Being efficient and offering quality should never take a backseat to safety. It is important that each associate and customer go home the same way they left. We specialize in logistics, that’s why contractors across Southern Indiana use Bender Lumber as their go-to supplier.

Kimber Bridgewater is a driver “in training” at our Bloomington store. She has been learning from our experienced drivers what to watch out for. She takes her role seriously as she masters her skills. She knows she needs to be responsive but safe.

Late last Friday, one of our Customer Sales Representatives called with a late delivery. His customer needed a load of trim delivered so he could work through the weekend. It was late, but Kimber volunteered to take the load.

Kimber made her delivery to the apartment building project, left the load and prepared her truck for the trip back to the store. While doing her safety walk through she noticed a powerline making contact with some tree branches, sparks were visible….

Pointing fingers never solves anything. At Bender Lumber we succeed as a team. When a team member faulters the rest of us pick them up, and carry them across the finish line if we have to.

We make several deliveries each day. It’s very important we deliver materials to the right jobsite because backtracking and gathering up material is both time-consuming and discredits our professionalism. Yet from time to time it happens.

Recently, while at home surfing through social media, Cody Bowman saw from a post that Bender Lumber had delivered thirty 80 lb bags of concrete to the wrong jobsite. Ouch! If you have never picked up 80 lb bags of concrete it is challenging, to say the least.

We encourage our employees to own their mistakes, but this was not Cody’s mistake, yet he owned it anyway. He did not even point the finger at the one who had made the mistake. Rather, at 8:00pm he called the Assistant Store Manager who opened the store so…

A good Bender Lumber associate is always motivated and willing to solve problems and be generally helpful. Sometimes it may result in a sale but, not always. The “Core Values” we aspire to dictate that we help.

A good example of this happened recently when one of our former employees, Robert Ison, had an appointment in Linton. Realizing he had left his much needed documents an hour away in Bloomington, Robert was in a pinch. He knew if he could have someone email them to him, and then someone print them, he would be back in business.

Since Robert had worked for Bender Lumber a few years ago he knew how we operated. Robert was confident he could get the help he needed.

Robert made it to our Linton store where he was greeted by his old friend Bob Ainsworth, Assistant Manager.

After the two reminisced about old times at the Bloomington store Bob asked if there was anything else he could help with. So Robert told him of…

Bender Lumber is connected with several types of businesses that our owner, John Bender, may also have ownership. One of these businesses is All American Storage. This business serves those who might need temporary storage for special items, sometimes memorabilia of times gone by.

Recently, an All American Storage customer had rent that was piling up. Years ago, this customer had worked with John. Knowing John was associated with Bender Lumber he called our Home Office to see if John could explain why he couldn't pay his storage bill by phone, using his card.

Joanne, on speaking with this customer, felt she might be able to help him instead. She called All American Storage to find out what the problem was. It seemed a form needed signing before the card could be activated. She called the customer back to explain, and found that he was in a nursing home, not in a position, due to ill health, to go out and sign the paper.

Integrity is thought of highly at Bender Lumber, and Joanne perfectly demonstrated this.

At Bender Lumber, we pride ourselves in delivering service, second to none. Our commitment to service is demonstrated by employees in unexpected ways. At our Linton, IN store to get this type of service all you have to say is “Cheese”.

Bill Thomas, otherwise known as “Cheese”, is a 20-year veteran with the resolve to be the best service provider. “Cheese” takes pride in taking care of our customers and goes the “Extra Mile” to accomplish his personal service platform.

A customer needed 200 sheets of plywood, cut to size, and delivered to the job-site. This type of custom order takes a lot of time. The store was very shorthanded as some key employees were home on quarantine at that time. Employees were working extra hours just to keep the store staffed. “Cheese” was finally enjoying a well-deserved day off.

Continue reading the full feature below to uncover how "Cheese" perfectly displayed what customer service means.

Mike Thatcher is committed to being the best he can be. He makes those around him better and is often willing to sacrifice his time for others.

