Shed Geek Podcast

Mergers, Innovations, and Leadership with Doug Oliver

• Shed Geek Podcast • Season 4 • Episode 108

Share episode

What happens when two industry titans join forces? Embark on a journey with us as we sit down with Doug Oliver, Director of Manufacturing for Leonard Portable Building and Cook Portable Warehouse Organization, to uncover how a successful merger revolutionized the world of sheds. Doug shares his 30-year legacy, detailing the storied history of Cook and Leonard, and their pioneering introduction of pressure-treated wooden buildings in Florida. Discover the secrets behind their strong brand recognition and the product innovations that emerged from their union.

Gain insights into the evolving shed industry, where adaptability is key. Doug opens up about the transformative impact of new technologies and marketing tools that are reshaping operations and sales. Listen as he recounts his own journey from industrial maintenance to a multifaceted role, offering a personal perspective on the importance of continuous learning and adaptation in an ever-changing market. The episode also touches on the significant role of regulations, automation, and the challenges posed by external factors like hurricanes on manufacturing operations.

Finally, we explore broader industry trends, focusing on the human element of success. Doug emphasizes the necessity of investing in people and fostering a culture of innovation. We discuss how the spirit of entrepreneurship can drive societal progress and the value of trade education in opening doors to fulfilling careers. Whether you're an industry veteran or simply curious, this episode promises an engaging exploration of the shed industry and the inspiring stories of growth and leadership within it.

For more information or to know more about the Shed Geek Podcast visit us at our website.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at the handle @shedgeekpodcast.

To be a guest on the Shed Geek Podcast visit our website and fill out the "Contact Us" form.

To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.

This episodes Sponsors:
Studio Sponsor: Union Grove Lumber

Shed Suite
IdentiGrow
Solar Blaster
Shed Pro
Liftify


Shed Geek:

Okay, welcome back to another episode of the Shed Geek podcast, and this is an episode in the making, to say the least. Here in South Georgia, doug, we tried to do this a year ago and it just didn't work. So, for those listening, the way this went down is we took six months getting this put together. I drive down to Montezuma to the southeast Georgia barbecue last year uh, the shed hauler event and travel on down, stayed in r park outside of Valdosta, Georgia, and I get sick I mean just so sick, and I just had to call Doug and say can we put this on schedule for another time? And he was gracious enough to do that and I'm so glad it worked out. We came back down this year. We got to get the interview, not sick this time, but dealing with the remnants of Hurricane Helene. So, yeah, very interesting. So, Doug, introduce yourself, if you would. Who you are, what you do, so people know.

Doug Oliver:

Well, I'm Doug Oliver. I'm the director of manufacturing for the Leonard Portable Building and Cook Portable Warehouse Organization. I watch after the six manufacturing plants that we have. I've been with the company, started with Cook almost 30 years ago and continue today 30 years.

Shed Geek:

I love it. This is some of my favorite interviews because you don't get to talk to a lot of people who've been in heds for 30 years and I know we can talk about so much. I'm just anxious to get into it because the Cook name holds a very unique place for me, because you, you know, I grew up in Olmsted, Illinois. No one knows where Olmsted, Illinois is, but it's about 25 minutes south of Cobden, okay, roughly so, uh, uh, just below Ulin. You probably went through those areas and all that. So um cook is. You know I, I know my history enough to know that you guys have been around since 86. You know, I know that you went through an acquisition process with Leonard and Leonard's based out of North Carolina. What I didn't know when I found out today is that Leonard has actually been around since 1963.

Doug Oliver:

Goodness.

Shed Geek:

It's rare to find shed guys. It's been in for that long, so, uh, yeah, it's exciting. I've told this story many, many times before about how, whenever we sold sheds, cook had such a brand. It was almost like Q-Tip or Weed-Eater or Coca-Cola. Every time we'd sell our sheds they would be like oh, you got to like your Cook sheds. And we were like no, these are, like you know, summit portable buildings or something. And they would say I've never heard of Summit cook shed. It was always so aggravating because you guys had such a good brand on the market. And that seems to be the case in a lot of areas.

Doug Oliver:

You know, we've always tried to set ourselves apart a little bit in some of the things that we did, the manufacturing way, the products that we used. That made us a little bit different. And I think we ventured out into some markets early as in Florida. We were one of the, if not the first, pressure-treated wooden building that wound up in the state of Florida, so that gave us a reputation as well. And then, as the years have went by, we've had more and more other shed companies, you know, come about and uh, you know, and of course we've had to adjust and change our production methods and our products that we use as technology grows to make them better.

Shed Geek:

um, for our end consumers, yeah absolutely Well, it's, uh, it's, it's just such a welcome brand. I think I told you the story earlier. My father-in-law still has a cook shed sitting in his backyard that's been there that if anybody's ever heard us tell the story, if not, ask me sometime and we'll tell you about how we became makeshift shed haulers with a story that included a tandem 6x12 utility trailer, a couple four-wheelers and a little tractor and yeah, it's a fun one. But yeah, cook just kind of has that. It's forever going to have that brand. For me, it's forever going to have that first introduction to the industry Growing up where we did. I know several people that ended up working with, or still do for, the organization there in Anna Cobden area. But you guys are all over. You're in multiple states, you know. You've grown this, you know, and now this connection with Leonard's made it even larger.

Doug Oliver:

That's correct. We now have plants in Texas, Mississippi, Illinois, Georgia and two in North Carolina, and so it continues to grow. The merge with Leonard was great in a lot of ways. It brought us a little bit of insight into some different ideas, some different products, some different technology that we've helped integrate both of them together and hopefully come out with a building. We call it a one building, merging the best of both worlds into one structure to turn out to our customers, because both companies had a lot of history and background in how to build a quality building.

