“Our business is really a business of people and it’s not one size fits all,” says Tim Doyle, co-owner of Northern Plains Lumber.
Building relationships is at the core of what Northern Plains Lumber does. They’re not your average, run-of-the- mill lumber yard. As one of only a handful of locally owned lumber yards left in the Sioux Falls area, their roots run deep in South Dakota.
“I grew up in the industry,” says Carl Serck, co-owner of Norther Plains Lumber. “My family owns and operates a construction company building custom homes.
Throughout the years I worked for the family business and later worked as a manufacturer’s rep.”
But Carl knew he wanted to work closer with contractors and installers.
“At the time I was working for Homestead Building Supplies,” says Tim. “I called Carl up and asked if he wanted to be a sales guy here and sell building materials.”
The two began working together closely, and they realized they had a great dynamic. Not long after, they were given the opportunity of a lifetime.
“We were thinking about going out on our own and then we were given the opportunity to purchase a location from Homestead Building Supplies in Beresford, South Dakota,” says Carl.
“We really felt like it was the right timing for us both professionally and personally,” says Tim. “It was the one thing I had not done – I’ve worked for people my whole life. I know building materials very well with almost 40 years in the industry, so it just made sense to get into the lumber business.”
In May of 2018, Tim and Carl officially opened Northern Plains Lumber, but the two soon realized they were going to need more space.
“The Beresford location was a bit smaller and farther from the Sioux Falls market than what we needed,” says Carl. “So, a couple of years later we purchased the Worthing, South Dakota location and officially expanded into two spaces.”
As they continued to grow, Carl and Tim were able to provide even higher quality service to their customers – builders, contractors and project-based homeowners.
“We needed more space to support our growing sales,” says Carl. “The added room has helped us manage our inventory more efficiently and allows us to maintain a high level of service to our customers.
They’re also able to offer and carry trusted brands from James Hardie Siding…
“They have been a very good partner for us,” says Carl. “They have really helped us grow our siding business over the past several years.”
“We are very fortunate, because of our backgrounds and years in the industry, that we were able to pick up major national brands,” says Tim. “A lot of new companies wouldn’t have had that opportunity.”
To Long Creek Steel…
“They’re out of Beresford and they do a significant amount of work with post frame construction,” says Tim. “Because we are local also, we love doing business with other local companies. We always get a fantastic level of service with them.”
To Therma-Tru Doors…
“They are another incredibly strong partner of ours,” says Carl. “Exterior doors are a big part of our business and to have a company that’s willing to support us and provide us with a quality product, that is very helpful for our business.”
“My background goes back about 30 years with them,” says Tim. “So, I’m very familiar with that product. I knew it to be an excellent company who stands by their products, and they have a wide selection. That’s one of the primary products that we choose to sell.”
And Westbury Aluminum Railing.
“This is one of those products that our customers request time after time,” says Carl. “They’ve been a great partner with us, and we don’t have issues with the experience. It holds up nicely, it’s a great looking product and our customers continue to be happy with it over and over.”
Another product line that they love – Marvin Windows.
“From a window standpoint, we were exceptionally lucky to get Marvin Windows,” says Tim.
“They’ve been around for a long time and it’s a very high-quality product.”
Ultimately, Carl and Tim say when they chose a product for Northern Plains Lumber, it comes down to flexibility.
“Do they have the product mix that meet our customer’s needs? That flexibility also includes pricing for our customers,” says Tim. “Longevity is another thing we look for. We know these to all be products that last.”
“We really sit down and go through our quality products and choose ones that we can feel confident in selling to a builder or installer,” says Carl. “It’s about our customers not having to run and grab more material. So, if we can have accurate estimates on time deliveries and are efficient as we can be, that’s going to save our customers a lot of money. That’s the whole goal!”
“I really believe that if our customers are successful, then we will be successful,” says Tim. “We really view our business relationship as a partnership experience and our job is to help our customer succeed.”
