As a third-generation manager, Chad Korte feels a tremendous sense of investment in Home Lumber of New Haven Inc. Owned and operated by the Korte family since the early 1960s, the family has run its business on the philosophy that their people put them ahead of the competition. Indeed, Chad recalls sweeping the floor of the business when he was 12 years old, watching the older generations of his family lay the groundwork for what has emerged as a successful local business. “This business is an extreme source of pride for me,” he says. “I grew up here, watching my relatives put time, love and energy into it.”_ Indeed, Home Lumber has been a labor of love for the Korte family. The business was originally founded in 1957 as Harlan Lumber by A.D. Delagrange. The company moved from Harlan to New Haven in the early 1960s and became Home Lumber of New Haven Inc. In 1962, John A. Korte became the managing partner, joining Carl Lung and silent owners A.D. Delagrange and Delbert Delagrange. Over time, A.D. and Carl sold their interests. In the mid-‘80_s, John David Korte and Alan Korte became minority owners and took an active role in managing the company. In 1994, Delbert passed away, leaving John A. Korte, and his sons John David and Alan as owners. Today, Home Lumber is owned and operated by John David Korte, his sons, Eric and Brent, and Alan Korte and his son, Chad.
”Home Lumber has been a major part of the Korte family,”_ says John David Korte. _”We have been blessed with loyal employees who take pride in their work, and with many of the best builders in a 60-mile radius. A family business can be trying at times, but we have the same goals and work ethics. Just as our father made it possible for Alan and me to buy into the company and eventually own it, Alan and I are in the process of bringing Chad, Eric and Brent into the company. “Alan and I are very proud of our sons,” John David continues. “They each have different areas that they are responsible for and are doing a great job. We as a family have weekly meetings to share ideas and go over the everyday decisions that need to be made in the management of our company. As our sons learn and gain more experience, I am sure that at some point in time a third generation of Kortes will be successful in owning and managing Home Lumber. Until then, Alan and I plan to still be in our office at 5 a.m. each morning and welcoming a new day at Home Lumber._ Home Lumber of New Haven has grown to become one the leading building material providers in northeast Indiana, employing a staff of 64 people, with a multimillion-dollar inventory and a fleet of 25 delivery and service vehicles. Home Lumber’s product offering has also grown to include all framing material, engineered wood products, roofing, drywall, siding, exterior and interior doors, garage doors, windows, deck materials, kitchens, fireplaces, locksets, nails, adhesives and nail guns.
Home Lumber also provides installation services for siding, entry doors, garage doors and openers, and fireplaces. The family offers all of this for one reason: to please their customers. ”In my opinion, we service some of the best builders in Fort Wayne,_” Chad Korte says proudly. That sentiment seems to be reciprocated by Home Lumber’s customer base. Roughly 99 percent of sales are to professional homebuilders, most of which build custom homes. Korte is careful to explain, however, that his business excludes no one when it comes to its customer base. “We service a cross-section of customers, from large-volume builders to high-end custom builders,” Chad explains. “We’re not exclusive. We sell products to professional builders, but we would sell to anyone who wants to build their own home as well._ “We really try to emphasize the service aspect of our business,“ he adds. ”This is a relationship business — anyone can buy, sell and price this product. What sets us apart is that we believe we have the best service, the best people and the best equipment. The feedback we get from our customers is that they can see how we are focused on service above anything else. Service is what makes us different. Part of that service is making sure the staff is aware of the customer’s needs. “We have a very low turnover rate [with our staff],” Chad Korte asserts. “It’s another part of our service that our employees know our customers and their expectations. We don’t have to constantly have to train our people on how to take care of customers. We know we can’t have great service without great people.”_
Paul Mills, Home Lumber manager, is one good example of that. In 1999, Mills joined the Home Lumber team, bringing 14 years of building materials management experience with him. Another example is Terry Schoeff, head of the hearth products department. Prior to joining the Home Lumber team, Terry worked as an engineer at the Majestic Fireplace Company for 23 years designing many of the same fireplaces that Home Lumber currently installs. “It is a privilege to work for a company that truly focuses daily on improving service above all else,” Mills says. “We give the customer what they want, when they want it at a competitive price. That equals success.” Mills is right. Home Lumber focuses on staying ahead of the competition by always making customers’ experiences easy and efficient. Builders can give Home Lumber a blueprint and receive a detailed estimate of the material required as well as a price estimate, and a layout for the floor system using engineered wood products designed by Home Lumber’s in-house engineering department using special design software. However, the system is not always quite as sophisticated. On a more basic level, builder’s can simply phone in an order and see their material on the job when they expect it.
		Regardless of what level of service customers need, Korte and his family are committed to ensuring excellent service. Since the business is single-location and locally owned, they are more flexible and able to react quicker to any customer request. In fact, many of Home Lumber’s customers don’t even have to walk through the business’ doors. “The majority of what we send out is ordered over the phone,” Chad Korte says. “We are generally in touch with the contractors who work with us on a daily basis. “It’s a close relationship. We know what they need, and they know we’ll provide it. Providing it also means delivering the product to his customers, which Home Lumber does using ‘boom trucks’ and ‘spider trucks,’ in order to haul more material and deposit it where the builder requests. “We’re always looking for demands that others aren’t meeting,” he says. “We’re always looking to improve.”
Those improvements include having all the necessary products on-site, delivering products quickly and efficiently and offering competitive prices. As an affiliate of Lumberman’s Merchandising Corporation, Home Lumber can meet or match any buying relationship. As Korte asserts, they do what it takes to please the customer, based on principles that have been passed down through the generations. “I feel it is important to eliminate obstacles and to keep the salespeople free to provide what they do best, top-notch service,” says Brent Korte, outside sales coordinator. “We have found this to be a great benefit to the sales force and most importantly to our customers.”