鈥溌槎勾� Talks鈥� hosts top professionals from different sectors of the lumber and building material industry to share their expertise, with a heavy emphasis on practical, tactical strategies to help you serve your markets and grow your business.
Dave Ables is the Owner and President of , located in Clearwater, MN. Dave has nearly 30 years of experience in the trucking industry, 10 in hardware stores, and he is a consistent user of LinkedIn.
Dave believes LinkedIn is a tool that can expand and improve his business through his network of connections. In this episode, Dave shares how he got his start on LinkedIn; its use for recruiting; building relationships with vendors; reaching new customers; and more.
We hope this episode will inspire you to leverage the power of this professional, social media platform. Enjoy.
Connect with Dave:听
Send all podcast inquires to sally@lbmjournal.com.
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(Editor鈥檚 note: Transcript is AI-generated and may include some errors.)听
Sally Traxler-Lacey听 00:00
This episode of 麻豆传媒 talks social media is sponsored by PWT. At PWT, you get more than an engineered wood supplier. You get a true partner who鈥檚 ready to support your success. Coast to coast. That鈥檚 something they鈥檙e willing to shake on.
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Sally Traxler-Lacey听 00:34
Hello, Dave Ables. How are you?
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Dave Ables听 00:45
I am doing well. And thank you very much for having me, and I look forward to talking today.
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Sally Traxler-Lacey听 00:49
Oh my gosh, me too, Dave. Let鈥檚 just start out with you introducing yourself to our audience.
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Dave Ables听 00:56
Okay. My name is Dave Ables, you know, I鈥檓 a long time veteran of business. I鈥檝e been in transportation majority of my career. And then I started buying hardware stores back in 2013 and now we have a true value store in Minnesota, here in Big Lake, Minnesota that my wife runs, and then I have Tri County lumber here that I run. They鈥檙e really all called three sons. So it鈥檚 like it鈥檚 three sons hardware and three sons lumber company. But we鈥檙e doing business as Tri County lumber, and that鈥檚 the business that we acquired in 2024 of January, and then my sons. So there鈥檚 three of them, obviously, because it鈥檚 all three sons, they all work in the business. So my oldest son, David, who鈥檚 24 is a manager at our big lake true value store. My son Sam is one of our sales folks here at Tri County lumber. And my son Nicholas just started because he just graduated high school, and he is now working on the yard and operations and helping us with some of the showroom stuff. So it鈥檚 kind of a family affair.
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Sally Traxler-Lacey听 01:55
Yeah, that sounds very endearing. Um, when you and I were talking before we hit record, it鈥檚 like you just kind of get this feeling, um, when a unit like that is just kind of all moving towards the same goal in your business. So that鈥檚 awesome.
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Dave Ables听 02:15
Yeah, I think it鈥檚 really cool. And one thing that鈥檚 been really good for me is, you know, my kids are enrolled. And I kind of told you before we got on why. I mean, so as a corporate executive, we had six corporate moves through a 28 year career. So quite frankly, they wanted to ground themselves. And I think, you know, they saw trucking was a great thing. I mean, I built the money to be able to buy the businesses from trucking. But ultimately, they didn鈥檛 like that lifestyle of two years of school, four years at school, one year that school. So they kind of thought, You know what, Dad, we like what you鈥檙e doing now. Let鈥檚 be a part of it. Let鈥檚 create this empire here in Minnesota, so that as they have children, and they鈥檙e 18 to 23 that they don鈥檛 have to move all over the country like we did in the past. So I think that鈥檚 maybe why they鈥檙e more enrolled then then they would be otherwise. But it鈥檚 also a great business. You know, hardware and 麻豆传媒 is it鈥檚 fun. And for me, it鈥檚 really trucking too, because every single thing that goes out of Tri County lumber, not every single thing, but 95 97% goes out on a truck. So we do it. So really, it was a great fit for me, based on my background of running trucks. And I mean, I hauled for every window manufacturer, you know, everybody in the over the 28 years, so we were already familiar with those things. And I think that鈥檚 something that we鈥檝e really brought to the table here is now we鈥檝e got GPS and all the trucks, we can send delivery notifications, pictures of the deliveries and all those things, and they didn鈥檛 have that prior to and I think it鈥檚 probably just getting into the 麻豆传媒 world, whereas in trucking, we started doing that stuff 10 years ago, right? We started doing electronic logs about that same time, so it鈥檚 something that I was able to bring to the table. We鈥檝e really we have ECI spruce as our software, but we鈥檝e taken it to the next level and done the enhancements to be able to do the things that our customers and contractors want, and that鈥檚 notifications and pictures of where the goods are located at, et cetera, et cetera.
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Sally Traxler-Lacey听 04:14
Yeah, that sounds like that knowledge has really brought a lot to your business. And you said empire in Minnesota, it鈥檚 kind of what it sounds like with, what is it? Three locations?
