Jennings Builders Supply Modernizes with Steel T-Sheds and Drive-Thru Buildings

Over 30 years, Jennings Builders Supply had built itself into the largest independent lumber dealer in Western Carolina, with locations in Brevard, Cashiers and Franklin. They take pride in the level of knowledge, expertise and service they offer their customers. But it still took a lot of phone calls and meetings before Dick Jennings finally agreed to take Clint Darnell, of CT Darnell Construction, up on his suggestion to replace the wood-framed sheds in his Cashiers yard with high-quality steel T-sheds. "We had been housing our lumber materials in standard pole barns - pretty primitive and basic, but we didn't realize there were better options out there."

As you might expect, Dick was worried about cost. Jennings is able to offer high-quality materials for a fair price because they run a tight ship. Dick was reluctant to spend money on something that seemed like a 'nice to have' instead of a 'need to have.'

"Boy, was I wrong," mused Dick. "Not only do those T-sheds get our lumber off the ground and out of the weather, but they can also be configured in multiple spaces to handle our long-form product in a way that's easy to load and unload."

Soon, all the Jennings locations boasted hard-working rack sheds, which was a big step in the right direction toward maximizing their space. Adding CT Darnell's highly acclaimed and customizable drive-thru buildings literally took Jennings' ability to service their customers to a whole new level. "The efficiencies gained by having facilities that weren't just for storage, but also served as working retail aisles for our customers were remarkable. We were literally able to decrease our labor by 35% at a time when we increased sales 20%." CT Darnell was even able to relocate a drive-thru building when Jennings moved a location.