The National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) elected its new leadership during its board of directors meeting. The board elated Jim Bishop, owner of Kansas-based Vesta Lee Lumber Company, as its chair, replacing outgoing chair Bob Sanford, president of Sanford & Hawley in Connecticut.
“I am honored that the board of directors has entrusted me to be the next chair of the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association,” Bishop said in a prepared statement. “The lumber and building material industry has been a part of my life since I was a young child and I am fortunate to be able to give back to the industry that has been so good to me and my family. It is a difficult time in our nation and I am committed to serving as an ambassador to our great industry.”
Bishop has run his family lumberyard in Bonner Springs, Kansas, since 1977. Bishop’s father, Skip, started Vesta Lee Lumber in 1946.
“Jim has been an active NLBMDA and MLA (Mid-America Lumbermens Association) for decades and has a tremendous amount of knowledge and expertise in the LBM industry. I look forward to working alongside Jim and continuing to move NLBMDA forward,” NLBMDA president and CEO Jonathan Paine said. “I also want to extend my sincere thanks to Bob Sanford for his outstanding leadership and unwavering commitment over the last two plus years as chair. Bob went above and beyond as he guided NLBMDA through some challenging times and it has been a privilege working with him.”
As the immediate past chair, Sanford will serve as an NLBMDA officer alongside newly elected vice chair Mark Zemrowski, COO of Von Tobel Corporation, and treasurer Sandy Zelka, CFO of Curtis Lumber Company.