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Dave Ables听 04:23
just two here. There鈥檚 so the big lake and then clear water. But, I mean, we鈥檙e in expansion mode. Tomorrow, we鈥檙e going up and look at another acquisition. You know, I鈥檓 young, so I, although I retired from trucking, I鈥檓 56 and I don鈥檛 feel any different than I did when I was 30. Yeah. So and having the children, we want to grow and we want to grow from where we鈥檙e at today, which is on i 94 right outside of Clearwater. We want to grow north, right so our target market is that the the northern end of the Minnesota, the lakes areas
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Sally Traxler-Lacey听 04:51
totally. And I well, I don鈥檛 know if you know this, but I鈥檓 also, I also live in Minnesota. I live in Maple Grove, and. And I saw on a LinkedIn post, one of your posts, somebody commented and said, We鈥檙e located at the farm right across from Lake Maria. And so that鈥檚 where your location is, because me and my husband go hike at Lake Maria State Park all the time. I鈥檒l have to check it out like the next time I鈥檓 in that area. Right? Awesome. Well, Dave, so the reason that I reached out to you was because you are, in my opinion, big on LinkedIn. Most of your posts I see, get just a lot of engagement, lots of comments. And I think that was actually my first encounter with your name ever was on LinkedIn commenting on an 麻豆传媒 journal post. So I鈥檓 curious when you started being active on LinkedIn, and kind of what that evolution has been like over the years, months, whatever.
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Dave Ables听 05:56
Okay, so I kind of mentioned to you I cheated a little bit, because in trucking it鈥檚 huge, right? So I started back, let鈥檚 call it 2015, and you know, there鈥檚 trucking everywhere. So there鈥檚 a lot of people, a lot of people that would follow you. And I said, I probably have, I don鈥檛 know, eight or 9000 followers, and it really originated from that. And we had a lot of podcasts and things that we did in trucking too. So every aspect of the business has a different group of people that talk about it, so I started to build my network that way, and it鈥檚 been great. I mean, to be honest with you, part of the way that I became who I did, I started out as a truck driver in 1995 and by the time I retired, I was a CEO of an $800 million company. And I did that because I鈥檓 a smart guy, but I also understood how to surround myself with even smarter people, and LinkedIn is a means to an end in that regard. So with the people that I knew and the people that I got to know through LinkedIn, I could get an answer to any question almost instantaneously, right? And not every one person, no matter what company you run, knows everything, but I have a network of folks that know everything, right? There鈥檚 somebody in that network that knows everything, so I always had that ability to be able to get that and the same thing is applied in the 麻豆传媒 world. And I mentioned we bought our first hardware store back in 2013 so it鈥檚 not new to us. My wife runs the hardware end of the business, and so we started to build that following back as early as 2015 too, when I got into it, because I would do trucking posts and I would do hardware posts and things about the store. And then I created, you know, there鈥檇 be people even during this true value do it best thing, I really probably gained 1000 different people that I got to know or followers during that period, because I talked a lot about it. I was a member of the true value Co Op originally, and then we became a retailer when that went defunct, and it became owned by a con. And then we later joined do it best when I bought Tri County lumber. So we had, you know, I had sides of both, or information from both sides. And again, that created more of a network. Someone would see a post, and they go to a direct message after that, and they take things offline, and I learn, and they learn like, I mean, the reality of it is it鈥檚 an educational tool. And then every once in a while, you know, I we drag race, every once in a while, I鈥檒l put a post about a weekend race or something. I know it鈥檚 a business site, but still, I think some people, sometimes those will get more likes than a business post will, you know? I mean, you just got to be careful with what you do and how often you do it. But that network that I鈥檝e amassed really has helped me become who I am, and I stress to all my employees and all of our team members here at Tri County and even at the hardware store, to get on LinkedIn. My youngest son, Sam, who鈥檚 now in in sales here, he recently jumped on LinkedIn. I think it鈥檚 just a great network to get to know people. And again, you don鈥檛 have to be the most intelligent guy in the room. You鈥檒l find that person out there and they鈥檙e most people are willing to help you. Hardware is really good, like that, and so is trucking. We鈥檒l help each other with anything. I mean, I have a little competitive market around here, but to be quite frank, there鈥檚 enough business to go around for all of us anyway, so there鈥檚 not, like, a bunch of hidden secrets we don鈥檛 want anybody to know. I mean, what we do is we pick up and we deliver and we broker freight, right? Essentially, we sell commodities, we sell lumber, building materials, special order products, and we deliver them in a timely manner, undamaged. And so it鈥檚 been a good thing for me, for my family, and I enjoy it
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Sally Traxler-Lacey听 09:20
totally. So it鈥檚 been a tool for you to surround yourself with smart people in our industry, that you can use each other, in a sense, through your connection, to help each other grow. I noticed in a lot of your posts, well, for one, I think they鈥檙e great. I love how you just lay everything out there, and kind of at the end, or you really like to also just kind of boast on Tri County and your other location, and say, these are all the awesome things we鈥檙e doing. And at the end, you kind of talk specifically, maybe to your customers, right? You have you noticed any of your customer basebeing on that platform?
