Mead Lumber
Mead Lumber is a 100% employee-owned building materials retailer and distributor operating 54 integrated locations across nine U.S. Great Plains states, serving contractors, remodelers, and homeowners with lumber, building materials, fabrication, design, and installed services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1910
- HeadquartersColumbus, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Mead Lumber does
Mead Lumber is a 100% employee-owned (ESOP) building materials retailer and distributor operating 54 integrated locations across nine U.S. states — Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Founded in 1910 and headquartered in Columbus, the company runs a multi-format footprint that combines lumber yards, hardware stores, home centers, countertop and millwork fabrication facilities, and truss and component plants, with a workforce of 501–1,000 employees. Its product portfolio spans core construction materials (lumber, decking, roofing, insulation, drywall, engineered wood, siding and stone, trusses, tools) and finished building components (windows, doors, garage doors, kitchen cabinets), supplemented by farm and ranch supplies and retail hardware categories.
The company serves two primary customer segments through distinct service motions: professional contractors and remodelers, and homeowners/DIYers. Contractor-facing offerings include credit services, design and estimating, energy-efficient building solutions, project calculators, rental centers, and returns/deliveries, plus an online customer portal. Consumer-facing offerings include installed services, kitchen and bath design, the Mead Legacy Plans house plan collection, and DIY how-to content. Distribution combines the 54 owned retail locations with digital storefronts operated through channel partnerships with Ace Hardware and Do it Best, supporting home delivery, store delivery, and same-day pickup.
Revenue mechanics are quote-based and transactional rather than subscription-based, with pricing set per project and per location. The company has grown primarily through acquisition of regional lumber yards — notably Rock Creek Lumber (Red Lodge, Montana, 2016) and Teague Lumber Company (Kansas City, 2022, four locations, ~125 employees) — followed by a 2023 rebrand consolidating acquired operations under the Mead Lumber name. As a private ESOP with no disclosed external funding, growth has been internally financed and paced by regional housing demand in the Great Plains corridor.
Mead Lumber firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mead Lumber
- Legal name
- Mead Lumber
- Website
- https://meadcompanies.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1910
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Mead Lumber is a 100% employee-owned building materials retailer and distributor operating 54 integrated locations across nine U.S. Great Plains states, serving contractors, remodelers, and homeowners with lumber, building materials, fabrication, design, and installed services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mead Lumber industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Building Materials Retail
- NAICS
- Wood Product Manufacturing (321), Lumber, Plywood, Millwork, and Wood Panel Merchant Wholesalers (42331)
- SIC
- Retail-Lumber & Other Building Materials Dealers (5211), Wholesale-Lumber & Other Construction Materials (5030), Prefabricated Wood Bldgs & Components (2452)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Building Materials & Lumber Distribution (CRAOAFAD)
Keywords
Where Mead Lumber is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Columbus
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Mead Lumber business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Building Materials Retail: Sale of building materials including lumber, decking, doors, drywall, engineered wood, garage doors, insulation, kitchen cabinets, roofing, siding, stone, tools, trusses, windows, and patio doors.
- Contractor Services: Services for contractors including credit services, design and estimating, energy-efficient building solutions, project calculators, rental centers, and returns and deliveries.
- Consumer Services: Services for homeowners including installed services, kitchen and bath design, and Mead Legacy house plans.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Quote-based pricing for building materials and services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Mead Lumber product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mead Lumber is a 100% employee-owned retailer and distributor of building materials operating 54 physical locations across nine U.S. states. It sells lumber, decking, roofing, insulation, windows, doors, siding, kitchen cabinets, trusses, hardware, and farm/ranch supplies, while also providing fabrication services for countertops and millwork, plus contractor and consumer-facing services such as design and estimating, installation, kitchen and bath design, rental, and customizable house plans.
Product overview
Mead Lumber is a 100% employee-owned building materials retailer and lumber company operating 54 locations across nine states (Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming). The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of building materials including lumber, decking, roofing, insulation, windows, doors, siding, and trusses, alongside farm and ranch supplies and retail hardware. The product portfolio includes both physical products (building materials, lumber, hardware) and professional services (contractor services, design and estimating, installation, rental centers). The company also operates fabrication facilities for countertops and millwork, plus truss and component plants. Services for consumers include kitchen and bath design, the Mead Legacy Plans house plan collection, and how-to solutions for DIY projects. Contractor-focused offerings encompass credit services, design and estimating, project calculators, and rental centers. The company partners with Ace Hardware and Do it Best for online shopping capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Lumber
Companies that use Mead Lumber
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Mead Lumber technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Mead Lumber partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Ace HardwarecoreAce Hardware partnership enables online shopping capabilities for Mead Lumber customers. Customers can browse the entire Ace Hardware catalog, access monthly Red Hot Buys deals, and have items delivered to their home, delivered to the store, or picked up same day.