A great example of Mike's altruism occurred on the Friday before New Year's Eve, which would happen on Sunday. Four-day weekend and everyone needs to get home to prepare for family, festivities, and food. The store was slow, as always this time of year, so store manager Teresa McBride was starting to send employees home when the phone rang. It was a window vendor who wanted to make a long awaited delivery, well past normal working hours.

In this case it was an order that our customer had already been waiting three weeks to install.. These windows were holding upa the job!

Continue reading the full feature below, and discover how Mr. Thatcher handled this situation to become our newest member in the "Extra Mile Club!"

Mostly an Extra Mile award is about how we excel at taking care of our customers. Most do not know Bender Lumber stands out in how we serve each other as well. We feel if we serve each other well it sets the tone in how we might serve our clientele. We have even found serving others inspires us.

As our builders slow down in the colder months, it's the optimal time to accomplish projects around our stores. James, having prior remodeling experience, took on a project to revamp/refresh our Bloomington showroom.

Learn more about James' project in the full feature below. Congratulations on being our newest member in the "Extra Mile Club!"

Our newest Extra Miler, Randy Fields. Randy is one of our great employees who is always looking out for a better way to approach his duties. As Assistant Manager, in charge of our Linton yard, Randy exemplifies the meaning of going the Extra Mile.

Assistant Managers are often asked to do many things and to wear many hats. When the manager is unavailable, they take the leadership role to keep the store running smoothly.

As you might know, when we are busy our lumberyards can get quite untidy. We often develop piles of returns, dunnage, and cull material. Mostly, we look the other way until it becomes a problem nobody wants to address. In many yards, these piles can grow and last many years until all value is lost.

These unsightly lots are often a safety hazard, at the very least, and do not present to our customers the image we desire. It takes a lot of effort and leadership to keep a clean lumberyard.

This winter while many…

Extra Mile Club members and nominees have one thing in common, they enjoy their work and will accommodate most any idea to help someone out. Extra Milers often help our customers keep the promises they make.

On July 14th, our Washington store manager David Faith had just come back from being quarantined from a positive Coronavirus test. David had been out and still weak from the illness. Upon coming back, he realized his main boom truck driver was on vacation. The store had three deliveries that needed to be boomed. David was in a bind and needed to take care of his customers. Clients were depending on these deliveries.

David reached out to our Bloomington store manager Ed Craig for help. Ed was busy as well but willingly made a suggestion that Bill Holler, who was on his day off, might help. As you know, Bill, who is always busy, already had plenty to do however he was willing to help the Washington store out. Bill…

This story started several years ago when our driver, Bryar Pfaff was learning to drive on a lonely country road. At that time, Bryar found himself alone and in the aftermath of an accident. To say the least, it was an event that he remembers well.

Recently, Bryar made a delivery on the very same winding road. After dropping the materials at the job site as he was returning to the store, he came upon an accident. Bryar could not help but feel empathy toward a young lady who had an accident and was all alone. Of course, Bryar had more deliveries, a tight schedule to keep as well as being on the clock.

Often, we only get one opportunity to do the right thing and that is exactly what Bryar did. We like to say we are a company that cares about people and in this instance, Bryar demonstrated people matter to the employees at Bender Lumber. Rather than thinking it was somebody else’s problem, Bryar…

Even while building a Safety-First culture, accidents happen. When they do, we rely on our associates training and best instincts to carry the day.

Recently our veteran driver Paul Harris (Flash), while undoing the straps from his truck fell over a wall and into a side yard. Paul was injured and without the ability to get up or move around. Thankfully, Paul could use his cell phone. Paul called back to the Bender Lumber Paoli store to get help.

Quickly and without personal regard, Paul and his situation were made a priority. Truck driver Bill Long and salesman Rob Charles headed to the jobsite which was ten miles away. Helping Paul was their only concern.

They found Paul, on the ground, and in lots of pain. Rob and Bill quickly secured the scene but did not attempt to lift Paul, fearing internal injuries. They called for an ambulance while giving Paul as much comfort as possible.

As the doctor’s care for Paul, we must remind ourselves how important daily…

There is an old quote that says: “When the going gets tough the tough get going.” Nobody demonstrates this way of thinking better than our own Jamie Jones.