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Dave Ables听 10:03
yeah, quite frankly, they are. And then it鈥檚 always a way to gage engage new customers, right? So if you go out there, we鈥檙e big in deck so we are a Timber Tech dealer. We鈥檙e probably one of the biggest in the central Minnesota. We stock it. So every day I see deck builders posting deck things out there. So I go in and I like their comment, or I like their deck, or make a comment about it, and then I don鈥檛 want to ever be overbearing, but I might drop a little a tagline like or send them a direct message and say, hey, you know, we鈥檙e a Timber Tech stocking dealer. Most lumber yards don鈥檛 stock. We stock, right? And they may have their home lumber yard, and they may love that, and I鈥檓 not trying to take them from their home yard, but they鈥檒l be that day where they can鈥檛 get the material, and I want them to know we have it, and then that gives us an opportunity to show who we are. When they come here, we give them a facility tour. They get to meet people, and it鈥檚 just been a good thing. So, and I鈥檓 not trying to be overbearing, we鈥檙e there to help them, right? So the day you need me, I鈥檓 here up until that point, have at it where you鈥檙e at and enjoy it, right? But it鈥檚 been good. We get new business out of it all the time. And, you know, I think that it really I learned that in trucking, too. And in trucking, everybody ships everything. So if I could put a post out there about what we did, or we just won an award for carrier of the year, pretty soon, somebody else is going, or they had a service failure that day, and they鈥檙e going, well, there鈥檚 that guy, Dave. He said, they鈥檙e the carrier of the year. Maybe they鈥檒l do a good job for me. The same in lumber, right? We deliver on time. We do it. We do a really good job. We have all these things in stock. They鈥檒l be that day where that person who鈥檚 perfectly happy where he is needs something and remembers those guys got it at Tri County lumber, and they kind of like what we鈥檙e doing. We take people off the street. I recently we started a program of training to get into sales. And you come in, you spend five months on the yard, then you go into an estimating program where you spent or seven months on the yard, then you go into five months of training, doing estimating and takeoffs, and then starting to do some inside sales. And by the end of your first year, you鈥檙e making a really good living. By the end of your second year, you鈥檙e a six figure guy or gal, and that鈥檚 beautiful man. I鈥檓 gonna tell you right now, of 28 years in trucking to get to six figures took me a lot longer than two years than what you can do in this industry. So it鈥檚 a great industry for people to join. And I think talking about it and putting together these programs is really good, and I鈥檝e tried to hire senior sales people too that come from somebody else, but there鈥檚 always a lot of baggage with that, right? I鈥檓 not saying they鈥檙e not a good person, but they try to bring a contractor from another company, and their pricing model might be different. Or there鈥檚 always catches if I bring people off the street, and we teach them the Tri County way, and then we teach them how to seek out new opportunities. And of course, we always stage them with some existing opportunities. It鈥檚 just really a good thing. And I think they get street cred. They start out like I started out as a truck driver, many, many years later became a CEO. I had the respective drivers, and then Trucking driver turnover is huge. Well, I had a lower driver turnover no matter where I was at because those truck drivers respected me and I was able to talk to people at all levels, whether it be the boardroom or in a cab of a tractor. That same logic applies here. So if I鈥檝e got a contractor that鈥檚 looking for a salesperson, and that sales person spent a year or so on the yard, they鈥檝e built loads, they understand what the product is, we鈥檙e going to take a component of this training and even send them out with some of our contractors so they see practical application of okay, this is soffit, this is where it goes on the house. This is faci, this is where it goes on the house. These are the different things. I don鈥檛 want to have order takers. I want to be part of a project management team for you as a contractor. And the other thing we do here is we do homeowners. Some pro yards don鈥檛 do homeowners. We love homeowners. There鈥檚 a lot of homeowners out there that build their own houses and build their own garages and build their own decks, and they need someone like us that has that expertise. We鈥檝e got a drafting department. We鈥檝e got all these different things that we can do for them, and we kind of enjoy doing it. I love it when I see a family out here in the showroom looking at product, and I get to go out and talk to them. I don鈥檛 sell, right? But my I go out and I talk to them and show them things and talk about products, and then when it鈥檚 time, I鈥檒l turn them over to a salesperson, and it鈥檚 fun, like I love what I do.
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Sally Traxler-Lacey听 14:13
just hearing you even talk right there. I mean, that would be a business that I would go buy from, because you, you are so passionate. I love that. And also, just to kind of jump back to something, I saw some posts about recruiting. Was there any value of LinkedIn in terms of, like, your recruiting processes?