Shed Geek:

Yeah, you're meeting a company that's 50, 60 years in and another company that's, you know, 40 years in and bringing those ideas together and just kind of I think it's very unique, very awesome. I think we're going to see more of it. You know things like that, acquisitions inside of the industry. I could be wrong, but you know I'm always wondering are we moving toward this one world government? You know, Doug, in the shed world as it's, you know me and you even talked about, like you know, third-party stuff inside the industry. I don't know marketing to POS and CRMs and ERPs and SEO and any other acronym that you can put out there to. You know just the guy who just likes to build a shed, set a shed out by the yard, see how it sells, and then you know how companies end up in these multi-million, hundreds of million dollars a year and still not even touching really the self-storage industry. We're just kind of nipping at their heels while over here fighting with each other. Right? It's an interesting 30 years of this you've seen so much.

Doug Oliver:

I have seen a; you know Cook came around. You know, when I first started here, they'd been down in Georgia for roughly a year, maybe a little over. And honestly, I started here as a mechanic turning wrenches on trucks and trailers, trying to keep their fleet up and moving and delivering buildings every day, and that grew into a delivery driving job, and then a transfer driver job, and then a fleet manager job, and then a fleet manager job, and then a plant manager job, and now to director of manufacturing. And so, you know I've seen a lot as time has gone by and how much we've grown to where we are today. It's an ever-evolving business that if you stand still too long, you get left behind yeah, yeah, for sure, yeah, no, that's the truth.

Shed Geek:

And those who are sort of embracing the new ideas, like me and you talked about this, but we say it with everyone that we're with. You know, like the shed, industry is not immune to the way the shopper decides that he wants to shop. So, we're, you know and delivery fits into that category too right, you know, all these new tools, new apparatuses, new ways to sell, new ways to build the automations in building, there's so many things that we can talk about.

ADVERTISEMENT:

Are you ready to elevate your shed business to new heights? Your pathway to success just got a whole lot smoother with Shed Suite's innovative marketing platform. At Shed Suite, we like to think we understand the shed industry at least a little bit, and over the last seven years we've been building awesome software for shed businesses. We focus first on building easy to use software to help you create and track orders, like the point of sale and after the sale, order fulfillment. And now we're excited to announce our full feature CRM all things pre-sale you know, like prospecting and follow-up All to empower your shed company to market better and sell more efficiently.

ADVERTISEMENT:

Our platform empowers you with a marketing toolkit designed to amplify your online presence, engage your audience and drive sales like never before. Enjoy the ease of conversion tracking, email marketing, centralized lead communication and so much more. Oh, and guess what? It even comes with an iPhone and an Android app. With shed suites marketing platform, crafting and deploying effective marketing campaigns is a breeze. The advanced reporting functionality allows your team to analyze real-time conversion data so you can make informed decisions and watch your business flourish. There's no better time than now to join the community of Shed business owners who are scaling up with Shed Suite. It's time to turn your marketing efforts into real, trackable results. Visit ShedSuite. com forward, slash marketing to get pricing, explore the features and book a demo. Shed Suite is committed to building top quality software to empower your shed business to thrive.

Shed Geek:

I wanted to ask you what got you started? You kind of answered that. So, you just answered a maintenance job call in the paper, or what? How'd that go?

Doug Oliver:

You know, I was doing an industrial maintenance job at a different company here in town and the guy I was working with we became friends, and his wife worked here. He left to come over and do a delivery driving job and he said, hey, they're looking for a mechanic and I applied. Within a few weeks I started, and I've been here ever since.

Shed Geek:

So, your expertise was coming in as a, as a mechanic, as a. That's just what you had done.

Doug Oliver:

That's right.

Shed Geek:

And started learning the ropes.

Doug Oliver:

started seeing different things about sheds, so it is, I guess you know, working on trucks. And then I got asked to hey, can you help deliver this building? And you know, it just kind of continued to grow. As I mentioned earlier, I'm the type of person that I always love to learn, so anything that I don't know how to do frustrates me, and so I just kept putting forth the effort, even in my own time, to learn more and more. I would go out with delivery drivers when I got off of technically the hourly clock mechanic and on trucks to go learn how they did these things, and I just kept growing from there. And then, delivering buildings, you needed to learn how to make some minor repairs, so then I learned how to start putting them together and how they were assembled, and it just kept growing.

Shed Geek:

And that's normally two different worlds, at least where I grew up okay, when I grew up carpenter guys and mechanics you don't find one and the same. It's rare they're good at one and not the other, Right? So, jack of all trades over here, being able to learn all of these, I like it.

Doug Oliver:

Yes, and it's always very interesting. Like I said, I really like to learn new stuff every day. Yes, and it's always very interesting. Like I said, I really like to learn new stuff every day. So, even throughout our facilities, as we see things and we talk to different people about possible upgrades or new ideas, or I'm always trying to learn something new that can benefit us in some way and truthfully try to pick it apart to make sure that you know that's the correct path to keep moving with.

Shed Geek:

Yeah for sure. So, tell me some of the biggest changes that you feel like you've seen in 30 years. What are some of the things? Or maybe even take me through you know I normally don't get the pleasure of this maybe even take me through the decades of change that we've seen, not just from 30 years ago to now. But what are you? When you did these, you went out with these haulers. You probably wasn't using a mule or any kind of shed mover or anything like that at the time.

Doug Oliver:

Oh no, if we go back into the late 90s and the early 2000s when I was delivering buildings or mechanicing on trailers. We built all of our own. We did not buy any, we manufactured all of our own. Trailers, you know, had electric winches on them and electric brakes, and what have you? And we moved everything manually Pieces of pipe, winch, snatch, blocks, your back.

