HHIQ Q2

NEWSROUNDUP
CHANGES AT THE SEXTON GROUP REFLECT THIS
BUYING GROUP’S NATIONAL GROWTH
R
ecent changes within the management
team at the Sexton Group
reflect just part of the ongoing
growth and development of this Winnipegbased
buying group.
Eric Palmer, who’s been with Sexton for
the past four years, has been moved into
the role of senior manager, purchasing.
Tom Bell, himself a former Sexton dealer,
is now senior manager, business development.
In these new roles, both individuals
will provide added support for President
Steve Buckle, who heads up the group’s
negotiations.
Krista Venn, a 15-year Sexton Group veteran,
was also given a new role as manager
of programs and analysis.
Part of Sexton’s evolution, says Buckle, is its
growth as a national company. “We’ve been
a Western phenomenon, particularly on the
Prairies, for 35 years,” he says. Over the past 10
years, the company has gained traction geographically,
especially in British Columbia.
Then, in 2018, Sexton made significant
gains in Ontario, signing Tarpin Lumber
and Truss, Kott Group, Royal Homes,
Tampa Hall and Northlander Industries—
all big dealers supplying everything from
trusses and framing components to complete
manufactured homes. That, Buckle
says, gave the group the traction it needed
in Canada’s largest market. “These are highprofile,
high-volume members,” he notes. “It
was the breakthrough we were looking for.”
But the gains didn’t come without a lot
of preparation. Buckle knew that the only
way to successfully grow was to ensure his
organization was equipped to service new
members. Phil Brown was already serving
Eastern Canada as a business development
manager, but Suzanne Walsh was added to
lend more focus to Ontario.
This backfilling of the organization has
helped Sexton manage as its membership
and purchasing volumes have doubled
over the last 10 years. And the extra
hands have helped it manage the addition
of the Ontario members with confidence.
That investment in people really adds
a functional focus to the business,
says Buckle.
BMCC, THE UMBRELLA INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION,
MAKES GAINS WITH RECRUITMENT PLATFORM
According to Denis Melanson,
chair of the Building Material
Council of Canada (BMCC), 25
percent of the workforce in
lumber and building materials
is age 55 and over. And that,
he says, should serve as a
wakeup call for the entire
industry.
BMCC has rallied sponsor support and invested in recruitment
tools to woo a new generation of workers to enter the world
of building materials. The mandate is to serve both the retail
and the supplier sides of the industry with a job board online, at
buildingsupplycareers.ca. Since its launch in June 2018, it has
become the “go-to site” for the industry, says Melanson.
A video on the BMCC site aimed at the 18 to 44 demographic spotlights
the dynamic, people-oriented aspects of working in the building
materials industry. It is filled with clips and sound bites from retail
employees and warehouse workers who’ve thrived in the industry.
BMCC has invested in recruitment tools to woo a new generation
of workers to enter the world of building materials.
The BMCC brings together the Atlantic Building Supply Dealers
Association (ABSDA), the Lumber and Building Materials Association of
Ontario (LBMAO), the Western Retail Lumber Association (WRLA) and
the Building Supply Industry Association of British Columbia (BSIA).
It represents more than 2,400 members from the retail, wholesale
and vendor sides of the business.
14 SECOND QUARTER / 2019
Hardlines Home Improvement Quarterly
www.hardlines.ca