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Dave Ables听 14:35
Yeah, that鈥檚 it, the big thing, part of that. So that鈥檚 the next level. There鈥檚, I鈥檓 trying to attract customers trying to attack, you know, information, and then talent, right? So when talent sees what we鈥檙e doing, they typically want to be a part of it, right? So, and that was the same way in trucking. I mean, we I would have all kinds of cool posts. What we did, I did ride alongs with drivers, and we would post that that would help us get drivers. It would help us get. Of talent. And in this business, I鈥檓 gonna tell you right now, I don鈥檛 have to hire a recruiter to hire anybody. I can put some posts out on LinkedIn, and I鈥檒l have people that want a job in no time at all. And it鈥檚 always worked well that way. And I don鈥檛 know if you鈥檝e ever used a headhunter, but you鈥檙e gonna pay 20 to 30% of first year wage for an unknown entity, and that鈥檚 not really a great investment in some instances. So I think it鈥檚 good, and it does work from a recruitment standpoint, more so at the sales jobs than the operations jobs. But recently, in the last few years, there鈥檚 a lot of drivers and operators that are on LinkedIn. It used to be more of a an office type thing, right? It was the people in the back side of the business, and now it鈥檚 not, I mean, so I think it鈥檚 done really well for us, and that鈥檚 a big reason I use it is to create that following. There鈥檒l be a day where we do need somebody, or we鈥檙e going to continue to expand through acquisition and growth here at this campus. There鈥檒l be a day where I can鈥檛 get enough trainees, and I need some senior people, and those people will know what we鈥檙e doing
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Sally Traxler-Lacey听 15:59
exactly. It is so wild to think about how large of a network is behind, like a platform like this, the fact that you can get your information in front of so many valuable people like totally. What a big tool. So I also notice in your posts, you tag anybody who鈥檚 on LinkedIn that you鈥檙e talking about, which is amazing, you know, like, do it best, lumbermens. I know that you work with those two. Yeah, any, any people you鈥檙e talking about which, you know, dings them and says, Oh, Dave tagged me in a post. What has kind of been the response or value that you鈥檝e seen in like connecting with your partners on a platform like LinkedIn?
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Dave Ables听 16:47
network expansion, right. So if I tag Timber Tech, or if I tag diamond coat, somebody from that company is going to grab that at some point, they鈥檙e either going to repost it or they鈥檙e going to talk about it. So that鈥檚 how you expand your network, is by creating these tabs. And quite frankly, we鈥檙e proud of the products we have. So we tag in the customers. We鈥檙e proud to do it best. We鈥檙e proud of true value. We love the decking. We love all the products we sell. So when we put them in, then the sales guy that works for it grabs it, he reposts it. Then somebody from the manufacturing end grabs it, reposts it. Or they鈥檒l send me direct messages, and, you know? I mean, it works well. I mean, I鈥檝e got we do things with each one of our vendors that probably other yards don鈥檛 do from incentive standpoints. A lot of that originated through, hey, we see what you鈥檙e doing and we like it. What if we gave you this tool, or what if we gave you a deal on this? Could you figure out a way to market that and do well with it? I mean, so that鈥檚 why I do it, is to pull more people in. I mean, so at the end of the day, you know, my whatever, eight or 9000 network is becoming hundreds of, hundreds of 1000s of people that are looking at these posts just because of that, right? So, I mean, just like you in the 麻豆传媒 journal, if I鈥檓 looking at different things from magazines, whether it be yours or not, tag in the magazine, and pretty soon somebody from there like it or repost it and you know, and it鈥檚 good,
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Sally Traxler-Lacey听 18:08
totally. Yeah. So just bringing in more of those smart people that you mentioned, and then you get new ideas, you鈥檙e just connecting with them more and just collaborating more, and you鈥檙e very consistent. I also notice, and I was just talking with a previous podcast guest, and we were talking about consistency, and that is how you grow followers, because people know that you鈥檙e going to continue to put out content and like, want to be there for it, which is I鈥檓 sure why people follow you. And I鈥檓 kind of curious, like, what is that process like for you? Do you just sit down once a week and type out a post, or is it more like when something happens at your locations you just want to go and share about it?
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Dave Ables听 18:55
Yeah, we got a lot of good things that go on, and we have weekly meetings and weekly training sessions, so I usually put something up about that, and that鈥檚 partially to give my vendor props too. So yesterday, the thermitry people were in. They did a training. Lumbermans came in, we had lunch, we grilled out. I haven鈥檛 posted it yet, so I鈥檝e just unique preview will post today. But those kind of things, and again, it鈥檚 just to get more people involved, and I think that it helps our business. I know it helps them too. Lumbermans wants to grow and sell to other yards if they know that we鈥檙e very satisfied with them. And I鈥檓 not trying to keep them for just me, right? They鈥檙e a huge company. I want them to sell to others too. So I think it really works well for all of us. When we do those things in terms of the number of posts, or how I figure out what to post, I peruse LinkedIn a lot as well. So when I see relevant topics that tie into something we鈥檙e doing, that might be a light switch for me that turns on, okay, well, we鈥檙e doing that. I should post about that. You know, if I don鈥檛 really like have it in big corporate world, I had a social media team, and then they would give me these posts in advance, like that we would do for the company, never for. Me. I鈥檓 me, and, like, I was having a discussion last week with a sales consultant, and he uses AI. He鈥檚 really cool, and I love the guy, and I鈥檓 like, I can鈥檛 use AI on this stuff because I talk a certain way, I write a certain way. I use abbreviations and different things when most people wouldn鈥檛. But then, you know, that鈥檚 me. You鈥檒l know if somebody else typed a post out and said it was from Dave Abels, you should almost instantaneously. No, no, no, no, he didn鈥檛 do that, right? So I think that that that is something that helps people follow me. I鈥檓 pretty candid. I鈥檒l tell you what I really think, and I鈥檒l you know, and I don鈥檛 ever want to hurt anybody either. I鈥檓 not mean. I don鈥檛 go out and post bad things about people, but I鈥檓 gonna tell it like it is, and I think that鈥檚 always been a value add.
