The Company
Western Building Products Inc. is one of the largest distributors of millwork in the Midwest. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Company employs over 340 people in four facilites with over 430,000 square feet in office, warehouse and production space. Western provides world-class quality millwork products and services together with outstanding customer service to the construction and remodeling markets.
Product Line
Western offers and inventories one of the broadest product lines available to better serve its dealers and shorten lead-times. Mouldings, stairparts, windows and extensive interior, exterior and fire rated door systems are offered in a wide selection of designs and wood species, as well as unfinished, prefinished and painted options. Quality products from the best manufacturers in the world are used.
In addition, Western brands and sells its own exterior door systems, combining the best available sill and frame components with name brand wood, steel or fiberglass doors, sidelights and transoms, affordably priced and backed by the best warranty in the industry. Almost unlimited entry door system choices are available with additional factory finishing options in paint, stain, and decorative glass.
History
Founded in 1946 as Western Lumber Distributors, the Company quickly grew to become a full line millwork jobber. In 1954, because of continued growth, Western moved to its present headquarters and distribution facility in Milwaukee. Western was a family owned company until 1983 when the decision was made to allow employee ownership through an ESOP.
Additional production and warehouse space continued to be added over the years. The acquistion of Nashotah Moulding in 2002 and the 2003 completion of the Illinois Distribution Center (IDC) in Genoa City, Wisconsin allowed Western to continue to grow and service an expanding market. In 2006, Prefinishing Specialists Inc. in Avon, Minnesota was acquired to meet a growing customer demand for additional prefinishing colors and services, adding an additional 30 employees and 50,000 square feet.
Sixty years after it's birth, Western Building Products is proud to be the dominant millwork supplier to an ever-expanding customer base in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa.
Employee Owned - Western's Advantage
Western Building Products is a 100% employee owned company. Although there are many companies in many industries that speak of themselves as employee owned, the truth is that very few of them are 100% employee owned. As a 100% employee owned business, Western's workforce is committed to offering the best products and customer service available. Employees actively participate, as owners, in the business and share in 100% of the profits(To read more about how Western Employees actively participate in running the business click here). The cornerstone of Western Building Products is the passionate belief that all employees should own the company that they work for.(Click here to read more about our beliefs.) The competitors have employees, while Western Building Products has employee owners with very low turnover and very high motivation. As a result, Western has the most experienced and dedicated people in the industry. Advantage Western!
Production, Pre-finishing and Delivery Capability
Western continues to invest heavily in production and prefinishing capabilities in order to ensure the highest quality, reduce lead times, and continue to bring the value added services that customers demand. Employee-owner management is willing to invest in the latest technology such as interior and exterior digital door machining and assembly stations as well as automatic door and prehung palletizing equipment. The best equipment in the industry combined with a talented group of millwork specialists makes any customer request possible.
Western finishes their products using environmentally friendly paints and stains that provide a top quality finish on wood, fiberglass, and steel. It also stocks four standard colors in a broad array of wood doors and trim, ready for next day delivery. In addition, Western's premium pre-finished program offers customers over 25 stain colors on the doors and trim of their choice and also offers 64 paint colors on exterior steel doors. As a one-stop shop for pre-finished millwork, Western continues to pursue additional capabilities for customer color matching and decorative finishes, to provide the best pre-finishing program in the industry.
Western's products are delivered every day on its own fleet of trucks and serviced by employee owner drivers providing the best delivery service anywhere!
Sales and Marketing
Western sells to a large network of pro dealers in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa, who in turn sell product and services to builders, remodelers and homeowners to be used in single and multi-family housing as well as commercial projects. Western's team of Territory Managers have smaller sales territories allowing them to learn more about their customers' businesses and offer the best products, services and programs to meet their unique needs. In addition, they offer a wide variety of marketing resources such as displays, catalog training, literature and advertising support for products.
An experienced and dedicated customer service team at Western also provides knowledgeable day-to-day order support for all products and special orders, with a team of highly qualified Service Technicians quickly available to handle any service need in the field. Long-term dealer relationships are the norm, with Western's reputation based on providing excellent customer service and overall satisfaction.
Western is constantly working with suppliers to bring the best products to market. New product offerings are considered daily based on market trends and customer feedback. Western's website is the latest addition to our marketing capabilities offering our customers the ability to view products on-line, link directly to supplier sites, and direct anyone to a Western dealer closest to them via the dealer locator feature. An on-line catalog and on-line ordering are on the horizon to make it as easy as possible to do business with Western!
Overall Value
The Western philosophy has always been to serve its customers by providing the best overall value in the industry. Customers have many choices when choosing a millwork source. Selection of quality products, world-class millwork services, a large and broad array of product in stock, and the best customer service from order to delivery makes Western Building Products the best choice. The cornerstone belief in an employee ownership culture makes it all possible.