Doug Oliver:

You moved everything manually out there, and so you got really good at being able to do some of those things, um, in very unconventional ways, um. Then, um, from the fleet side of things, we bought our first trailer from Goose Creek, um, and then I think Goose Creek actually merged into WKM, if my memory is right, and we still operated quite a few. We still have some of them now that we operate every day, and now I think they've got I don't even know who the last two that they picked up were actually manufactured by. But we don't really manufacture trailers anymore. We've refurbished some of our old ones, modified them to match some of the newer models that are out there now, but we don't manufacture trailers Now.

Doug Oliver:

From a building standpoint, when I started, we were doing everything in good old green pressure-treated lumber. You know, you put it together, you put it on a truck, and you send it to a customer, and then, you know, a little bit later we all fought the weathering problem with pressure-treated lumber. So, we attempted to use a very light, semi-transparent stain that was kind of a goldish-looking color we called it clear coat to coat the building and that worked marginally well for a period of time. And that worked marginally well for a period of time and then we moved into LP. Lp reached well, the vendor reached out to us and then we worked with them for probably close to a year before we were able to convince them to manufacture a panel that we wanted to run. For years we did not run their standard panels. They put on the market and so we ran a 5.8 shallow groove panel for a long time and here just recently merged into the standard 3.8 panel, like most other companies are running on a daily basis.

Shed Geek:

Yeah, I remember whenever you guys did the two foot on center, the heavier you know, the heavier LP product. It just comes from being a shed geek. I mean. There's no other way than to know that, but to stop at your manufacturer, stop at your dealers, learn what's going on, try to understand the market a little bit better. But I just believe that, whether you're a mechanic or shed guy or you know whatever you're doing, if you're a guitar enthusiast, you know you tend to like open yourself up to education, kind of like you said, if you don't know how it works, ask questions, try to figure it out, and it always interested me how.

Shed Geek:

I think one of the things I told you guys is your color palette's always been something that's caught my attention. I know a cook shed whenever I see it. Of course, we just saw him growing up around the neighborhood for one. Uh, that's all we had was cook sheds whenever I was growing up, so I didn't know any other brand. Uh, existed, um, and then, uh, let's see shingled roofs. I just love that. You guys still, you know, do a shingled roof a lot. I don't know how your haulers feel about it, but you know, I I love it.

Doug Oliver:

I like the look of it, and you know it makes sense well, you know, and we figured out some ways to be able to still apply shingles in a efficient manner to keep up with our demand. Um, we do feel like it blends more in people's yards in a lot of cases. Um, you know, and of course, the majority of our haulers are all company employees, so, um, they, we do have some processes to keep wind from blowing them off, etc. And you know that kind of thing. The one of the good things about a shingled roof, though, is that so we do have some processes to keep wind from blowing them off, et cetera, and you know that kind of thing. One of the good things about a shingled roof, though, is that, if you do have a problem, it's very simple and easy for the driver to repair it and make your customer happy before they walk out of the yard.

Doug Oliver:

Good point which a metal roof is not that way. There's no repairing one of those on site because you bumped it into a tree.

Shed Geek:

Yeah yeah, you got to go back out, you got to get the panel and it's another trip, another expense. That's a good point. Well, I just I like the look of it. My shed at my home is a shingled roof. You know, got it to match the house. I mean we're not in anything HOA, but I mean surely it helps with that compliance as well too, whenever you run into that.

ADVERTISEMENT:

Here at Identigrow we have been providing custom nameplates for the shed and furniture industry for over 20 years. We are so pleased to know that shed manufacturers see the value in expressing their shed brand to potential customers using an Identigrow nameplate. When you add an attractive decal to your product, you will more than pay for the cost. With increased sales, clients will not only be able to identify the shed brand, but it will help to brand and advertise to potential customers, who can easily see the nameplate and, in many cases, find a phone number or website to shop for themselves or website to shop for themselves.

ADVERTISEMENT:

At Identigrow we are happy to continue to serve and invite you to visit our website at identigrow. com or give us a call at 540-283-9193. You can even fax us at 540-283-9194 or visit our website by clicking on the shed geek newsletter and then simply fill out some basic information for a free catalog or free samples. Thank you, shed industry, for allowing us to serve you in identifying your sheds, Identigrow, identify your products, grow your business.

Shed Geek:

So, Florida is a different beast right, very much so. You know, like you guys are into it, what have been some of the challenges you've seen there over 30 years. I'll let you expand on it. I know a little bit about the engineering side and different things and of course, we just had a couple hurricanes come through.

Doug Oliver:

Well, believe it or not, to my knowledge we have not had any reports of losing any buildings in the past two hurricanes, so that's always a plus. You know, if you go back and I, my years merged together, so if you go back 20 plus years, you know the state of Florida did not include sheds in the manufactured building program. Then they up and decided they were going to and so that that program it has a lot of benefits to what we're doing now. It's a requirement with the state. If you manufacture a building in a facility it is supposed to run through the program. We do have to have plans redrawn, recertified, reuploaded every three years. The Florida Building Code changes every three years, and we have to have those in compliance and then we have to put insignias into each building certifying its compliance to run down into the state. It's a little on the aggravating side from a manufacturer standpoint but it makes the world a lot easier from a permitting standpoint for the customer or your local store.

Shed Geek:

Yeah, I'm assuming you guys stay probably pretty caught up on the regulations and things like that. You have to because that will affect manufacturing in the sense that you've got to turn a big boat in a small pond right pretty quickly, like you guys have tons of buildings out here and you've got tons of processes out here. Then all of a sudden, this one thing changed and oh no, you gotta have that Thursday morning meeting with the, with the crew, and listen to all the feedback and hey, this is out of my hands and all that good stuff, right yes it.