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Sally Traxler-Lacey听 20:46
Yeah, you were talking about a lot of things, like you鈥檙e sharing so much value, at least I feel like when I鈥檓 going through your post, because I鈥檓 sure you鈥檙e giving inspiration to other yards or people in the business you were talking about tariffs, and that鈥檚 like, that just starts conversation on how we can all kind of get through this together. So you鈥檙e definitely a valuable follow
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Dave Ables听 21:12
the tariffs one, that was one that I was, like, skeptical, and sometimes like, especially more so in trucking, now I own the business, right? So I mean, if I harmony, I hire myself, right? But I mean, so sometimes you have to keep your opinions to yourself, especially in the area of politics. And tariffs become political whether they are or aren鈥檛. But I think it鈥檚 a big issue for us, and, you know, I hope in the end, we win. I鈥檓 an American, and I love America, so I want us all to do better. But I do know that we started getting product increases right away, and I wanted to post that. And the spreadsheet that I put on there was from one vendor, and it was just, I don鈥檛 remember, it was 15 or 20 different increases that we got. And I heard it again last night on the news, and they鈥檙e talking about, you know, when those prices go up, they don鈥檛 ever really go back down. So even if we negotiate the greatest trade deal in the world right now, some of that that鈥檚 already came up ain鈥檛 going back, right? I mean, it鈥檚 just like COVID, COVID happened and then COVID was over. And when COVID was over, some things dropped a little bit or somewhat normalized, but there was a new normal. So what used to be a buck and went to two bucks, landed back at a buck 50. It never got back to $1 so those are the things that I think people need to understand. And we and our vendors try to protect them, and we negotiate. Well, that鈥檚 part of why we stock versus buying same day or brokering material from people, is because we鈥檙e able to buy at a lower rate, and we buy it in volume, but the tariffs and I think the last week, it鈥檚 gotten a little better, maybe, and we鈥檙e making some good progress, but be known those prices that already went up ain鈥檛 going back to a zero base. So you got to be careful when you talk about that, because there鈥檚 some really big people that want to make that political. There ain鈥檛 no politics in that. For me, the price was a Bucha two, and now it鈥檚 going to land back at a buck 50. That鈥檚 not political. That鈥檚 fact life. And I don鈥檛, and I want, you know, people that come to a yard like us a design center, they鈥檙e building their dream home, right? I mean, they sit down with our team, we design this home, we do all these things, and it鈥檚 like there鈥檚 they鈥檙e really living out a dream. And I don鈥檛 want that dream to be a nightmare. And all of a sudden, in the middle of the project, like in COVID, it went up 25% and now what we thought we could afford, we can鈥檛, and we can鈥檛 do this sliding doors, and, you know, so I hope it all normalizes and we鈥檙e all ready for it. There鈥檚 some really, really good lumber yards in central Minnesota and really good hardware stores. And I think it鈥檚, it鈥檚 really a place for people to thrive
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Sally Traxler-Lacey听 23:43
and like considering your tariff post, and maybe there are others out there too, but it generated a lot of comments, a lot of discussion, and that鈥檚 just a place where people can kind of come together, share experiences, share ideas again, on how to kind of get through it. And I I鈥檓 just thinking like, I wonder if you know, social media with a big value of just people on the internet now being authenticity and like, building that trust in the companies that they鈥檙e buying from or working with. Like, if this could also be an opportunity for distributors and manufacturers, like, Hey, this is happening. I mean, if they could kind of also kind of extend that transparency and be like, This is what is happening to us with this whole tariff situation, and this is how we wanna are trying to help you. I haven鈥檛 really seen any posts like that.
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Dave Ables听 24:37
Well, I think there was things behind the scenes, even on the post I had, I got with a multiple of our vendors after that, and we wanted to figure out a way that we could protect people, right? So here鈥檚 what they were, and this is what it鈥檚 going to be. These are the increases that are out there. What we鈥檙e going to try to do is minimize those for you and keep things consistent. And so ironically, two of our major distributors and. And I got together and tried to figure out a way that we wouldn鈥檛 have to give those full increases out a misnomer. And I hear it all the time when it depends on whether you watch red news or blue news, right? The stories are completely different. But at the end of the day, the prices that go up on things are subjective to what comes in. So if I had to pay 5% more, do I pass 5% on to you, the end consumer. Can I afford to take a percent or two on my own? Well, it鈥檚 tough, especially a small businessman. A hardware store doesn鈥檛 do a ton of revenue. They鈥檙e doing a million. Some of them don鈥檛 even do a million dollars in revenue a year. For them to be able to take these cuts on their own, it could put some of them out of business. You hear a lot about small businesses suffering, and we鈥檙e a little bigger than that, but at the same time, we want the end consumer to be able to plan that project and know that you can build that home, right? I don鈥檛 want you to think if you started in April, by the time July comes and something鈥檚 changed, you鈥檙e going to regret that you ever did this project. So when we got together with the vendors, we said, Okay, I鈥檓 going to make a couple numbers up. Let鈥檚 say this came out at a four. Dave, you鈥檙e going to take a point. I鈥檓 going to take a point. This guy鈥檚 going to take a point. So we鈥檙e only going to pass on two of the four, one of the Wow. So then it wasn鈥檛 as painful if I tried to take three points on myself. That鈥檚 a burden on the company. I鈥檝e got 22 families that rely on this company, that work here every day that I can鈥檛 put the company in harm鈥檚 way. But then when we get together with some of our bigger vendors, and they say, You know what, we want to protect the end consumer, let鈥檚 all grab a chunk of this and increase and we鈥檙e going to eat it. Well, then I鈥檓 only taking a point. They鈥檙e taking a point, and the next guy鈥檚 taking a point. We didn鈥檛 really feel much pain. We took care of our contractor, we took care of our homeowner, and we鈥檙e all happy, and so that鈥檚 really what that that post did for me. It sparked activity with my vendors, and we had discussions offline of you know, what we need to protect our consumers?
