course, lumber is one of the many materials you need to source, and for larger projects, you likely have many decisions to make regarding your lumber needs. You can streamline the lumber-sourcing process by finding a supplier you can trust to consistently meet the unique specifications of your jobs.
Proven Reputation
A new startup might offer lower costs for premium lumber, willing to accept low profit margins in exchange for the opportunity to gain your trust; however, what seems like a great bargain may actually be a cheap or irresponsibly harvested lumber product by a fly-by-night company. Why take that kind of risk? When you opt for a well-established lumber supplier with a long track record for quality and legality, you are making the most responsible decision possible. Instead of having to examine the quality and research the source of every board you buy, you can trust an importer of record with a reputation forged over time.
J. Gibson McIlvain has demonstrated such reliability over centuries of reputable business, having accrued an impressive portfolio of jobs. Some of our jobs have included the following:
• Indianapolis Colts Stadium
• The Capitol Building
• Yale University
• The White House
• The Smithsonian
• Yankees Stadium
• Princeton University
Since 1798, we’ve been forging a reputation for reliability and quality, and you can trust us to continue to deliver on it.
Extensive Inventory
When a project requires sourcing a specialty species or having custom millwork performed, you may need to find a supplier who has an extensive inventory of the basics. J. Gibson McIlvain maintains an impressive wholesale distribution yard with over 7 million board feet of the highest quality domestic and exotic lumber in stock, ready for you to pick up or for our own trucking fleet to deliver directly to your job site anywhere within the United States.
In addition to a proven reputation and an extensive inventory, the lumber supplier(s) you entrust with your business should exhibit a few more characteristics. We’ll look at those in Part 2.