Doug Oliver:

It can be challenging at times. Um, you know the. You know. Fortunately, the building code doesn't make humongous changes. Most of the time it's made a few, and those are certainly some that you have to really adapt to and do it in a hurry. You know, with the cycle changes every three years. It also makes it very difficult for engineers. You know, when you have to renew everybody's sets of plans, or if you have a project that's going to start in February, you have to try to wait until the code comes out in October before you can even start designing it. It makes it challenging, and engineers get very bogged down in work, which sometimes us shed guys. We are not the biggest fish in that pond to an engineer, so we get kind of shoved to the very tail end of the list sometimes so, no, I could see that, uh, I know it's always been and there's, you know it's not just Florida, there's some particular areas.

Shed Geek:

You know that. That the uh, oh, it's just. I mean, you get a lot of weather through here. I think you guys are looking at another tropical storm possibly coming through this week. So, it's hurricane season, right, and it's just. You know, seeing, uh, the damage, even as we drove down here. Matter of fact, finding a hotel good luck with that, you know, within a hundred- mile radius was just about difficult. So, uh, but you guys seem to fare well, minus your plant here.

Doug Oliver:

You had a little damage I did, I did and uh, but, but we're still operational. We put some Band-Aids on things here and there until we're waiting on stuff to get here. You know the lead times for certain things are pretty long, so we're having to work our way through those, yeah.

Shed Geek:

I guess you're used to it and you're probably a Georgia native. I mean, I'm assuming.

Doug Oliver:

Actually, I was born in Tennessee, but I have lived in Georgia since I was. I was five, so okay, been here most of my life.

Shed Geek:

Well, I saw a gold vols.

Doug Oliver:

That is our um, that's just our lead driver and fleet correspondent up front. Um, he, he is a big Tennessee fan. I'm actually uh, you know, I live in Georgia most of my life, but I'm actually a Florida Gator fan, so man um the fights around here, I can't imagine yes, we have Georgia, have Georgia fans, and of course we've got a few Florida State fans, and so the conversations are always very interesting, to say the least.

Shed Geek:

I can only imagine. Yeah, that would be a fun work environment Talking about. We discussed automations a little bit earlier in the manufacturing process. Where do you think that's going? You obviously seen it way different. I mean there's equipment now that's making changes. I mean you guys have invested into some of that. You're seeing some of that, the automations of the future as companies become larger, like Leonard and Cook is doing. Uh, I would imagine I'm hearing rumblings of the same things happening in other companies your size and such.

Doug Oliver:

It is.

Doug Oliver:

You know, when you get to a certain place in manufacturing, it becomes a whole lot more beneficial to either pay someone else to do something for you.

Doug Oliver:

Obviously, I think virtually most shed manufacturers do, whether it's notching skids or cutting PET lumber, whatever. But you know, as we've grown, and especially much as I hate to use the word since the pandemic came about, the labor market has been tough. You know, finding good quality people that really want to perform these types of jobs is getting more and more difficult every day, and so we've had to look at ways to make the jobs less physically intensive, a little bit more employee friendly, and to break some of those jobs down in smaller items to make them easier to teach. So, we've invested here, in two plants at least, into some beam saw. We've got a double-headed chop saw. We've got some things to help us try to make some of that job a lot easier and a lot faster to cut panels, to cut lumber, truss components, etc. Mount Airy facility actually has a few more pieces of equipment than we do. Um, that, uh proved to be very handy, which will probably be on the list of things.

Shed Geek:

Moving into some of our other plants, um, as the year two clicks by, and I've been to mount airy a couple of different times and, um, we're gonna. You know, I always find this funny. You know I'm from metropolis, so we got the hometown of superman, so they've got Andy Griffith. Yeah, you know, you can't beat that mount airy. We've been out there a few times and it's probably going to be a bigger part of our show, uh, being that we're going to try to start, uh launching our Monday shows into a focus on steel, steel industry, carports and components, those types of, because there is a lot of the shed world that just kind of bleeds over into other industries. Uh, you know, you guys kind of talked about.

Doug Oliver:

You know, you guys doing the LP side in the wood side, even Leonard coming in with the metal yes side you've been able to like Leonard does have a metal manufacturing plant up there too, um, you know, and we build some metal tubular buildings up there called Pilot Series that are very popular, that customers like and enjoy from a maintenance-free perspective. A lot of that stuff does overlap each other back and forth and it just depends on the viewpoint you want to look at from a customer of which side of it you really prefer yeah, that's right.

Shed Geek:

It all comes down to, you know, trying to service the, the consumer, and what's the direction of the market going, and I think we're all trying to put our finger on that at times, aren't? We it's, it's. It's interesting. What does your crystal ball tell you? 30 years in the industry where do you feel like it's going?

Doug Oliver:

well, I think the shed industry will remain steady um, with the, with the housing market continuing to build houses each and every year. I think that we'll remain steady for I I would say at least another few decade's um before we might have to rethink that plan um, but you know, right now I think it'll remain steady, moving out there and continue to grow. I don't know that you will ever be able to really pick one version of a storage shed over the other. I still think a lot of that is just left up to the location and the personal perspective on what they feel is the best for them.

