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Getting
to know DICK THOMPSON
At Glen Oak Lumber & Milling, the term "value-added"
applies to more than its quality hardwood millwork products;
it also pertains to its people, who embody a wide range of industry
experience.
Salesperson Dick Thompson, for example, brought a wealth of
knowledge to Glen Oak and its customers when he joined the company
in 1991. He first established himself in the lumber and building
materials industry in 1961, when he began buying and selling
softwood lumber for wholesaler Roberts & Dybdahl. After
selling softwoods to retail lumber dealers for 15 years, Thompson
purchased two retail lumber yards in the Waterloo, Iowa area,
and devoted the next eight years of his career to lumberyard
operations. His first-hand experience is beneficial to Glen
Oak customers who know he can aptly anticipate their wants and
needs.
Having determined that sales is what he likes to do best, Thompson
calls mainly on millwork distributors in Iowa, Western Minnesota,
North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma
where he successfully cultivates long-term relationships. Even
with such a vast territory, Thompson makes sure he personally
visits each customer several times a year.
"Dick’s a strong people person," relates Glen
Oak CEO Tom Talbot. "You have to know Dick to really appreciate
him; he grows on folks. My own relationship with Dick goes back
30 years, he’s a very genuine person. It gets back to those
‘core values’ …"
Thompson understands the importance of applying core values
to each customer relationship. "It’s all about doing
what I say I’ll do," he explains, "there’s
not a substitute for honesty. I strongly believe that repeat
business is the basis of all successful sales. To me, if you
lose a customer, it’s like losing a relative."
This, from a man who has obviously made his relatives a lifelong
priority … Thompson’s four grown children and their
families all reside near his home in Traer, Iowa—a small
town 20 miles south of Waterloo. On the weekends, Dick and his
wife enjoy adding value to their four-acre property where they
grow vegetable and flower gardens.
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