Jamie is a longtime associate, Assistant Manager at our Madison Lumberyard. He can do almost anything needed to run the store, from working and managing our yard, delivery board or at the counter. This makes him a most valuable player.

On May 12″ company leaders got word that our manager Brady Chitwood was having emergency appendectomy surgery. Of course, our prayers and concerns were with Brady. While the rest of the company leaders were entertaining our customers at our annual golf scramble Jamie Jones knew exactly what to do.

Jamie took control of the store, even before anyone asked. We have the most confidence in Jamie’s experience to keep the wheels turning while Brady recovered. The store was already short-handed as this would be one of the biggest selling months of the year. Jamie and his team managed without…

Let’s face it, winter time working in a lumber yard setting can make for some long days. It’s no secret our business tails off drastically in the cold months. That’s why our managers line up several projects that need to be done and can keep our employees busy.

Our Madison store manager Brady Chitwood is no exception. Brady made a “Slow Season To Do List” to be implemented among his employees. One of the special task was to clean up and remodel the bathrooms. Remembering our “Core Values”, it says we are “People who do whatever it takes”, quickly and with an eye for design, Jordan Imel volunteered for the job.

During this time, Brady was dealing with many obstacles that would take him away from his duties. Ok, we have all heard the saying: “When the cat’s away, the mice will play”? Not so at our Madison store as associates wanted to complete their given task while Brady was away, making Brady proud when he got…

Our employees are special, I don’t feel like that is an overstatement in the least. Take Josh Eads for an example. Josh likes to stay busy, all day long he will take load after load all without complaint. Josh stays out of any drama almost to the extreme. When one of our other stores are in a bind for a delivery specialist, Josh without hesitation, is on his way.

Recently, while dropping a load, Josh had an altercation with a resident who bit him. Yeah, it was a dog bite that needed medical attention. Josh had to put a pause on his otherwise busy day to attend to his personal needs.

The wound was cared for by a medical professional and instead of calling it a day, Josh went straight back to work to catch up on his deliveries. Why? Because he knows our customers need his expertise and material to keep the job going.

This kind of thing happens every day at our Bender Lumber stores. Our…

You don’t often think about innovation combined with logistics. It’s just delivery, right? Innovation as one of our Core Values seems like it might be the least of a driver’s concerns. Surely, the techy’s of the world must hold a monopoly on this digital age. Marty Ragsdale, one of our CDL drivers at our Washington, Indiana store would disagree.

Marty has found it helpful to record his deliveries using his smart phone. Marty snaps a photo, then sends a copy of the carefully placed load to the contractor who might be on another job. This digital photo also timestamps the load so there is no confusion.

Marty feels this small act performs a great service to his customers and Bender Lumber. Should product be found missing the builder can be assured of what was left.

This is no small thing either. Recently Marty was catching up and in order to do so he was working late, grinding it out and getting as much done as possible. This meant…

Having running materials handling equipment in good working order is paramount to the deliveries and orders moving on time. Luckily we have some employees equipped and willing to use their expertise to diagnose these problems.

Recently in our Bloomington store we had an important forklift breakdown. Not only did it stop mid stream but we could not find the problem.

Luckily Tim Morrison our “crack” boom truck driver who can also run any equipment we own, walked by. After just a few short moments Tim found a loose wire, quickly repaired the disconnection and the truck was back in service.

Becoming an Extra Mile clubber is not to be taken lightly. Members have demonstrated empathy and Loyalty in some way, either to our customers, our company or to each other.

Tanya Cassetty is one of those special unsung Milers who is often bringing in something she has cooked to share with the store team or a customer who might be in a big hurry and planned to skip lunch.

Mostly, Tanya’s duties include handling the receiving of merchandise at our Martinsville store. It would be easy to get caught up in this duty and forget that our number one job is to take care of our customer.

Recently, Tanya demonstrated what we mean by going the Extra Mile by helping a homeowner couple unfamiliar with the process of staining their deck. They were concerned they might not get the help needed to put that special exact color on their home. The Harris’ had experienced disappointment at other establishments and wanted someone who could be patient and take the…

Our employees often do the extra things it takes to be successful. “Extra Miler” Mike Thatcher is no exception. Mike is normally a part-time/semi retired employee. However, Mike enjoys his work and interaction with fellow employees and customers.