ADVERTISEMENT:

Hello shed builders, I'd like to grab your attention for just a moment. As we look ahead to 2025, one thing is clear Customers will have higher expectations than ever before. Shed consumers have an unprecedented access to information. To stay competitive, you need to create sheds that are not only high in quality, but also rich in innovation. You might recall my friend, dan Rehm, one of my early podcast guests, who introduced Solar Blaster fans, specifically the Solar Roof Blaster. Dan has been busy handling orders and he's eager to speak directly to shed builders about his groundbreaking products, to shed builders about his groundbreaking products. What stands out to me about Dan's products designed specifically for sheds like the Solar Roof Blaster and the Solar Light Blaster, is how they enhance the shed owner's experience.

ADVERTISEMENT:

With the focus on quality, it's time to start thinking about adding features and benefits for the end user. Here at Shed Geek, we wholeheartedly recommend Solar Blaster as the solution. My favorite thing about the entire line of products the support you'll receive from Dan. Not only is he incredibly knowledgeable about these products, but he's also one of the most customer-focused individuals I know. He truly stands behind both his product and his service. We're searching for companies ready to elevate customer satisfaction to the next level. To learn more, just visit solarblasterfans. com and fill out some basic information for a callback, or connect directly at 480-747-7097. You can also check out the Shed Geek newsletter, where a click on the Solar Blaster ad will guide you to a form for more information and some cool videos showcasing the products. Let's power up innovation and elevate customer experiences together.

Shed Geek:

What do you feel Leonard and Cook put out there as like their mission statement, if you will, to their consumer? What is sort of their pledge? What are you trying to provide?

Doug Oliver:

We want to provide a hassle-free quality product at a valuable or at a value point. You know, and I think you know, there's a tremendous amount of people in the industry now making sheds and they're from all aspects of the spectrum. You have some that focus on nothing but a price point will it stay dry inside all the way to the ones that will create anything that you want them to do. If you have an imagination, you can turn it into reality and you know, Leonard and Cook, we kind of try to focus on the spot, kind of in the middle. We want to be able to provide something that is valuable to you at a price point that you can reasonably afford and a quick and easy turnaround to get it into your backyard so you can use it.

Shed Geek:

Yeah Well, I mean, at the end of the day, we're still really servicing the storage market. That seems to be the primary function most of the time, and we've said this before, we'll probably say it 100 more times we haven't even really, in my opinion, breached sort of that self-storage industry. I mean, there's one on every corner, there's more going up all the time and for apartments and HOA's and things like that. I get it. But for you know, single family, you know homes, uh, you know, the majority of us got a shed in the backyard, right, still a very big need. It's still a very relevant need, I think, and we're American so we like our stuff. That's right. So, and the beauty is, you know, for those living minimalistic, going tiny homes, they still need a construction company.

Doug Oliver:

That's correct. You know, I learned a long time ago. You know, if you're going to, if you're ever going to, go out shopping for a storage building, buy the biggest one that your county or city will allow you to put there, because, regardless of the size that you buy, within a year it will be full.

Shed Geek:

No one's ever come back to me and said you sold me too big of a building. It's always been you sold me too small of a building, which means I didn't do my job right Because I didn't go the vision with them. You know for where they're going. What's a favorite memory for you over 30 years? I don't get to find too many 30-year guys in the shed industry.

Doug Oliver:

You know, honestly, for me, I'm a people person and I've always enjoyed helping people to be the best version of themselves, to be the best version of themselves, and so, as I try to lead people, as I work with folks out on the floor every day, whether it's truck drivers, production employees, et cetera I try to pour into them life values or lessons that they can take and use from when you see, you know, without pinpointing names, but when you see a young person that all of a sudden makes that switch in their mind that they understand the values that you're trying to teach them to make their life better, you can go home with a really hold your head high and be proud of what you accomplished that day well, I noticed one thing about you.

Shed Geek:

I'm a bit of a people watcher, I guess you'd say. But on the tour that we took going around and seeing a massive facility, 40,000 square foot, with multiple other buildings included, tons of buildings inside, lots of employees you're calling a lot of these guys by name, so even the new hire come up and it's like, hey, I want to introduce myself to you. It seems like there's a bit of a culture here that you've, you know, created over that 30 years.

Doug Oliver:

Well, I always want all of our people in well anybody but especially our people in manufacturing to understand that I'm no different than they are. I just have different responsibilities. I'm just a gear inside of a machine. The same way they are every day, and you know I've done most of the job that they're doing at some point in time. I understand the struggles and the heartaches they deal with. I try to be a sounding board, to listen to them when they're frustrated and upset, you know, and try to guide them back to a positive way of thinking. But I do. I want all of them. I tell a lot of stories when I meet with our team about myself. They. They know all of my family by name. They know how, when I've made a complete fool of myself at some time or another, I try to share, to make, to make them understand that I'm just like they are. I'm no different.

Shed Geek:

Yeah, yeah, it's culture is a big thing because you know two things that I really look at whenever I get to go into places and I'm thankful to get the invite to be here and I'm even trying to remember the first connection. It wasn't actually you, it was Benny Salls, probably. It was Benny at Leonard, and it's been well over a year ago that we talked and thank you, Benny, for listening. I appreciate it. And getting to come down here Not only that, but getting to schedule this a year later, whenever we were already coming down here, was convenient.

Shed Geek:

But I'll go in and I'll look at culture and I'll go in and look at systems and processes. And you know, it's really exciting because I think I told you that, like Cook will always have a bit of a unique place for me, because it was just the I don't know, and until I really started in purchasing, uh, for a large manufacturer, I thought Cook sheds were just it, I thought that's where it was. You know, and you guys still do a great job, but I'm happy to see that, like, the culture and the process that you guys implement satisfy all the things I thought you might be as an organization when I was just growing up here in your name.