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Sally Traxler-Lacey听 26:52
That is so beautiful. Just having everybody working together and you being able to share what you鈥檙e doing, I鈥檓 sure, build so much trust in that work with you. kind of moving in a little bit of a different direction. I鈥檓 curious about, if your guys鈥檚 company, social media pages, where those are at? and, yeah, or is it mainly just your presence on LinkedIn, where you鈥檙e able to connect with people.
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Dave Ables听 27:25
So we have to do a better job in that area, and that鈥檚 probably the next step. So right now, most things I do through me, personally or my account. We do have a Tri County lumber page, but we don鈥檛 do a really good job of keeping up posts on it. Whenever I do a post, I tag it to there. So it鈥檚 kind of the same thing, but like on Facebook and things like that. I don鈥檛 do Facebook personally, but we have a page for Tri County lumber, and we need to do better, so we鈥檝e talked about it internally. The thing about our business is there鈥檚 22 people working here today, and I guarantee everyone鈥檚 working, working, working right now, and we don鈥檛 have that focus that we need. We almost need a social media coordinator to be able to focus on those things. Because we have a lot of great deck builders, we have a lot of great home builders. We鈥檇 like to be able to post things for them to help with their businesses. And I think there鈥檚 a great avenue to be able to do that, whether through LinkedIn or through Facebook or Instagram. And we, I would say, I鈥檓 getting an F there, right? We鈥檙e not doing as well as we should, and that鈥檚 an area that we want to improve on going forward, in fact, like on our draftsmen and things, we partner with a couple different technical schools. And I just talked to Blake, who鈥檚 our designer, who I got from one of the technical schools, and I said, you know, like, Who can I talk to there that has a social media you have a social media program at that school. Let鈥檚 get with them. Let鈥檚 get somebody in here, even if it鈥檚 just an internship. We did those in trucking all the time, like we鈥檙e much bigger companies, but I鈥檇 have 2030, interns every year, and that was how we would pick the cream of the crop and keep them with us for years to come. And I think that鈥檚 a great thing to do, but social media, for any business, it could be utilized a lot better than we utilize it here, and I think that鈥檚 somewhere we鈥檙e going to go in the future, but right now, I think it does well with me, and I post them over to that but we really almost need me to be a little bit separate. I can do some of my posts over there, but then we would have a separate, you know, Facebook look and Instagram look and a LinkedIn look that were more consistently active.
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Sally Traxler-Lacey听 29:27
Totally, just don鈥檛 really have someone right now who can put in that time and effort. Totally, yeah, for businesses like, I鈥檒l be on businesses and stuff. I have just seen Facebook be such a valuable platform for, like, the business themselves, yeah, in terms of just community wise.