Recently our full-time driver at our Linton store, while having a major health problem has been grounded and on light duty. This has put Manager Teresa McBride in a “pickle” leaving her shorthanded during the busiest part of the year. Teresa knew Mike was her “go to” driver. She knew she could depend on Mike to carry the load.

Mike was up to the task and willingly stepped up going back to full-time until needed to do otherwise. Mike has time and time again proven his commitment to his fellow associates by stepping up.

Our customers also appreciate Mike and know he is more than accommodating to their needs. Mike’s “Commitment” to the job was recently demonstrated when a customer had a special emergency request and if not met would…

At Bender Lumber going the Extra Mile is not just a corporate dream. Our drivers, associates and even vendors are committed to living out these things we aspire to be.

No better example of this has been demonstrated more than Mike Mitchell, from our Bedford store, who recently had the opportunity to go the Extra Mile…literally.

Mike’s fellow driver, Road Warrior Robbie Hayes was making a late delivery in Evansville, which is more than two hours away, when he started to have equipment trouble. It seems his truck had stopped somewhere near Evansville along the interstate highway. To make matters worse, Robbie, who is normally on top of it, had failed to charge his cell phone. Hey, it happens to the best of us.

Robbie had just enough power to make a quick call to store manager Melissa Hilkey to report his location. Melissa knew without help she had a dilemma. She has learned to depend on her team of associates and asked Mike Mitchell to help her…

Our Martinsville store had been working with Mr. O for sometime on his elaborate composite deck. Mr. O, an engineer spent many hours with our store team along with vendor partner Brian McCormick, planning each intricate detail. Nothing was left to chance.

Finally, the decking was in and installed. Everything except the railing went down just as planned. Then something unforseen happened. Mr. O needed hip surgery, while recovering got the COVID- 19 virus. The virus took its toll on Mr. O, which left his deck unsafe and without a rail. This bout had left Mr. O 60 lbs. lighter and on Oxygen.

Mr. O contacted our vendor partner Brian McCormick who had taken great interest in the plan. The project was at a stand still, a contractors help would be needed to finish it up.

Brian knew any contractor that was not busy might not be a good choice, so he called his friend, Bender Lumber IT Director Elliott Burkett to collaborate and help solve Mr. O’s…

Ed Hayes is our most experienced driver having worked for Bender Lumber for over 50 years. When store manager Ed Craig refers to Ed he says “nobody does it better”. These are not just words out of Ed’s mouth, Mr. Hayes shows how he is committed to our purpose each day.

Ed works and seems to show no regard for his personal time, especially when it comes to taking care of our customers. Working late or even on his days off are a regular occurrence with Ed Hayes.

Last week and during a heat wave many employees would leave early, trying to get relief from the heat but not Ed. Volunteering to make a long run to Madison to pick up a set of concrete steps for a client was just the start of Ed’s week.

Then the very next day Ed would gladly make a late trip to pick up some treated lumber at the distribution center, each night arriving back much later than the store would…

Nobody exemplifies our Core Values more than Bill Lundy, especially “Commitment”. Bill, a veteran of our industry understands what makes Bender Lumber special. It’s our “Synergy”. The ability to work together, to be flexible and nimble is part of our “Secret Sauce”.

This spring, our Paoli store got a nice shingle order to be delivered and boomed to the rooftop. Our Paoli team soon realized their boom truck was not going to be long enough to stage the delivery. Store Manger LaDonna Hawkins needed help. Helping is what we do at Bender Lumber. By assisting each other we can accomplish much more than doing everything alone.

David Faith, our Washington store manager gladly offered the services of “crack” boom truck driver Bill Lundy. This would be a long day for Bill as he would need to get in early, load the truck and haul it over an hour away, set the shingles where our contractor needed, then back to his home store to deliver more until everyone…

At Bender Lumber we empower our drivers with the ability to make quick, safe decisions while making changes during deliveries. This means, for safety reasons, they might need to bring a load back. After all safe options have been exhausted, rapid decisions need to be made. Our drivers are often our eyes on some tough situations.