Doug Oliver:

Well, you know, and of course we have our struggles sometimes too. I think everybody does. But you know, I just really believe in. Some people get so tied up into production goals and dollar values and while all of those are important without any shadow of a doubt, in business my focus has always been to try to invest into the person themselves and to get them when they see that they can become better than they currently are. As you said earlier, we're in competition with ourself every day. We're not in competition with everybody else. We're only in competition with ourself every day. We're not in competition with everybody else. We're only in competition with ourself when, when you can make people understand that they're capable of being better, they feel better about their self, and you create that positive culture out there to where they strive to be good, then it makes jobs such as mine a lot easier to do, because they're carrying them the biggest portion of the load.

Shed Geek:

It's a bit of a misnomer at times to think that we're in the shed business. I like to say we're just in the people business and the shed is the tool that we're in. But if you treat every business like that whether it's again being a guitar enthusiast or guitar salesperson manufacturer, maybe tractors, maybe it's cars, whatever it is you replace the product. You still see the same people and going from one place to the next. That's really what matters. If you can have an impact on the culture and then have such a positive experience to where it starts to affect the systems and processes, you really start to win business. Naturally it doesn't happen in my opinion, or it hasn't happened for me at least, as targeted as I've approached as much as by accident, by just, you know, focusing on the person.

Doug Oliver:

That's right. You know people are the most important thing that we deal with each and every day. You know, and I've always felt like you know. You go out here and ask these folks what is the? What is our number one job? Every day? To go home the same way we walked in the door today. That's our number one goal. You know, I always encourage them to think, make decisions. I empower them to make choices. Um, there's been a lot of times where you know folks will criticize somebody or discipline somebody for making a choice that wound up costing them two hundred dollars. I think you have to make sure that you value the thought process and the ingenuity somebody comes up with and then guide them from there. You, you, if you, if you jump on, all you're going to do is make them shut down. And virtually all of the ideas or the buildings you see that we've produced over the course of 30 years of business all started with ideas from the people that are actually walking that concrete floor out there every day.

ADVERTISEMENT:

This is James Price of ShedPro on faith and business. It is all too common for us to hear these days that business is bad, that capitalism is exploiting people. Sure, bad businesses exist and, yes, capitalism has caused many terrible exploitations around the world. But we shouldn't lose focus on the fact that entrepreneurs like each of you are heroes of today. Let me give you a few examples of what capitalism and entrepreneurship has accomplished over the last 200 years. 200 years ago, 85% of the world's population lived in extreme poverty. Now only 16%. Life expectancy jumped from an average of 30 years to now 68 years. We went from a world of almost complete illiteracy to now 84% of adults can read. Globally, the average income has increased by over 1,000%. John McKay said it wonderfully Entrepreneurs solve problems by creatively envisioning different ways the world could and should be.

ADVERTISEMENT:

With their imagination, creativity, passion and energy, they are the greatest creators of widespread change in the world. The world needs each of you. God has called you to create. As an entrepreneur, you've experienced the invigorating power that comes from helping customers, suppliers and investors. You actually enjoy solving problems, and success is when you can see the fruit of the work of your hands. We have been created in the image of an entrepreneurial God. Creating something out of nothing is common practice for God. That same spirit is within us as we create something out of nothing every day within our businesses. We're all called to create. It is our choice to use that creative, problem-solving energy within each of us and pour it into our communities to benefit others and to glorify God. This is James Price. Thanks for listening.

Shed Geek:

Man.

Speaker 3:

I don't know.

Shed Geek:

I think it's awesome. I think the plan's awesome. I love being able to come here and see things from the rollers on the floors, watching that process, seeing the new automations and technology inside of the way things are being built, to discussing thoughts with you over the last 30 years of seeing the business. I've got, you know, I've got maybe 12 years in here. You know what I mean. So, like I've seen it, probably and you would say in its infancy, and compared to like what it was in 30 years, I mean like you really saw it new.

Doug Oliver:

I've just got to see the big changes in the last few years, yeah, and a lot of it has the big changes really came about in the past 12 years or so the change over to different siding products and, you know, technology that drove us into some of these better products that we have today. You know, back in the older days things were a little bit different, a little bit more complicated and you know a lot more physically intensive in what we were doing. Without a doubt, yeah, it certainly reminds me of you know a lot more physically intensive in what we were doing without a doubt.

Shed Geek:

Yeah, it certainly reminds me of, you know, whenever you started here, that would have reminded me a whole lot of like the type of work activity that my dad did. You know it was a lot of physical labor, worked at a kitty litter plant, a lot of warehousing. You know what I mean Moving product by hand, even before machines. You know I mean they had machines, machines. I'm just saying they didn't utilize that. They used people. They, uh, they use their back, like you said earlier a lot of times you know, we, we do, we.

Doug Oliver:

I sit out there there's a staircase right outside that goes up into the attic and I will stand out there and stand on the top of that staircase and just look out over the facility sometimes to watch and look for ways to try to benefit the team that you have functioning for you. Somebody walking too much, somebody carrying too much, something that's not flowing the right way, it's you know, those types of things make your team feel like you really care about them, because you're constantly trying to make their job better, easier, faster or safer.

Shed Geek:

Well, what Mr. Cook built whenever he started turned into some really cool and amazing things, and who knows where else it's going to go. But Doug Oliver, who is Doug Oliver outside of sheds?

Doug Oliver:

Well, you know, believe it or not, I have a. I have a beautiful wife that I've been married to for 30 years. I have a 25 year old grown daughter that still lives with me and a four-year-old granddaughter that still lives with me in my life. Um, and so we are very, um, we don't do a whole lot of things outside. We're kind of a family unit that does a lot of stuff together. About the only, I would say, outside thing that I do is I still volunteer some time and drive for the local high school band. I haul band equipment for the high school band to competitions and football games and I thoroughly enjoy seeing the kids and the people and the friendships that I've made for doing that for the past 10 years.