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Dave Ables听 29:51
wise, yeah. I mean, like, yeah, we need to embrace the community. And so we鈥檙e building a new addition here, and we鈥檙e adding hardware into the Tri County lumber so we have the true value. Over in big lake, but we鈥檒l we鈥檙e putting on a 20,000 square foot center here, and it will have power equipment, it will have rental and it will have a full scale hardware. And we鈥檙e going to continue to expand like today. You can go out, I have two big homes built inside here, and you can get windows, doors, millwork, all those things. We鈥檙e taking it a step further with flooring, with trim, with cabinetry that鈥檒l all be in the new building. But really, we want that for the community too. So there鈥檚 the component of my contractors that have somebody they鈥檙e going to build a house for, they鈥檙e going to come in and look at this. But we want the community to embrace that too, so they don鈥檛 have to drive all the way to Rogers or someplace else Elk River to go to a Home Depot or a Lowe鈥檚. We want them to be able to do that here and the community, it鈥檚 interesting to me, because they hear bits and pieces about things we鈥檙e going to do, and they come in and they say, you know, we heard you鈥檙e gonna put a hardware store. And that鈥檚 great, because we lost our hardware store, whatever, 10 years ago, and and we think it鈥檇 be really cool. And blah, blah, blah, well, if we were utilizing our social media platform properly, on the Facebook side, they would be able to know. We could have put the designs up there. We could have told them what it鈥檚 going to be about. We could have told them why we鈥檙e doing it, and then get them enrolled in that. And those are things that you really mentioned that are strong for me. Is that community engagement just little things that we do like, you know, Dakota County, lumber. I really aspire to be much like them in terms of their social media. They do really well with that. If they have a community event, community event, let鈥檚 post it. Let鈥檚 volunteer. We do the same things they do. We just don鈥檛 post it and promote it well, right? So that is that next level, and I want to be more like that, and I think it鈥檚 good for the community. I mean, we give back, we donate, like 麻豆传媒, there鈥檚 mistakes. Sometimes we鈥檒l miss order a window, or we do something wrong. Well, we donate those things, we don鈥檛 sell them to people, but we should probably post things like that. And you know, when the truck comes from restore and we鈥檙e giving them $50,000 worth of windows, doors, millwork and wood that we should be talking about those things, and we don鈥檛, you know, and so, but we do them right? We just don鈥檛 get the credit for it in terms of and I鈥檓 not looking for credit. Otherwise I鈥檇 try to sell it right, to make money. I鈥檓 looking for that interaction that鈥檚 a good company. They do those things. That doesn鈥檛 mean they鈥檙e necessarily going to buy from me. That just means that that we鈥檙e a good company, and we do those things.
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Sally Traxler-Lacey听 32:16
Mm, hmm, yeah, you鈥檝e got it 100% right in terms of just sharing, that鈥檚 what it鈥檚 for, is for sharing information, right? Getting, getting that information to people. And Dakota County lumber has someone, I think she鈥檚 full time, who does their social medias. She鈥檚 awesome. So, right? You know, once you, once you get someone that鈥檚鈥�
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Dave Ables听 32:35
our next level, to have that person that can handle that, because we all, I mean, like, so I do them on night or on the weekend or because during the day, we鈥檙e all busy, right? So and I, when I brought my son, Nicholas, on, who鈥檚 a recent high school grad, and, you know, today, kids know more about tech than anybody, I thought, well, we鈥檒l have Nicholas start doing those things. He鈥檚 really good on Instagram and all those different posts. But then, like, today, he鈥檚 already on his third delivery for today, so, like he doesn鈥檛 get an opportunity to do that, because we get so busy. So when you鈥檙e to the point or a size of a company where you can have that right media coordinator, I think there鈥檚 a value add to it, to your business
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Sally Traxler-Lacey听 33:11
totally. Well, I just have a couple more questions for you, Dave. We have touched on so much, but kind of before I ask you for just a piece of advice for our community. I just wanted to ask, like, we talked about a lot, so if you can squeeze anything else in here that鈥檚 great, just kind of through your journey on LinkedIn and all that, what have you learned about just the power of social media and how you use it?
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Dave Ables听 33:40
Well, I kind of touched on it, but I think it鈥檚 just amassing that right network. And you know, again, no individual, no matter who you are, knows everything, but I鈥檝e now created a network that allows me to have access to that intel from other industry leaders. And that鈥檚 key. I mean, you could go out, sure and use chat GPT right now and probably get any kind of answer you want. But I鈥檓 getting those same answers from people who actually did it for 20 years themselves, tried it, failed, stubbed their toe, got back up, and I think that鈥檚 really it. If you can be on social media and do the right things, get a network of folks that you can learn from. Again, at 56 years old, I鈥檓 still a student. I learn every single day, and I like this morning, I spent out time out on the yard. We鈥檙e looking at how we鈥檙e loading these loads, and are we doing things right? It鈥檚 an education. I bring a couple other guys out. We鈥檙e looking at, should we do this? Should we do that? I mean, all those things come and I, ironically, I could post a picture of that truck on LinkedIn that just left with a load of lumber. Some guy or gal that鈥檚 a trucker is going to send me a direct message and go, You know what? You should have put a four strap on right here. You should have done that, or you should have done this, or put this on top of that. And so it helps us become better. And that鈥檚 what I really think there. You know, too many times people focus. On the negative, and maybe I just been lucky, but I rarely ever get any negative feedback on anything I post. It鈥檚 not super controversial. It鈥檚 just it鈥檚 good, real stuff, and it helps me become who I am, and helps my business become who we are. Is just by networking with other people. And you know, my guys something that we do here now that they didn鈥檛 with prior ownership, my sales manager, my sales folks, I send them to do it best training school. We send them to different seminars for BLD Connect for all different kinds of things I want them to learn. We go to shows now and trade seminars all across the country. I think I saw you in California last year, right? I mean, we do all these things to learn, and that was great. That鈥檚 still one of my best trips ever, because canal lumber is what I鈥檓 going to be someday in Minnesota, right? I mean, that lumber yard set the standard for the way we behave at our yard and the way our yard looks. And had I never been there and seen it, then we would have not gotten better, and so that trip made my company better. Joey, one of our guys, our sales manager, was also noted as a 40. Under 40 was why we originally went, and it turned into much more than just that, right? I learned during that trip I also met multiple other owners of lumber yards that I now network with throughout the country. I mean, if I have a question on like, what should I do for a comp plan for a salesperson, I can get feedback from lumber yard owners all over the United States that tell me, here鈥檚 what we do, here鈥檚 what we do, and then I can blend my own program. That鈥檚 what social media can do for you. It can extend your network and your knowledge base and make you the smartest guy in the room, even though you鈥檙e not.