An example of this “Bottom Up” approach was demonstrated last winter when Derek Imel (Madison Store) was making a delivery for Country Mark Log Homes. The weather and site conditions were not favorable as roads and drives were slick. Derek was determined to gently extradite his load for our loyal customers. This could not have happened without much consideration between Derek and our customers Ed Demaree and Brian Sparks. Between the three they carefully devised a plan and rendered the load safely and without incident.

Derek knows he is not under any time constraint when making deliveries. Our drivers are not harnessed by any GPS locator or tight time schedule. Asked…

Our customers enjoy purchasing from our Bedford, Indiana store for several reasons: Knowledgeable staff, speedy delivery, fast, efficient pickup, and then there is the problem-solving piece. Problem-solving and overcoming obstacles seems to be the thing that has sales increasing in this store.

The Bedford Bender Lumber sees problems as an opportunity to show how they can and will perform. Keeping a promise to their customers is top of the list. Nothing demonstrates this more than what happened this summer when our Customer Sales Representative Tyler Conway was in the middle of fixing a problem.

Our client had ordered some Pre Finished “Black” siding for a job he was trying to finish and get paid. Getting paid, as you know, is the goal of any contract proposition. Tyler was notified the “Black” siding was not going to be in soon. This caused a problem with the client as he needed to get the job done so he could move to another. This little delay would cause a major…

It was Mid-September, our busiest time of the year. It would have been a store manager’s worst nightmare if they lost even one employee. Paoli store manager, LaDonna Hawkins, lost two key employees within a matter of two weeks. They were both influential and long-time associates who carried a heavy load. We wish them both well, but the service platform we so proudly boast was broken.

Finding replacements who can do the job in these times is a burden for sure, as the learning curve is long. LaDonna knew without acting quickly she would be in trouble. She also knew that at Bender Lumber you are never alone as sister stores around you would be willing to help. She reached out to Managers Ed Craig, Melissa Hilkey, David Faith, and Jacob Kiste for help.

As these store managers asked for volunteers, five associates stepped up to ring the bell. Brad Cooper, John Wallace, Mike Mitchell, Robbie Hayes, and Bill Holler. Each driver traveled, sometimes over an hour,…

Bender Lumber’s “Core Values” are put to the test every day, at every store. Our employees exemplify and work hard to make sure our customers are given “top-notch” service.

Recently, Randy Lucas, one of our “Yard Engineers” at the Linton store had an opportunity to demonstrate how the Bender Lumber Core Value, “Commitment” is a serious part of everyday life.

Our “Boom” truck was down for service. So happens that our tandem axel delivery truck was not available for quick use either. As you might guess, our customer called in a 165 bundle shingle delivery. Keep in mind shingles are heavy, and we are accustomed to taking these with a lift to assist us at the jobsite. Without either lift, the only thing we could do was to deliver them as hand unloaded.

Randy Lucas was about ready to take his lunch break when he heard about the opportunity to make the sale. Knowing, too well of the circumstances and the dilemma this put the store manager Teresa…

At Bender Lumber, we like having fun! When our work environment is fun and light, it creates a pleasant culture in which to work. Our newest Extra Mile Club member is fun-loving without sacrificing safety. Mike Thatcher, one of our drivers from our Linton, IN store, might be seen with his “girlfriend” riding shotgun as he makes deliveries.

This “girlfriend” is an old manikin that he has repurposed to keep him company during the day. Whenever people ask and with a serious face, Mike will apologize for her not being more accommodating.

In all actuality, Mike is rock solid as an employee and driver for Bender Lumber. Mike is known as someone who exemplifies our third Core Value – “Commitment” and will do whatever it takes to get the job done. Coming in early or working late are both common to Mike. Whenever a mistake is made, Mike is the first to step up to resolve the issue.

One day this spring, Mike had two similar deliveries of…

At Bender Lumber, we thrive on the young people who work with us. Some will, no doubt, lead us in the next twenty or even thirty years. Many of our leaders today started out in entry-level positions and have grown to be the core of our company.

