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The Worcester Business Journal (WBJ) recently announced that it is recognizing Koopman Lumber, a family-owned and -operated business with 11 locations in Massachusetts, as the “Best Family-Owned Business” in its Best of Business Awards.
“This award means a lot to us because we are proud to be a family-owned business that honors the same values our grandfather, Peter T. Koopman, established when he founded Koopman Lumber in 1939,” says Dirk Koopman, CEO of Koopman Lumber. “Every day, we strive to meet the high standard he set so many years ago. Honesty, integrity and hard work undergird all we do at Koopman Lumber.”
Koopman is now co-owned by its third generation. Dirk Koopman’s sister, Denise Brookhouse, is the company’s CFO and her husband, Tony Brookhouse, serves as COO. Koopman’s son, Peter Koopman, and his daughter, Sarah Thomas, also play key roles within the organization as part of the fourth generation of the Koopman family.
Denise Brookhouse noted, however, that the Koopman name does not guarantee employment in the family business.
“Our rule is that family members have to work four years somewhere else before they can join the company,” she says. “Once they do, they complete a series of 9-to-11-month rotations within different areas of the business. They also work with outside consultants and are reviewed by other employees who are not relatives before their career path is developed.”
The WBJ’s Best of Business Awards, which will be held on Thursday, January 26, at the Beechwood Hotel in Worcester, celebrates the business-to-business companies in Central Massachusetts that have been recognized by their peers as the “best of the best.”
Professional builders and remodelers make up about 90% of Koopman’s client base. Their locations include three full-line lumber, hardware, paint, lawn and garden stores in Whitinsville, Uxbridge and North Grafton; one lumber, hardware, paint and kitchen design center in Sharon; a full-service paint store in Milford; lumber yards and kitchen design centers in Hudson, Andover, Fairhaven and Indian Orchard; and distribution centers in Uxbridge and Sutton. A new location in Dennis on Cape Cod is currently under construction and expected to open in April 2023.
About Koopman Lumber & Hardware
Family-owned and operated since 1939, Koopman Lumber & Hardware has 11 Massachusetts locations including three full-line lumber, hardware, paint, lawn and garden stores in Whitinsville, Uxbridge and North Grafton; one lumber, hardware, paint and kitchen design center in Sharon; a full-service paint store in Milford; lumber yards and kitchen design centers in Hudson, Andover, Fairhaven and Indian Orchard; and distribution centers in Uxbridge and Sutton. They specialize in building materials and supplies including lumber and hardware, molding and millwork, tools, power equipment, windows and doors, engineered lumber, kitchen and more. An extensive network of outside sales professionals delivers expertise in lumber, millwork, kitchens and paint. To learn more, visit koopmanlumber.com.
