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Value Statement

Value is defined as "That quality of a thing that makes it more desirable or useful." Whereas our corporate Service Promise defines what we promise to do for customers on a daily basis, our Value Statement defines who we are and what the proper employee perspective should be. These values have driven the success of our company for the last several decades.

Integrity

Integrity is defined as “completeness, wholeness, soundness, honesty, and sincerity.” In our Value Statement, we add that people can expect us to do what we say we’ll do and that we’ll do the right thing. There are thousands of examples of this at Big C Lumber. Some that come to mind would include situations where we promise to make a delivery on a certain day. Sometimes, personnel absences, truck breakdowns or unforeseen circumstances arise which make fulfilling this promise difficult. Many times we will have drivers out finishing promised deliveries well into the evening hours. On the sales end of the business, a good example of integrity is the honoring of a quote. There are occasions where we honor prices for customers that result in significant negative gross margins. The easy thing to do would be to refuse to honor these quotes but it would not be the right thing to do. If a quote is extended with a 30-day price guarantee, we honor those prices for thirty days regardless of changes in cost. When the customer realizes they are dealing with a company who embraces integrity, the entire selling process becomes easier and more natural. In short, integrity assures those who are otherwise distrustful.

Urgency

In our business, displaying a sense of urgency will do two things for our relationships. First, when customers see it, they will have more confidence that their needs will be quickly met in dealing with Big C Lumber. Secondly and more importantly involves the correction of a mistake. The customer will respond favorably when they see us jumping through hoops to correct a problem that has arisen. Everyone knows that mistakes are inevitable, but we have an opportunity to differentiate ourselves by displaying a strong sense of urgency in solving a problem as quickly as possible. Same day delivery is another perfect example of urgency in our company.

Safety

The urgency of getting material to a jobsite quickly loses importance when the cost includes someone's life being altered due to an injury. Everyone deserves to return to their homes and families in the same shape they started their day. The responsibility for this belongs to all employees.

Profitability

I’m sure that everyone understands that our company must earn profit to stay in business. This is where the money comes from to pay employee wages and benefits, buy equipment and supplies, pay utilities and taxes, make contributions to charities, etc. The most difficult part of maintaining our profitability for Big C salespeople involves walking the line between taking care of our customers in terms of price and ensuring that the company earns an acceptable profit. We recognize that our customers must earn a profit or they won’t be able to pay us for material purchased on their account, but we must weigh this against our own need for profitability when making mark-up decisions. Our Value Statement also refers to our placing the value of long term relationships ahead of short term profit. This means we’re in this for the long haul and intend to take the long term perspective when resolving customer issues.

Respect

This specific value is very basic but very powerful. One of our objectives is to destroy the levels that exist in most companies whereby one position or person is considered more important than another. Our company needs drivers and yardmen as well as managers, salespeople and office staff to survive. Respecting our suppliers means empathizing with their position. Suppliers need to make a profitable sale to survive, just like we do. Customers demand respect by virtue of the fact that they choose where to spend their money for building materials. Case in point: How often do we return to shop at businesses that have not shown us respect? Respect might seem like a simple thing we all should have learned in kindergarten, but it is a necessary daily practice alongside our other company values.

Fun

Keeping our company growing and flourishing is serious business, but having some fun along the way can make a tremendous difference on both employee satisfaction and how our customers perceive us. Having fun means looking for the light-hearted moments and not being afraid to belt out a good laugh. Smiling, joking and laughing go a long way in making the customer want to come back to the business. Mixing in the element of fun keeps customers coming back, makes the job easier and makes the company a better place for everyone. Life is too short not to enjoy what we do for a living. Have fun!

Community

Supporting causes within our communities is one of those things that we do because giving back to the communities that support us is the right thing to do. This perspective takes courage because each donation is a direct hit on our bottom line profitability, which is why our publicly traded big-box competitors generally pass on the opportunity to contribute to local causes. We are in business for the long haul and recognize that we need to be involved in community issues and charitable events to avoid being viewed as only interested in taking money out of the community. In short, successful companies operate as a partnership with the communities where they operate.

