CULLMAN, Ala. – Boston’s Southeast Building Supply Interests (SBSI) has acquired local building supply staple Buettner Brothers Lumber Company. The announcement was made Wednesday. The acquisition of the 130-year-old company came as a surprise to many who have been accustomed to seeing the green benches bearing the Buettner name throughout Cullman for generations. Despite the change of hands, however, the benches are here to stay.
Jimmy Barnes, great-grandson of founder Hugo Buettner, shared, “Anytime you have something like this, there’s going to be change, some positive and some negative. For the most part, I think the positive outweighs the negative. We’re keeping on all of our employees. We’re keeping the name. I will be here and active in the company for at least two years. SBSI values our sense of community, and they realize that’s how this company has developed over the years. Our employees will have better benefit packages. And, for our customers, hopefully being a part of a bigger group will make us more competitive.
“We’re fourth generation and I read that only 3% of family businesses make it to the fourth generation. We don’t have any children in the business, my partner and I, and I felt like, when I started looking at all my options, this was the best way to go and carry on the Buettner Brothers name. I feel good about it.”
SSBI, with Roger Farmer at the helm, has its first Alabama location with Buettner Brothers, bringing its total lumber and building supply locations to 11 throughout Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee. The addition of Buettner Brothers will include the truss making facility located next door to the store.
Farmer, in a previous statement, said, “I consider Alabama home, and I could not be more excited to acquire our first business in the state. Under John’s (McPhillips) and Jimmy’s (Barnes) leadership Buettner has been a pillar of the Cullman community, and we look forward to continuing in that tradition.”
“We are excited to be in Alabama, and we are excited to partner with Buettner employees on this next growth phase. Our employee equity program is designed to reward the hard work that is required to grow a business. Our goal is to create shared prosperity with all of our employees,” said Nick Massengill, operating partner at Building Industry Partners and SBSI director.
Barnes did his due diligence researching SBSI and even made sure that the company’s elder Richard Buettner would still be on staff. Richard Buettner has been assured that he has a place in the company for as long as he chooses.
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