Andres Campos is a rising star in our Martinsville store. Andres is an engineering student who might work as a cashier, loader, at the sales desk, etc…. He has many talents and has even proven to be talented and skillful in selling technical special orders.

Earlier this spring, Andres fielded questions from a customer wanting to order a sliding glass patio door. The customer did not seem clear on what size or even the first steps in replacing the door.

Andres showed a passion for his work by following the customer home to help analyze the situation. While there, Andres pointed out the size needed was not the size they had previously discussed.

Even though our customer was advised of this problem,…

Many of our best employees would rather stay under the radar so to speak. However, we can’t help but notice them for the great work and service they extend to our customers. One such employee is our veteran driver Jim Mattingly who works at our Paoli store. Jim is a staple but not just because he has been there so long. He has earned the right to be considered one of our very best.

There is not much that Jimbob, as he is known, does not do. You might see him writing a ticket at the counter, preparing a load for delivery, or helping a customer by meeting him with sales samples at the jobsite. What? Yes, you heard me, Jim is even skilled at estimating and committed to the sales and success of our store.

This commitment has been demonstrated most recently on two consecutive Saturday mornings this spring. On the first Saturday, Jim was scheduled to be off, however, a customer who needed Jim’s skillset…

At Bender Lumber, we show a passion for what we do…we call it “Commitment”. This is one of the “Core Values” we have agreed to strive for. We will admit when we are not at our best, we must remind ourselves of our goal.

Earning your entry into the “Extra Mile Club” is not the only goal our drivers and “Yard Engineers” strive for, each time and after they become a member they may earn more accolades as a “Road Warrior”.

Robbie Hayes is on a roll with his second nomination into the club and our first “Road Warrior”. You see, Robbie loves his job…so much so when he is off on Saturdays from his duties at our Bedford store, he often works at our Bloomington store as a secondary driver and otherwise “Yard Engineer”.

As an engineer, Robbie will work to keep the yard straight, picked up, and culled out. Often during our busy season, the lumber yard area can get untidy and unsafe. Robbie…

At Bender Lumber, we are proud of our company, our “Core Values”, and our employees who are committed to serving. Often, they do things above and beyond the call to make sure our customers are taken care of. At Bender Lumber, we do not limit ourselves to the job description. Many times our customers do not know the hurtles we maneuver around to get their material on the job and in time. Of course, why should they? We are there to serve them.

Chris Jarosz, the Assistant Manager at our Columbus store, is one of those unsung people who often crosses over his job description to make sure the job gets done.

Recently, our long time delivery driver Frank Goldin retired. We wish him well – however, this left us short-staffed and without a driver. Without the ability to make deliveries, our business and our customers would suffer. During this crazy and unpredictable year, we have also found it hard, if not impossible, to find qualified delivery…

Our newest member of our Extra Mile Club is our Bedford Bender Lumber Store senior driver Robbie Hayes. Robbie has a passion for what he does and seeks to help our stores succeed. He is the consummate team player willing to do almost anything to help our customers get their deliveries “on time”. In fact, Robbie often stops by job sites so he can pass a lead on to one of our Customer Service Representatives.

During the week of September 14^th, 2020, our Bender Lumber store in Bedford was very busy. Not only were they experiencing record sales and short-staffed, but this was also their physical inventory week. Everything had to be ready to count by the end of the week.

Then, out of nowhere, one of their drivers had a family member test positive for the Coronavirus (COVID-19). This driver had to self-quarantine or risk spreading the illness. The pressure was on Melissa Hilkey, our store manager, and her sales team to deliver a high volume…

We try really hard to live up to our Core Values. I will be the first to admit I often fall short, but then get back up and dust myself off to try to be a better example of what they are. They are a goal for us all to strive for.

One of our Values is Commitment. Included in this description of Commitment is a quote from John Bender that states “People Who Do Whatever it Takes.” That is what makes Bender Lumber special to our customers. Often, the extra things we do are looked over as if we are just doing our job and while that may be true in many instances, it is how and with what attitude we perform that often matters.

Last weekend and while most of us were home and getting ready to start our weekend, this value was being played out by two of our finest. Our customer “Hayes and Son” was given the opportunity to perform an emergency…