Dyke Lumber adds new manager, sales reps

In a hiring coup, Dyke Industries Inc. has recently added four employees all of whom were previously employed by a competitor.

Doug Herrold is meeting the challenges of the highly competitive lumber business in his new position as branch manager of Dyke Industries' Springfield facility.

Herrold spent the last 16 years as store manager for Payless Cashways, rising to the position of store manager before leaving the company May 2 to accept the branch manager position at Dyke Lumber.

The lumber business was far from Herrold's mind while he sought his degree in management data processing from Northwest Missouri State University, but since then, years of work in a busy retail supply environment solidified his interest in the field and provided a base of experience on which to build.

With Payless, Herrold was transferred from Fort Smith, Ark., to Kansas City to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, before being transferred to Springfield about 3 1/2 years ago. He drew the line here because he and his wife, Debbie, liked the area and thought it would be a good place to raise their two sons, ages 10 and 13.

The move from Payless to Dyke was a major career decision, Herrold said. "I plan to stay here until I retire or die," he added.

Herrold said he plans to increase Dyke Lumber's product lines and sales in the region through aggressive marketing. Backing him up in pursuit of that goal are three other former Payless employees who followed him to Dyke.

Bud Brown was formerly assistant manager at Payless under Herrold and is now a sales representative at Dyke Lumber. Bill Foster and Jerry Morris, both involved with outside sales at Payless, have also become sales representatives for Dyke.

Like Herrold, Brown had no idea he would be involved in the building business when he got his degree in agribusiness from Southwest Missouri State University.

Brown was farming and working for Payless while he worked on his degree and ended up staying in the building business because he found he liked it better than farming. At one time he considered trading in futures, but the market was too uncertain for his taste, he said.

Brown added that he, too, intends to make Dyke Industries home for the rest of his working life.

For Foster and Morris, who had worked for Dyke prior to going to Payless, the change of employers was something of a homecoming.

Herrold said he and his sales force pride themselves on customer service. Since Dyke caters strictly to builders, each of the men has time to work with his particular customers without the continuous distractions of a busy retail operation.

"This job offers an opportunity to serve the contractor and not get caught up in retail traffic," Herrold said.

New products have been developed with engineered wood and non-wood materials, and Herrold said he plans to increase Dyke's lines with some of these items, such as Fiberglas entry doors that will not dent or rust.

There are more manufactured building products on the market than ever before, offering a variety of choices to the contractor. Laminated lumber is being used more often because it is straighter, can be cut longer and is stronger, Herrold said.

Herrold added that he and his sales force are ready to meet the competition in the local supply industry.

"We try to do everything the competition does but do some things to set us apart," he said, including flexible in-house credit while a job is in progress.

Dyke Industries is a family-owned business that began more than 100 years ago in Fort Smith, Ark., and is now based in Little Rock. It has 14 facilities throughout the South and Southeast.