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Sally Traxler-Lacey听 36:40
Yeah, yeah, exactly. And I need to do a better job also of posting on LinkedIn. I鈥檓 actually kind of it鈥檚 running through my head about how I want to talk about this and just the podcast, more in general, on LinkedIn, and also build my network so that I can get more awesome people like you on here and just continue this sharing of information. Yeah, so just the last question, you just touched on the total value of using LinkedIn to build your network. Can you leave our audience with one piece of advice, maybe for executives, or just the 麻豆传媒 industry, who鈥檚 on LinkedIn on how, how they can do this?
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Dave Ables听 37:23
I think authenticity comes to mind, right? So we鈥檙e in a world where what you say could be used against you, right? But at the same time, don鈥檛 say something you don鈥檛 believe in, just because you think that that鈥檚 what the status quo wants to hear. And that, as I mentioned earlier, when we were talking, has helped me I talk about what I talk about, because that鈥檚 what I believe, right? And that鈥檚 what we believe. The core beliefs of my company and our, my wife鈥檚 company, is who we are. And so if you鈥檙e going to go out there and you鈥檙e going to do something, do it who you are. I mean, don鈥檛 go out there. And well, I think somebody wants to hear this, so I鈥檒l, I鈥檒l make up a story, and it鈥檒l be along those lines. I mean, you know, there鈥檚 days where we don鈥檛 do things right here, and I鈥檒l post that too. Like, you know, we had a load rejected today because of x, and here鈥檚 what we did differently. I mean, talk about the reality of things, and don鈥檛 always paint the greatest picture in the world. I mean, you know, I try to be positive, because we do do a lot of positive things here, but just hold true to yourself and and I think that鈥檚 the key, is authenticity. Your business is most likely a good business. Perhaps could be better. All businesses could be better. And when you need advice, put it out there. Man, say, you know, we did this today. We received something, sent it right back out, got a complaint, something was wrong, put it out there, and somebody鈥檚 going to come back to you and say, you know, when that happens to us, here鈥檚 what we do, and you鈥檙e going to learn from it. And I think that鈥檚 really great, and it鈥檚 just an extension of an education. And right now, there鈥檚 so much discussion about education in this world we live in. And should you go to college? Should you not go to college? What college should you go to? Should you do this? Should you do that? And some of that you can control right there on your own right, just by being authentic and talking about what you believe in. And at the end of the day, if people don鈥檛 believe in what you believe in, they鈥檒l they won鈥檛 follow you, and they won鈥檛 bother you.
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Sally Traxler-Lacey听 39:18
You know, yes, I think that you know, as I鈥檝e read through your posts, well, that is just a fantastic piece of advice, and I think that that鈥檚 really what is so attractive about some of your content, is, yeah, just the authenticity, and I think it shows that you鈥檙e doing such a good job with it, the fact that you don鈥檛 have any negativity, because it means you鈥檙e focusing on the right things. You鈥檙e not out there, you know, sharing politics, you鈥檙e out here, you鈥檙e sharing your opinions about how you can be better, and all that kind of stuff. And that is so attractive, and that also opens up the doors to more engagement, because when you share your opinion, other people want to chime in also.
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Dave Ables听 40:00
Right, truly. And all the years I鈥檝e been doing this, probably that tariff was the only time I ever got one negative comment, and it happened to be from an individual that I鈥檝e known for 20 years and worked with, you know, like in 2008 and he just came back, and he鈥檚 like, I can鈥檛 believe you feel this way. And, you know, blah, blah. And I was like, wow, that鈥檚 the first time ever, and it was amazing. It was from him, but we took it offline, and I told him, you know, here鈥檚 why I鈥檓 talking about these things, because they are important. He was trying to make it political. It鈥檚 not political to me, man. I mean, yeah, you know, I could care less. I鈥檓 all about America. It doesn鈥檛 matter whether you鈥檙e red, green, blue or yellow. I mean, let鈥檚 just do good for the economy. And when the economy thrives, businesses thrive and and we all do well, Mm,
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Sally Traxler-Lacey听 40:45
hmm, yeah, that鈥檚 a fantastic piece of advice. So Dave is on LinkedIn for everybody. If you want to go connect with him, it鈥檚 just Dave Ables, go follow, connect. And yeah, Dave, I just really appreciate you coming on. This was a very insightful conversation.
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Dave Ables听 41:02
Well, thank you. And if anybody ever needs anything, don鈥檛 hesitate to reach out or direct message me, and I鈥檇 give you any advice. I鈥檓 not an expert, but I鈥檝e done fairly well for myself, and I鈥檝e also made huge mistakes. So if you think something鈥檚 like you might might be going down the wrong path, I could probably help you there too, because I probably went down that path.
