Grunthal Lumber wins national award

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This article was published 30/12/2022 (776 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s not exactly news to staff and customers of Grunthal Lumber that they have a pretty unique operation. Priding themselves on customer service and community involvement, they have been a staple of the community for almost 80 years.

Store Manager Mike Bourgeois admits they were still surprised and excited to win the Outstanding Retailer Award for a store under 15,000 sq. ft.

A national award presented by Hardlines, a magazine for home improvement retailers, it’s new ground for the store that has seen plenty of new triumphs over the years.

“I’d heard of these awards but I never thought that Grunthal Lumber would even be acknowledged,” he said. “It’s an honour to win this award.”

Nominated by Oregon, a rep they deal with, Bourgeois travelled to Niagara on the Lake to accept the award, one of eight presented. He said judges looked not only at sales and store details but at community involvement as well. It gave him the chance to rub shoulders with some of the big guns in the home renovation industry and said it was nice to be recognized and congratulated by some of the heavy hitters such as the head of Lowe’s.

“It was kind of nice to hear everyone’s stories,” he said.

An independently owned store, not uncommon in the industry, they are owned by Murray Rempel and Mel Funk.

And it’s with the owners that the excellence begins according to Bourgeois who said their success can be attributed to every single person on the team.

“It’s not just one department that pulls together to win an award like this,” he said. “It’s everyone, and I mean everyone, straight from ownership to management to everyone working inside and outside, to our cleaning crew. It’s everybody.”

Bourgeois has been working for Grunthal Lumber for 15 years, 13 as manager.

He said expanding their footprint from 4,000 sq. ft. to about 13,000 sq. ft. was a big step, but one they hoped would pay off for their customers.

“We’ve definitely seen our sales climb for sure since we moved to the new store,” he said.

The increase gave them the opportunity to expand their stock which in turn has been embraced by the community and their customer base.

“We have a good customer base here that are very loyal to us,” he said.

They also saw an increase in their ability to supply contractors, and Bourgeois said the store continues to reflect the loyalty they get back to the community.

And it all begins with ownership.

“They love to give back to the community because we wouldn’t be where we are today without them,” he said.

Hanover Ag, Grunthal Foodbank, and the local arena have been recipients of the store’s generosity, and Bourgeois said they make it their goal to help where needed.

Grunthal Lumber is no stranger to awards. In 2021 they also won the Orgill Pinnacle Award for their performance.

Creating customer loyalty has also been the result of customer service over the years.

Customers walking into the store are still often greeted by name. A larger working fireplace and sitting area await anyone who wants to rest. Free coffee is normally available, while in December the store also offered a hot chocolate station.

This friendly atmosphere comes natural, but it’s also intentional.

“Because there’s so many places where you can go shopping, one of the ways that we like to set ourselves apart is customer service,” Bourgeois said.

Grunthal Lumber has weathered storms in the past and are still feeling the affects of the supply chain crunch that came about during COVID.

Bourgeois described it as frustrating.

“We’re in the business of selling products and sometimes we just couldn’t sell it because we couldn’t get it,” he said. “At some point it didn’t matter where you went to different suppliers, they were all in the same boat.”

While the store used to be practically a ma and pa shop, with 55 employees that’s just not true anymore.

But Bourgeois argues they have found the sweet spot.

“We’re a big enough store to handle volume but small enough to remember your name,” he said.

They’ve managed to retain their identity of being family and community oriented.

“Our customers aren’t just numbers,” he said. “We value our customers, the one that spends a dollar here to the one that spends more then that here, we value all our customers. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”