- Do it BestcoreDo it Best partnership provides online shopping capabilities for Mead Lumber customers. Customers can shop from a wide array of products with options for shipping to home, shipping to store, or picking up in-store.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Mead Lumber competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- 84 Lumber: 84 Lumber operates a large multi-state network of lumber yards, component plants, and installed services aimed at professional builders and DIY customers. Like Mead, it combines retail, distribution, and in-house fabrication (trusses, millwork), making it the closest direct peer.
- US LBM: US LBM is a national distributor of lumber, millwork, and building products serving builders, remodelers, and homeowners through specialty yards. Its product mix, target customer base, and integrated distribution-plus-fabrication model overlap closely with Mead's.
- ABC Supply Co. ABC Supply is the largest U.S. wholesale distributor of roofing, siding, windows, and exterior building products with a multi-state branch network serving contractors. Its branch-based distribution to professional builders parallels Mead's contractor-focused model.
- Lumber Liquidators (LL Flooring): LL Flooring is a multi-channel retailer of flooring and related building products with both physical stores and e-commerce. It shares Mead's mix of retail hardware-adjacent products and broader building materials to pros and consumers, though narrower in category focus.
- Foundation Building Materials: FBM is a specialty building products distributor with branches across multiple states selling insulation, drywall, ceilings, and complementary products to contractors. It mirrors Mead's contractor-focused, multi-state branch distribution model.
Broad incumbents
- Menard Inc. Menards is a large Midwestern big-box home improvement chain overlapping Mead's nine-state geography. It competes directly with Mead's retail and contractor offerings but at significantly larger scale and broader assortment.
- Boise Cascade Company: Boise Cascade is an integrated manufacturer and distributor of wood products and building materials, including engineered wood, plywood, and distribution to retail dealers. It overlaps with Mead's distribution and wood-product activity from the supply side.
- Builders FirstSource: Builders FirstSource is a large national supplier of building products, components, and services to professional homebuilders, including lumber, trusses, and millwork. Its component manufacturing and pro-customer focus makes it a comparable scale player to Mead.
- The Home Depot: The Home Depot is the largest U.S. home improvement retailer with nationwide stores carrying lumber, building materials, and installation services. It competes with Mead across DIY and pro segments but with materially broader assortment and pricing power.
- Lowe's Companies: Lowe's is a national home improvement retailer serving DIY, pro, and maintenance customers with lumber, building materials, and installed services. It competes head-to-head with Mead's retail and contractor offerings across overlapping geographies.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Mead Lumber social profiles
Digital presenceMead Lumber financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mead Lumber leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Mead Lumber funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mead Lumber M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Mead Lumber
What does Mead Lumber do?
Mead Lumber is a 100% employee-owned retailer and distributor of building materials operating 54 physical locations across nine U.S. states. It sells lumber, decking, roofing, insulation, windows, doors, siding, kitchen cabinets, trusses, hardware, and farm/ranch supplies, while also providing fabrication services for countertops and millwork, plus contractor and consumer-facing services such as design and estimating, installation, kitchen and bath design, rental, and customizable house plans.
Is Mead Lumber a public or private company?
Mead Lumber is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Mead Lumber founded?
Mead Lumber was founded in 1910. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Mead Lumber based?
Mead Lumber is headquartered in Columbus, United States, in the North America region.
How does Mead Lumber make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Building Materials Retail is the primary driver. The others are contractor Services and consumer Services.
Who are Mead Lumber's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are 84 Lumber, US LBM, ABC Supply Co., Lumber Liquidators (LL Flooring) and Foundation Building Materials. Broad incumbents are Menard Inc., Boise Cascade Company, Builders FirstSource, The Home Depot and Lowe's Companies.
Does Mead Lumber have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mead Lumber.
What industry is Mead Lumber in?
Mead Lumber's product category is Building Materials Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAOAFAD, Building Materials & Lumber Distribution. Its NAICS code is 321 and its SIC code is 5211.