Training a New Generation of Employees at Lezzer Lumber

This is one of a series of case studies into why training is important and the tangible results it can have on your business. Click Here to read other case studies.

Lezzer Lumber faces a labor challenge not uncommon to home improvement retailers today, especially those in rural communities. Having a workforce of experienced, knowledgeable employees, many of whom have been with the company for decades, is the dream of any retailer. However, when those employees start to retire, there must be a plan to replace them. Leadership at Lezzer Lumber understands effective training as an essential aspect of building a competent workforce. They recently rekindled their training efforts by hiring an employee development specialist and prioritizing training for every employee. 

The Challenge

An aging workforce made largely of workers with long tenures and years of institutional knowledge, combined with a tight labor pool, heightened the need to develop a new generation of employees at Lezzer Lumber. With other businesses competing for employees in the rural towns where Lezzer is located, it is also important to position the company as a desirable place to work.

The company dates back to 1927 when Michael H. Lezzer, along with cousins Charlie and Lewis Sandri, began the company as Lezzer-Sandri Lumber and Farm Equipment in Curwensville, Pennsylvania. Today, third-generation owners Michael, David and K.C. Lezzer direct an operation that extends throughout the state. Its nearly 20 locations include traditional retail lumberyards selling hardware and LBM; kitchen, bath and flooring showrooms; a truss manufacturing plant and a commercial door facility. In 2024, LBM Journal ranked Lezzer Lumber 29 on its list of top 100 LBM dealers in the country. 

Emily Johns, employee development specialist for the company, says there will likely be many jobs to fill in the next 5 to 10 years as current employees retire. 

“It’s a competitive labor market, we’re probably not going to be able to hire people off the street to replace them,” she says. “We have a lot of employees over the age of 55 who are likely to think about retiring in the next 5 to 10 years. We need to get our bench ready so people can step into those positions.

Bringing people up through the ranks of the company is the ideal way to prepare them for higher-level positions, she says, as they will gain institutional knowledge and learn the company culture. It’s even more important considering the shrinking labor pool typical of many small towns, such as the areas where Lezzer Lumber is located. 

“Many of these smaller towns are not getting an influx of new residents, which creates a limited amount of talent to recruit, making us work harder at training,” she says. 

The Solution

To build the next generation of employees and maintain status as a preferred employer, leadership at Lezzer Lumber decided it was time to place a renewed focus on employee development. In 2016, using training from the North American Hardware and Paint Association (NHPA), Lezzer created its Lezzer Technical Institute (LTI) as a solution for making sure new employees had the appropriate product knowledge for their jobs. In 2023, hiring Johns to the newly created position of employee development specialist was the next step in the evolution of the program. 

“The ownership at Lezzer felt it was important to have someone in my position to focus on the development of our employees and to make sure we’re preparing the next generation,” says Johns. “We will find ourselves filling a lot of roles as people with a lot of institutional knowledge begin retiring.” 

Johns has a background in industrial and organizational psychology and has directed training initiatives for a variety of companies. Her role at Lezzer will include onboarding and helping existing employees along their desired career paths. She will also advance the LTI to meet the current needs of the company. 

“Most of the training we use in the Institute comes from NHPA and it sets up a great foundation for the knowledge our employees need. We are happy with what they are getting out of it,” she says.

NHPA courses in the LTI include Our Three Pennies of Profit, Basic Training in Selling Skills and the Basic Training in Building Materials series of courses. In particular, Johns uses the LTI for people entering sales roles or for those wanting to move up in the company. Most employees need to complete courses in the LTI in the first 90 days on the job. She also offers specialized and vendor-specific training for specific jobs, such as a course designed specifically for employees in the truss manufacturing plant. She’s in the process of creating more job-specific curricula and making training accessible to everyone in the company. 

“We want to create a workplace where people can start in the yard and create a really good career here. The fact that Lezzer leadership decided to make an employee development position says a lot about their dedication to training,” she says. 

Create Accountability

For any training program to be successful, it’s important to have someone on staff to oversee it and hold people accountable to finish their assignments. The training manager will be more effective if they have support from company leadership.

With more than 530 employees to track, in locations spread around the state, Johns relies on managers and buy-in from leadership to make sure training gets done. 

“Before I came, Lezzer had a lot of training programs, but they just weren’t getting done,” she says. “One of the biggest challenges is getting people to follow through.”

Lack of follow-through isn’t typically because people don’t see the value in training; managers know that well-trained employees make their lives easier, she says. They are just busy and something else inevitably crowds it out. It’s a problem a lot of companies face. 

“We have to make sure we are communicating with managers and employees how important their training is,” she says. “I’m fortunate that our owners are on board and supporting me in holding people accountable. But you also have to be persistent. There’s no shame in being a little annoying if you have to. If I’m not following up and asking a manager for a training report for their staff, then they’re going to let something else push training to the side.”

Take an Honest Self-Assessment

If you don’t already have a training program in place, make an honest self-assessment of how employees are getting the skills they need for their jobs. It’s easy to deceive yourself into thinking that even though you’re not keeping track of what people are doing, training is still happening.  

“Take a hard look at what kind of training you’re giving your staff,” says Johns. “They may not be getting as much as you think they are.”

Pay close attention to categories where sales are weak. Are employees suggesting add-on sales? Are they confident in helping customers through common projects? Ask employees for areas where they may be struggling. All can indicate the state of your training.  

Make Your Program Sustainable

After you’ve honestly assessed your training needs, be equally honest about what type of program you’re able to sustain. Choose an approach that’s appropriate for your business and one you can implement quickly and manage.

“As the saying goes, ‘perfection is the enemy of progress.’ Sometimes you just need to get a training program out there and get people started on it. It’s much better than waiting until you have something perfect,” Johns says. “And make sure it’s sustainable because if what you want to do isn’t realistic, you’re not going to do it.”

Don’t think that you have to create an entire program from nothing, either. There are many resources available that give you a starting point as to how you should be training. Johns suggests looking online, at trade associations and even Pinterest and LinkedIn. Courses available from the NHPA, for example, are easy to access and track online, providing foundational knowledge every employee needs to start in a home improvement retail setting. 

Understand Your ROI

After investing time and resources into training employees, it’s natural to want assurance you’re getting a good return. A measurable way to recognize ROI is to see an uptick in sales after training on a particular category, but don’t miss the less concrete though no less important benefits. 

Johns says training helps decrease costly mistakes, which can cost retailers a lot of money. Important ROIs of training come in the form of fewer mistakes and a higher quality of work, resulting in satisfied customers. 

“Get out of the mindset that the ROI of training must be hard and fast,” she says. “Some of your return will be increased sales but some of it is softer.”

Training can also lead to increased employee engagement and retention as they feel valued because the company cares about their development. In small towns with limited labor pools, higher employee engagement helps you become the employer of choice when it comes to recruitment, too. Current employees are more likely to recommend your business when friends are looking for jobs. 

Ultimately, for Lezzer Lumber, the ROI of training will be having a competent new generation of employees that can carry the business into the future. 

“The way Lezzer Lumber is putting effort and care into training will do us good in the long term, especially with the tight job market we are in,” Johns says. “No one wants a new employee to fail. We want everyone to have a long and successful career, we just need to give them the tools to succeed.”