Shed Geek:

If I remember right, Valdosta is very competitive in football.

Doug Oliver:

Very.

Shed Geek:

Yeah, very, I like to read up on anything, anywhere I go, and that was one thing they made sure to point out.

Doug Oliver:

Yes, very, very much so, and so we love football and Lowndes High School has got a very large band that my daughter went through as a freshman in high school and I just kind of got hooked on to. It, made some really good friends and I've continued to do it since turned into uh hires and things like that.

Shed Geek:

And one thing I wanted to address real quick before uh segue, it was you know you talked about the difficulty in finding labor. I can't drive this home enough that, like, ideas are plentiful but implementation is the is the hard part is finding someone who can take it by the horns to do it. But I still say, and Jared Ledford uh, which you guys hear a lot more about, hopefully coming up you know, talks about this trade organization and just the, the need for being able to connect, cause that's the one thing with, you know, college degrees kind of seemingly becoming less uh oh man, I'll get myself in trouble, ain't a Doug becoming less important to some extent and trades becoming uh, you can make a good living in the trades for those who just will invest into it and do it. So not all hope is lost for guys like me that didn't get straight A's in school. But where's the trade organization? Where's the place that we can go that unifies, a place where we can go find help and labor and connect to local places and things like that?

Doug Oliver:

You know it's really hard because they, you know so many things have dropped out of your local high schools or middle schools that they don't teach anymore. It is, it's I won't, I'll say it's disappointing in a lot of ways of some of the people that, um, you know, come in to apply for jobs that don't know how to do, don't know how to read a tape measure. Don't you know? That's something that that they should be taught in school it matters.

Doug Oliver:

it's something that they should be able to utilize throughout their entire life. And you know there for the longest time, you know the everybody pushed college education was the only solution to the future and, unfortunately, without the buildings that you're going to work in, they don't need those people in those jobs anymore.

Doug Oliver:

So, you still got to have those trade people, and I don't think that young people are getting told enough that, as you said, you can make a very good living in a trade, whether it's plumbing, electrical manufacturing, construction. You can make very good, stable, consistent livings for your family and for your life if you're just willing to invest into it and learn from it, if you're just willing to invest into it and learn from it. But I think that we need to put a larger focus on that with young people to help them understand and teach those things to them. And just in the past, just last week, we agreed to bring some people into Illinois for a job shadowing program from the local high school there in Cobden. I believe it was of a couple young people that were interested in trying to do trade, wanted to come in and really see what it was like, and so you know an eight-hour long field trip inside one of our facilities for a day to say this is what we do, and this is how we do it every day.

Shed Geek:

We need more of that. I'm convinced we need more of that in so many different trades, not just in the shed industry. But how welcome would that be to for more companies to invite your you know, uh, try to find your local shop class, you know shop teacher and see if you can, you know, arrange those types of things. I remember working in manufacturing.

Shed Geek:

A lot of folks that may be listening to the podcast don't know this, but uh, I worked at dippin dots for a while.

Shed Geek:

The Dippin dots is out of Paducah, Kentucky, and, like the, the founder there actually grew up in the same community and uh as us and went to the same high school. But uh worked at that facility and I remember they used to bring kids through there the classrooms all the time, through the freezers and the different things like that. It was always exciting to see and uh, yeah, it was just a part of my past, that was kind of cool, but I enjoyed that and I think we should bring more of that back. So, kudos to you guys for doing that. I'd love to see more of it so that we could um sort of drive that home, and I'd love to see the industry just as a whole, be able to create some kind of like trade association to some extent, where we can come together, even as competitors, where we can come together and at least like see eye to eye in in one area, if nothing else exactly and I completely agree.

Doug Oliver:

Yeah, you know, I still I do speak to. Um, you know a few of our quote competitors. Uh, you know, from time to time I've never been one that looks at a competitor in a negative way. Again, as I said, we all serve our little niche in the market. We don't have to be negative about somebody else in order to be successful and we normally are all fighting for the same common goal. Yeah, so you put buildings in people's be successful and we normally are all fighting for the same common goal yeah, so you put buildings in people's backyards.

Doug Oliver:

So, it's, and strength comes in numbers. You know, we. I'm part of a shed association with the state of Florida, Cook is Leonard is you know that helps us watch out for code language et cetera. Statute changes those types of things and helps us with things when we need it, and it's the same way. We all kind of see the greater good in, you know, 10 of us being on the same place with one spokesperson than trying to fight everything individually

ADVERTISEMENT:

hey, listeners, we all know how important a strong reputation is in today's market.

ADVERTISEMENT:

You can't just rely on word of mouth anymore. Did you know that 96% of consumers check out online Google reviews before making a purchase? The companies with the highest ratings, most reviews and frequent testimonials are the ones winning more business. That's where Liftify comes in are the ones winning more business. That's where Liftify comes in. They've developed an innovative solution that automates the process of getting your customers to leave Google reviews. For companies like TruePoint, Backyard Builders and Newhouse Outdoors, they've quadrupled the number of reviews and generated more web traffic, leads and true net new jobs, all by improving their online reputation. Want to boost your online reputation? Give them a call at 463-217-0032 or visit liftify. com to learn more.

ADVERTISEMENT:

Mention the shed geek for a special offer.

