Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
Hancock Lumber announced that chief people officer Wendy Scribner will retire in April following nearly 40 years at the company. To prepare for her departure, the company has welcomed her successor, Anna Russo.
“Anna absolutely impressed me during our interview time together,” says Kevin Hancock, chairman and managing owner of Hancock Lumber. “While we had great finalists, Anna’s communication skills, her intuition about how to communicate, her ability to bring love, clarity and toughness, and her affinity for blue-collar workers blew me away.”
Starting this role is a bit of a homecoming for Russo, as she began her HR career at Hancock Lumber when Scribner hired her in 2000. After eight years in HR, including serving as the company’s sawmill HR manager, Russo moved on to a variety of HR roles with several companies throughout Maine including HR director, safety compliance officer and HR senior business partner.
“Anna is one of the loveliest humans you’ll ever meet. In addition to her strong HR technical skills, she has an appreciation, comfort and love for manufacturing and retail environments,” Scribner says. “I’m beyond excited for Hancock Lumber and for Anna. She is as genuine a human being as they come with fantastic people skills—simply put, I could not be happier that she will be joining our team again.”
Scribner will remain through April to oversee the transition and Russo’s onboarding as she gets reacclimated to Hancock Lumber’s people, locations and partners.
“My prior time with Hancock Lumber was so positive and one of my favorite professional experiences,” Russo says. “I’ve enjoyed following the company’s employee-centric culture, and I look forward to seeing how it continues to evolve. It’s hard to articulate how excited I am to be back on Team Hancock, and I look forward to being a part of our continued growth and success.”
