If we have learned anything from 2020, we must understand that change is the only thing we can rely upon, and by using yesterday’s logic to deal with tomorrow’s challenges, we will hit a proverbial wall. History teaches us that the future success of a business directly relates to its ability to adopt and integrate new technology. Undoubtedly, new and better technology leads to both cost and personnel efficiencies; information and data are processed quickly and accurately. So why is our industry so afraid to adopt a new way of doing business, where prices are transparent and data is at your fingertips?
Last year, Jeremy Donovan was teaching AP Calculus and Engineering. He knew nothing about lumber. But this year, when the opportunity to use his math skills in an innovative way emerged, he had to give it a shot. Donovan went to work for the German company Kullik & Rullmann AG in their US sales office. The company recognized his tech savviness and hired Donovan to undertake ecommerce of lumber, a totally new realm for their business. They understood, plainly, that this digital transformation was happening with or without them. Why not join the progress?
The first sale Donovan EVER made, in any industry, was on MaterialsXchange’s digital marketplace for lumber. Having to learn the lumber business and understand its market, Donovan appreciates MX’s organized format. At a glance and in real-time, MX allows him to surf prices for all products listed, giving him more time to study the industry.
Hiring Donovan meant that Kullik & Rullmann AG could unlock and develop technology, modernizing their internal workings. For Donovan, technology lends itself to naturally educate him on the industry. Being able to see demand without having to manage logistics, only materials, is beneficial. Donovan said that he is able to “manage transactions without full time eyes on it. I don’t have to secure a truck or wait to see who is selling what in the market. MaterialsXchange has and does it all right there for me.” More free time means more time spent exploring opportunities, and since future success relies on one’s ability to adopt new technology, learning the tech and forging ahead means progress. Someone will always make that leap of faith, to try something new, so why not stay ahead?
MaterialsXchange understands how being adaptable, flexible, and open to change equals growth. With exploration time available to Donovan, his company decided to investigate a new product to sell. MX accommodated, building a plywood column in our marketplace. That “can-do attitude” opened more markets for Kullik & Rullmann AG, giving them, and Donovan, the ability to be more profitable.
People fear change because they don’t want to lose control or be pushed out of their comfort zones. However, staying put can be riskier than changing. Without change, businesses risk falling behind. The paradox, of course, is that although we dislike change, we are capable of doing it, just like we all had to do this year. The absurdity is that words like “change” and “different” often scare us, but words like “revolutionize” and “transform” invigorate us. They are all synonyms. Without change, the future is one of inadequacy.
As spearheads of a digital transformation for the building materials industry, our role is to realize the possibilities, lead the way forward, and implement our technology. Or someone else will.
Ashley Boeckholt has been immersed in the raw materials industry since birth, having grown up at his family’s small lumber yard just outside of Chicago. In the role of Chief Revenue Officer, Ashley oversees sales, marketing, and business development. Prior to joining MaterialsXchange, he served as a Director at Koch Pulp & Paper Trading, where he helped grow the firm’s risk management business through selling lumber swaps in the OTC market. Previously he served in leadership roles at Sherwood Lumber and Bloch Lumber.