Lake Chelan Building Supply Purchased by TAL Holdings

by Dennis Rahm

TAL Holdings LLC, a nine-store chain of retail building material centers in Oregon and Washington, announced earlier this week an agreement to acquire Lake Chelan Building Supply stores in Manson and Chelan. The TAL group operates Marson and Marson locations in Chelan, Wenatchee, Leavenworth and Cle Elum. Marson and Marson began operations in North Central Washington in 1955 and in 2017 became a division of TAL Holdings. The official TAL Holdings media release on the purchase of Lake Chelan Building Supply can be read at the conclusion of this article.

Lake Chelan Building Supply was founded by the late Edd and Sharon LaMar in in 1979 and is currently owned and operated by son Brett LaMar. Brett assures that much will remain the same at the stores including employees, keeping the store name and his personal connection as a part of the TAL management team.

LaMar says the decision to sell was one of the hardest he’s had to make. The decision follows several months of discussions and is one that LaMar feels is best for him, his family, and his employees. Brett visited with Dennis Rahm of LakeChelanNow and explains what prompted the decision to sell and what lies ahead. You can listen to that part of the interview below.

What Prompted the Sale?

LaMar looks forward to joining the TAL management team and serving as the store manager in Manson. He also explains that the decision to stick with the name of Lake Chelan Building Supply helps to honor the family legacy left by his parents.

In the second part of our interview Brett gives a glimpse into family and the family business. You can listen to that interview below.

Honoring the Family Legacy

The ownership changeover is expected to be finalized later this month. In the meantime, it’s business as usual for Lake Chelan Building Supply including making plans for the always popular annual Yard Sale scheduled for March 20-21 at the Manson location.

Reflective of their commitment to community, Lake Chelan Building Supply has achieved several awards over the years including twice named as Business of the Year by the Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce, most recently in 2015. They have also received a Community Spirit Award, WBMA Northwest Lumber Dealer of the Year in 2010 and in 2006 selected “Best in the Northwest Washington State” Family Business of the Year.

Official Press Release Announcing Sale

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: M. David Dittmer, CEO
TAL Holdings LLC
Vancouver, Washington
(360) 558-7525
TAL HOLDINGS LLC. – NEW STORE ACQUISITION

(Vancouver, WA, March 2, 2020) – TAL Holdings LLC, an 9-store chain of retail building material centers in Oregon and Washington, announced today they have reached an agreement in principle to acquire Lake Chelan Building Supply (LCBS) in Manson and Chelan, Washington.

An all-employee meeting was held to announce the acquisition by TAL to the LCBS employees. After a transition period, Lake Chelan Building Supply will begin operations as part of the TAL family of companies on March 30, 2020.

Lake Chelan Building Supply was founded in 1979 by Edd and Sharon LaMar. The company is still family owned and operated by Brett LaMar, son of Edd and Sharon. Lake Chelan Building Supply was founded on the simple but important motto of “where customers become friends.” Today, Lake Chelan Building Supply is a full-service building material supplier in the greater Lake Chelan market. TAL and Lake Chelan Building Supply share the same basic business principles – building honest, fair and ethical relationships with our customers. LCBS, like the TAL companies, operates full-service lumberyards, serving the professional builder as well as the retail customer.

“We are excited to join forces with Lake Chelan Building Supply,” said TAL CEO M. David Dittmer.

TAL currently operates a branch in the Chelan market under the Marson and Marson brand; but the Marson and Marson location in Chelan was not adequate to support the business potential in the market. TAL explored building a new facility, but the costs were prohibitive. “The opportunity to join forces with Lake Chelan
Building Supply presented itself and the rest is history,” said Dittmer.

Over the next few months, the Marson and Marson location will close with employees and product transferred to the LCBS Chelan location. At that time, TAL will continue to operate under the Lake Chelan Building Supply brand.

Mr. LaMar said, “Lake Chelan Building Supply is excited to join the TAL Holdings team! One of our biggest struggles over the years was to have the resources to meet our customer’s needs. Joining the TAL family will greatly help in that area.” Mr. LaMar added “I am pleased that TAL has decided to honor the legacy of my
parents and Lake Chelan Building Supply by continuing to operate under our company name.”

Mr. LaMar will be joining the management group of the combined Marson and Marson and Lake Chelan locations. Dittmer stated that, “This acquisition is the right addition to our company. We have an opportunity to strengthen our market share in greater Lake Chelan with the addition of LCBS. We are anxious to expand our
footprint in this growing market.”

“Lake Chelan Building Supply has a strong employee group. Their years of experience in our industry, coupled with the expertise of the Marson and Marson team in Chelan, make us the place to go for building solutions for both the consumer and the contractor,” stated Dittmer.

About TAL Holdings LLC: TAL Holdings has 4 operating divisions: 1) Tum-A-Lum Lumber, founded in 1906, serving the Hood River, The Dalles, and Pendleton markets in Oregon, 2) Marson and Marson Lumber, founded in 1955, serving the Leavenworth, Wenatchee, Chelan and Cle Elum markets of Washington, 3) Browne’s Home Center, founded in 1947, serving the San Juan Islands of Washington and 4) Gerretsen Building Supply serving the Roseburg, Oregon market. All four divisions provide contractors and homeowners with a wide assortment of building material products and services.