Department Heads
Chelsea Location
Dennis Alexander
Installed Insulation Manager, Chelsea
Dennis Alexander brought his extensive knowledge of home construction materials to our Chelsea store in January 2009 after a dozen years as an estimator for a custom home builder. Before that he worked for lumberyards elsewhere in Michigan. Born and raised in Sheridan, Michigan, Dennis now lives in DeWitt, just north of Lansing. He has been involved in home construction-related businesses since 1978. Dennis now advises our customers on their home insulation needs and oversees our insulation installation crew.
“It’s all about the customer, all the time. My mission is to consistently meet and exceed the customer’s expectations. This is especially important in today’s market, where our customers know their options and seek out the most competitive solutions.”
Bart Bauer
Manager of Kitchen and Bath Design, Chelsea
Bart
Bauer worked part-time for Chelsea Lumber in the early 1980s, then operated
his own commercial art company for two years. Since joining us full-time
in 1987, Bart has excelled in our home design and construction finance
departments, and now oversees our kitchen and bath design team. He also
spearheads our “Go
Green” initiatives. Bart, who has degrees in theater and arts management,
remains active in stage work: In his free time, he design sets for Chelsea’s
Purple Rose Theatre Company. Bart lives in Chelsea with his wonderful
wife and three children.
“When customers come to us for kitchen and bath work, they become part of the family. We strive to treat our customers as fairly as we would treat members of our own families. This extends to our fees. We aim to give our customers the best possible pricing.”
Doug Beaumont
Sales Counter and Floor Manager, Chelsea
Doug
Beaumont began working part-time as a runner and driver for Chelsea Lumber
in 1977, while he was a student at Eastern Michigan University. Since
joining us full-time, he has worked in almost every department of the
company – from
pole barns to construction financing. Today he runs our sales counter,
oversees our showroom area, handles bill payments, and performs many
other managerial tasks. Doug is a Chelsea native.
“At the sales counter and out on the showroom floor, I’m interacting with people I see practically every day. I thoroughly enjoy my relationships with our customers and fellow staff members. I grew up with many of them. The best thing about this is that, from day to day to day, I’m working with friends.”
John Houle
Hardware (Buyer and Sales), Chelsea
John Houle is responsible for maintaining our extensive inventory of professional-level
tools. John’s primary customers are contractors. His goal is to immediately
meet at least 90% of these customers’ hardware needs – and what
we don’t have, he obtains through special order within a couple of days.
John also maintains our showroom displays (decks, creek, gazebo, etc.). A Chelsea
Lumber employee since 1981, John was born and raised in Chelsea. He lives just
west of Chelsea, in Grass Lake.
“When customers comes in, looking for something in particular – maybe even frustrated because they couldn’t find it elsewhere – I’m determined to get that tool for them, even if it takes a special order. Customers leave here smiling, and I’m smiling too, because I know they’ll be coming back.”
Kevin Kunzelman
Windows and Doors (Buyer and Sales), Chelsea
When
Kevin Kunzelman joined Chelsea Lumber in 1988, he worked at our sales
counter, and quickly demonstrated his aptitude for relating to people
and zeroing in on their particular needs. Within a few years, Kevin has
worked our construction financing department, and now does purchasing
and sales for our doors and windows department. Kevin lives in Chelsea.
He was born and raised in nearby Stockbridge.
“My philosophy of customer service is simply this: Everyone is different. We may be serving a twenty-something couple just starting out in life, or it could be a 50-year-old auto executive, or a retired farmer. The key is to learn first exactly who the customer is – what makes them tick. Then we can figure out how to best meet their needs.”
Dave Morris
Windows and Doors (Buyer and Sales), Chelsea
Born in Ohio but raised here in Chelsea, Dave Morris joined Chelsea Lumber
in May 1984. He worked for 15 years estimating costs for construction financing,
then became our in-house specialist on windows. Dave is a graduate of the University
of Michigan.
“It’s rewarding to connect customers to the right windows. I focus on finding out a customer’s needs and matching them up with the right product – and maybe even saving the customer some money in the process.”
Shawn Stevens
Commercial Sales Manager, Chelsea
Shawn Stevens leads our outside sales and service force to commercial building contractors. Shawn joined us in September 2007 after working nearly 18 years for Stock Building Supply in Lansing, Michigan. He is a native and current resident of De Witt, just north of Lansing. Some years back, Shawn purchased his parents’ long-time home, enabling him to raise his own family in the same home where he grew up.
“Chelsea Lumber has been in business for over 100 years, and has built an excellent reputation. It’s our role to continue building on that excellent reputation through the commercial sales department.”
Dave Stoll
Decks and Basements (Buyer and Sales), Chelsea
Among Chelsea Lumber’s specialties are wooden decks and wood-foundation
basements. Dave Stoll buys our materials for these projects, and he helps our
customers find the best deck and basement fits for their homes. A Chelsea native,
Dave began working part-time for Chelsea Lumber in 1973, helping with bookkeeping
and inventory management, while he was a student at Chelsea High School. He
joined us full-time in 1976. Dave today lives a short drive west of Chelsea,
in Spring Arbor.
“My philosophy: Treat the customer as I myself would want to be treated. It’s gratifying when people walk in with a deck or basement problem, and I can show them how to solve it. The next time I see them, they’re happier homeowners. And that feels good.”
Darrell Williams
Pole Barns and Garages (Buyer and Sales), Chelsea
Chelsea
Lumber sells 250+ pole barns and garages per year, and erects 100 to
125 of them. Darrell Williams is responsible for this aspect of our business.
Given the high volume of activity, it’s no small task. Darrell has been
with us since the early 1980s. He began working here at the sales counter,
then worked as a manager at a major retailer for 10 years before returning
to Chelsea Lumber in 1996. Darrell lives in Stockbridge,
a few miles northwest of Chelsea.
