Russ Kathrein

Russ Kathrein is a speaker, coach, and leadership columnist who has spent 30+ years buying, running, and fixing lumber businesses.

Role: VP of LBM
Company: Do it Best Group
Industry Category: Leadership

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Russ Kathrein

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Russ Kathrein is a speaker, coach, and leadership columnist who has spent 30+ years buying, running, and fixing lumber businesses.

Role: VP of LBM
Company: Do it Best Group
Industry Category: Leadership

About

Russ Kathrein grew up in his father’s lumber yard outside Chicago. He earned a finance degree from Michigan State, then spent years at NCR and United Airlines learning how real businesses make money. When the family lumber company fell into Chapter 11 bankruptcy, he bought it, made 72 bank presentations to find financing, and rebuilt it.

He spent years in senior management at 84 Lumber, BMC West, and ProBuild before becoming CEO of Alexander Lumber, a 130-year-old company with 22 locations across Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. He restructured delivery operations, rebuilt AR systems, redesigned pricing controls, and added millions in measurable results, including $1.6 million in delivery capacity without a single new truck or driver.

Today, he oversees a $3 billion LBM division at Do it Best, writes a leadership column for LBM Journal, speaks at industry conferences, and coaches dealer owners who want someone who has actually done the job. Everything he teaches, he learned the hard way first.

Authority Snapshot

What Russ Brings To The Table

Yard Operations Veteran
Turnaround Specialist
Financial Architect
Mentor & Advisor
Industry Educator

Known For

Pulling his family’s lumber yard out of Chapter 11, which took seventy-two presentations to banks
Yard and delivery operations, including cutting truck turnaround from fifty-two minutes to twelve
Balance sheet discipline, accounts receivable, and getting customers current
His leadership column in LBM Journal, running since 2018
Where independent dealers actually beat the consolidators and the big boxes

Most Asked About

How to cut truck turnaround time in the yard
Why the balance sheet matters more than the P&L
Getting customers to pay without turning into a collections department
Where independents beat the big boxes
How to build vendor partnerships that grow instead of just renew

Playbook

“Your first loss is your best loss.”

“Mean more to fewer vendors.”

“Take the 70 percent solution rather than wait on the perfect one.”

“Bring the problems right up front.”

Honors & Recognitions

Vice President of Lumber & Building Materials, Do it Best Group, since 2021
CEO, Alexander Lumber, a dealer with a dozen locations across Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin
Board member, National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association
Leadership columnist, LBM Journal, since 2018
BA in Finance, Michigan State University

Beyond Business

Says he has sawdust in his veins
Dusted the telephones and loaded the pop machine at his dad’s lumber yard at five or six
Studied finance in college because he was bad at numbers and did not want to be bamboozled by them
Calls himself a phrase guy, and admits half his sayings are borrowed
Has cherry cabinets, and told the remodeler who suggested painting them white that he was nuts

Member Of / Seen At / Featured In

Do it Best Group
True Value
LBM Journal
National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association
LBM Strategies Conference
The Hardware Connection

Speaking Topics

What Russ Talks About

01 / Signature

The Five Operational Changes That Added $2M to My Bottom Line

Pit Crew delivery. Delivery fees. AR collection. Dead inventory. Pricing control. Five systems, five stories, five numbers your audience can take home and put to work.

Keynote
Operations
Dealer Owners

Also Available

Seeing the Invisible People

A Leader’s Guide to Finding, Developing, and Keeping the People Everyone Else Walks Past.

KeynoteLeadershipCulture

The Leadership Playbook Nobody Gave You

For next-gen owners, new GMs, and recently promoted leaders who got the title but not the training. First 100 days, culture, hard conversations, and how to earn respect you can’t inherit.

BreakoutWorkshopNext-Gen Owners

Booking

Whether you need a speaker, a coach, or just a second set of eyes on your operation, the conversation starts here.

Inquire About Booking →

“Your first loss is your best loss."

— Russ Kathrein

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