At 84 Lumber, Billy Ball’s Game Plan

In his first interview with HBSDealer, new VP store operations Billy Ball showed an ability to say all the right things — including offering props to president Maggie Hardy Magerko (“a great individual to work for,” he said).



Hardy Magerko returned the favor in a press release: “Billy has been a tremendous leader in our Southeast Division, is highly experienced and has the respect of everyone in the company.”



The new VP store operations for 84 Lumber and 25-year company veteran says he eschews the cookie-cutter approach to stores. He embraces input from the field. And he sees the best growth opportunities in the markets where the company already has a presence.



“It always starts with good people,” Ball said. “And you can take it a step farther, and it has to be a good team — a good team and working under a good structure.”



With 249 stores, plus plants, door shops and other units, Eighty Four, Pennsylvania-based 84 Lumber is riding momentum — three consecutive years of sales and profit growth, according to the privately held company.



First up for Ball, he said, is to visit as many stores he can. “We take a market-specific approach to business,” he said. “We go in and determine what is the best way to go to market, and we treat each market differently.”