“We have a lot of competition – our customers have many alternatives. So we need to take extra-special care of each and every person who walks in our door. What I aim to do is put myself in the customer’s shoes, to truly understand what they need and what their plans are. I try to take care of their building budget like it was my own.”
John Yelsik
Doors (Buyer and Sales), Chelsea
John Yelsik, a Chelsea Lumber employee since 1989, worked for us in hardware
sales, at our main sales counter, in paint buying and sales, and in construction
finance before becoming our in-house specialist on doors. Born in Ashley, Michigan,
John now lives in Chelsea, and previously worked for eleven years at Chelsea
Hardware.
“I’m proud of the wide variety of doors we have to offer our customers. The very best part of my job is hearing these words from a customer: ‘I really love my new door!’”
Chelsea | Bridgewater | Return to top»
Saline Location
Mike Kempf
Windows and Doors…Plus a Whole Lot More
It’s
hard – make that impossible – to summarize Mike Kempf’s roles
and responsibilities at our Saline store in just a few words of a formal title.
Mike manages windows and doors, installed sales, contractor sales, and rentals.
He’s also our Andersen Window DSN representative, and he handles deck
designs, locks, estimating, millwork, and tile and hardware buying. In the
past, Mike has managed kitchen and bath designs, advertising and promotions,
inventory and computer data entry, and garage and pole barn estimating. He
has also worked in the lumberyard and made deliveries. Whew! This is all from
a lad who worked here in summers while in school, and became a full-time member
of our team in 1986 after graduating from Michigan State University. Mike lives
in Saline.
“Providing customers with great products and a high level of service at competitive prices – that’s what’s best about my job. It’s great to be able to find products and parts for customers who had trouble getting them elsewhere.”
Lance Luckhardt
Outside Sales
Lance
Luckhardt has been part of our Bridgewater Lumber team since 1986. His educational
background in architectural design and construction management help him guide
customers expertly as they make buying decisions for their homes. Lance was
born and raised in Bridgewater, Michigan, and continues to reside there today.
“I love meeting people and helping them find solutions for their homes. Sometimes customers are frustrated by a problem or don’t quite know what they need. Making them happy can be a challenge, but it’s a challenge I welcome. When we can delight customers like this, they spread the word that we’re good people for getting things done.”
Jennifer Mann
Kitchen and Bath Design and Sales
In
February 2007, Jennifer Mann transferred to our Bridgewater Lumber location
in Saline after having worked at Chelsea Lumber since June 2002. She has supplemented
her kitchen and bath design experience with interior design courses and Woodharbor
cabinetry training. Jennifer was raised in Manchester, Michigan, not far from
Bridgewater, Chelsea, and Saline, and she now lives in nearby Napoleon, Michigan.
“Whether it’s simply changing knobs on a customer’s kitchen cabinetry or helping them remodel their entire kitchen, I enjoy working with customers to get the most out of their homes.”
Dan Smith
Kitchen and Bath Department Manager
Dan
Smith joined our Bridgewater Lumber team in 1991, a few years after earning
a degree in advertising and marketing from the University of Toledo. Along
with his responsibilities in Kitchen and Baths, Dan has handled Bridgewater
Lumber’s advertising. A Toledo native, Dan now resides in Carleton, Michigan.
“It’s rewarding to help guide a project from idea to completion. I feel this is one of the main qualities that distinguish our company. We make the extra effort to keep the construction project as easy as possible for our customer.”
Tracy VanSchoick
Hardware and Commodities Purchaser
Tracy
VanSchoick joined Bridgewater Lumber in 1987. She handles purchasing of hardware
and commodities for our Saline store, and is in charge of the store’s
showroom and advertising. Raised in Chelsea, Michigan, Tracy now lives in nearby
Manchester. She graduated from Siena Heights College in Adrian, Michigan.
“I enjoy the challenge of helping customers find exactly what they’re looking for. This includes everything from hard-to-find items to sharing my experience to help them complete their projects.”
Chelsea | Saline | Return to top»
Bridgewater Location
Susie Bauer
Office Manager / Accounts Payable and Receivable
Susie
Bauer started out with Bridgewater Lumber rather modestly, in a cleaning job
in 1984. But since then she has steadily increased her responsibilities, now
managing our Bridgewater store’s office and accounts. Susie is a Saline
native, and she continues to live in Saline.
“What’s most rewarding about my job? When I’ve made a customer happy. It could be re-keying a customer’s locks when they have to buy new ones. Or matching their paint color close enough so they don’t have to repaint the whole room. Or finding the perfect bolt for the task. Every day it’s a new challenge.”
Rich Hosmer
Bridgewater Store Manager
If
anyone from our Bridgewater store is qualified to say, “I’ve see
it all,” Rich Hosmer would certainly be a top candidate. Rich joined
us in 1972, and worked as a buyer and estimator before becoming our Bridgewater
store’s manager. He has lived in Manchester, Michigan, a few miles west
of our Bridgewater store, his entire life.
“Helping customers go from start to finish on a home project – and come out of it smiling – that’s what it’s all about for me.”
Cheryl Steiner
Equine Specialist
We’re fortunate to have someone as passionate about horse nutrition and health care as Cheryl Steiner serving our horse-owning customers in our Bridgewater store. Cheryl has been involved in the horse world – in 4-H, on equestrian teams, and more – for practically her entire life. A Michigan native and current Manchester resident, Cheryl joined our Bridgewater Lumber team in 2002.
“I love working with horse people and solving horse-related problems. It’s always a challenge, always a new learning experience. Each horse is an individual and needs a different kind of care.”