Advocate

This company value is one that separates us from those we usually compete against. It is not our objective to close a sale so much as to jointly prosper with our customers, to form a partnership, if you will. When we watch out for the best interests of our customers or watch their back so to speak, they in turn will generally watch out for us. This comes back to us in many ways, such as getting the last look on a bid or having the customer tell us that we have become high-priced on a particular product. Customers who don’t care simply buy elsewhere without raising a commotion or letting us know why. When we advocate for our customers, we become a resource for them when they need answers. Sometimes getting these answers requires doing some legwork and putting in some extra effort. Once the customer realizes that they can depend on us to find out what they need to know, issues such as price become less important. Customers want us to tell them what they need to know rather than what we think they want to hear. We act as advocates for our customers when we recommend products that will save them time or money. Use of the word “partnership” is overused in business today, but the concept is a good one. If we advocate for our customers, they’ll advocate for us. It’s really pretty simple.

Relationships

On the surface, this value statement may imply that we intend to form friendships solely for the purpose of profiting from the business relationship. In fact, this objective is more about survival than merely making a profit. When friendships develop in the supply chain, everyone involved is more apt to look out for others they deal with. Between Big C employees, the strength of relationships becomes clear. We have friends working together, sharing in business and personal challenges and triumphs, spending time together on weekends and evenings, camping, fishing, playing softball, bowling, basketball, the list goes on. This caring for each other fosters enthusiasm. Enthusiasm at work creates an environment that employees value and customers generally want to be a part of. Claiming to be in a “relationship business” is not heard as much today as in the past, although the cliché still holds truth in our company. While the usual protective undertone of being kept at arms length by both suppliers and customers is sometimes noticeable, a genuine caring for the well being of people we deal with is obvious as well.

Impression

It may be unfair, but people are quick to pass judgment upon others as well as companies. Our inclusion of the importance of impressions in our Value Statement is intended to remind employees of this fact. Customers will also judge us on the personal impression we give them. This is why we implemented the personal appearance guidelines, which is outlined in our employee handbook. Answering the telephone is another area where we set the stage for the tone of the conversation before the caller even utters a word. Our greetings should include the salutation, the company name and the name of the person answering the telephone. Every one of us has an opportunity each day to make an impression that reflects on our company. With as many employees as we have, making them good ones will go a long way in our continued success.

Salesmanship

Salesmanship at Big C Lumber is about earning the right to make the sale rather than manipulating the customer into agreeing to the purchase. The introduction of negotiating tactics suggests to the buyer that the stated price is merely a beginning point and is up for negotiation and debate. When a customer stands in front of a Big C salesperson and asks if we will match someone else’s specific price, they have a preference for buying from Big C (or they would have bought it wherever it is cheaper) and should be rewarded for the loyalty.

Teamwork

Teamwork defined is “joint action of a group of people.” The need for teamwork within a location doesn’t require a detailed explanation. The real power of teamwork for Big C Lumber comes from employees working together between locations. In this case, we use our size and experience to create greater value. We have a number of locations that overlap service areas. Without a well-engrained culture of Teamwork, these locations would tend to compete with each other for sales rather than working together for a common goal. Salespeople can encourage Teamwork with operation personnel by carefully planning deliveries. This means ensuring the jobsite is ready for the material being delivered, providing clear directions to the site and arranging appropriate help when needed. Operations personnel show Teamwork by coordinating deliveries to help each other when hand unloading is required or a truck becomes stuck and needs a tug. When Teamwork prevails, all employees are pulling in the same direction for the success of the company. With the quality of people we have at Big C Lumber working as a Team, we can set some very optimistic goals.

Caring

Building a culture of caring is one of our values because we spend as much time if not more, with each other than we do our families. Moreover, the atmosphere in our facilities will be negative if we don’t care about those we work with as well as the customers we service. Life is way too short to spend our time in a negative environment. Caring makes an impression that ties our other values together and helps make Big C Lumber strong. And a strong company is good for all of us.