The original intent of going the Extra Mile came from Roman times. If a Roman soldier told you to carry his load, a citizen legally had to carry it one mile. The Extra Mile puts a volunteering aspect to the idea. What an impact to the soldier if a person carried it past the imposed limit from the governing authorities. Well, there are certain things we need to do to fullfill our duties. Writing an order, loading a truck, delivering merchandise etc….. Going the Extra Mile is more than expected or required.

Recently a lady’s car broke down near our Bloomington store. Powerless to close the sunroof with rain approaching, she was in need of help. Luckily she coasted into Bender Lumber parking lot.

Seeing the need, James McGovern and Chad Bowman were willing to help. Her car was pushed to an out of the way spot, and secured in place as they improvised a scrap plywood top to keep the water from destroying the interior of the vehicle.

Tha lady said, “You sure made a difficult situation easier.”

Is that not what we try to do? Make the lives of our customers and those around us a little easier each day?

We are so very proud of James and Chad for what they did. Really they do these things every day. Not that we expect it, but it is part of who they are.

As a two time winner of this award, James is now considered a “Road Warrior”. Congratulations to both of these associates by going the Extra Mile.