Shed Geek:

Well, there's no greater example of how trade works as, sitting across from me here. You came in here turning wrenches on trucks and now you're the man, You're the guy. The buck stops here in Valdosta, right with Doug. So hey, you've done well. 30 years and congratulations on all your success for Cook and for Leonard. Honestly, the company holds a special place for me because it's just I don't know, it's always been Cook Sheds. I mean, it's just always been what we've called them. I do have a question. I'm going to turn it over to you for questions. This is something we do for everyone else. Do you have any questions for me? Whether it's shed related, podcast related, I like to open it up so that I don't just drill you with questions the whole time. So, if you've got something to ask, I love, in full transparency, just kind of having the conversation. Got you, didn't I? Yes, you got me there.

Doug Oliver:

No, I thought a lot about answers. I didn't think about any questions. Honestly, no, I don't think so. Nothing that comes to mind.

Shed Geek:

Nothing that comes to mind at the moment, we'll retire on that. I can't say enough how much I thank you guys. What you do for the industry, the brand that you've created, the multiple states that you're in and just kind of I don't know. This is what I do. I'm in sheds and because I'm in sheds, cook is a big part of that, and I wish you guys nothing but continued success. Anything that you want to share, that I didn't ask just in your 30 years, any shout-outs you want to give to anybody, anything along those lines.

Doug Oliver:

Well, you know I have some of the. I have the support and faith from some of the best leaders that you know I could say that one person could have right now. You know the senior leadership team with Leonard has been very supportive of me and what I'm trying to do and the avenues we're trying to take to continue to maintain our reputation across the entire company and to build it into something even better. So, I greatly appreciate their advice and leadership and knowledge into a world that, truthfully, was very foreign to me. You know Leonard is a much larger and more corporate organization than what I was used to for, you know, 27, 28 years of my life, you know I could pick up the phone and speak to the person that signs my paycheck whenever I wanted to, and so now I find myself in a different world. But they've been very encouraging and supportive of me to help guide me through that and teach me things that I didn't know before and understand things. So, A thank you to them for believing in me and giving me an opportunity to try to lead this for them. You know I've had a bunch of great people that have played an impact in my life over the course of years. You know, and in full transparency to young people, is you know, never give up on what it is or don't fall victim to thinking that you can accomplish something.

Doug Oliver:

I quit school when I was 15 years old, I got a GED, then I went to tech school and for two years as a diesel mechanic, and now, here I sit. Today, you can do what you want to do when you try and you put forth the effort to figure out something and be successful at your avenue. So, you know, there's some. Higher education was never something that I was interested in. It just did not appeal to me at all. But, looking back, I probably would not have made the same choices now. But you know, it's worked out very well for me, thanks to a lot of people that have believed in me, given me an opportunity and been positive influences into me of how to conduct my daily life, how to react to people you know and how to relate to others uh, in a positive way that helps us continue to grow stronger and well spoken.

Shed Geek:

I can't, I can't say enough for the comment. How to react to people. Uh, just sort of mastering yourself as an individual, as opposed to trying to master others. Uh, it's very important that self-control, self-discipline, and, uh, I love your story. I mean it reminds me, I mean yours, yours, uh, I don't know you're surprised you're not kin to me and so, like it's just, it sounds like so many in our family, you know, I said all the time I've got, you know, out of my, out of my, uh, my parents and Deanna's parents. You know, uh, there was only one that that graduated high school. You know what I mean. Out of the four and yet everybody's went on to be successful, but they're not nose to the grindstone and find a way to work hard and not just work hard but kind of like change. And you know, with this new addition and with Leonard coming in and you're smart enough to know, and 30 years into this you're, you're watching that to see where it goes, which may take you to a whole new level. You didn't even expect.

Doug Oliver:

That's right, and it all starts with simple things, you know, um. So, in today's world, a lot we tend to look at what's good for me. Everything has to be positive for you or you People. Good for me, everything has to be positive for you or you people don't want to do it, they don't want to take a risk. You know, I can remember I guess it's been over 25 years ago I was driving a truck, I was delivering buildings and opportunity to be a fleet manager came available and I was.

Doug Oliver:

I sat down to interview with um, the owners of the company, and they told me what the salary was going to be and it was actually going to negatively impact my pay, um, by about 20 percent. And you know, I sat there and I thought, you know, I finally looked at him and I said if it'll get my foot in the door to be something better or something more, I'll take it. And you know, the VP from the Cook world, way back, he told me, you know, years later he said my opinion of you changed that day, you know, and from that day moving forward, the Cook family and the leadership in the Cook organization was a blessing to me. They helped me to continue to grow and thrive and gave me opportunities to do things more, and so I can't say anything but positive things about them as well, you know. But sometimes we have to sacrifice something that we want or something we feel like we're deserved to try to get something better, and I think young people need to remember that.

Shed Geek:

Man. I can't end on a better note than that. It's. I just feel like it's a message that you need to hear on any podcast, whether it's shed related or not. That's just good, good advice for the everyman. So, Doug, obviously appreciate you guys doing this again, waiting a whole year on me to get back down here. I'm sorry it's under such strange circumstances with the hurricane and all of that stuff going on, but it's inspiring to see to hear your story going on. But it's inspiring to see to hear your story.

Shed Geek:

Uh, to get to walk around in in the, in the warehouse, out here, meet people, uh cook, definitely lives up to the reputation I've built it up to in my mind and I wish you guys, uh Cook and Leonard, just years and years and decades of success. Um, and congratulations on the 30 years that you've done this. It's, I feel, like these stories are again. They're exciting for anyone who tunes in. You don't have to be a shed guy, but so many guys I don't know. Uh, got told just this this weekend at the southeast shed holler barbecue. You know, hey, man, I'm sitting in my truck and I'm going down the road and I got a couple hours to burn up and listening to a podcast makes it a little bit easier. So, I love listening to the shed geek and what they're doing.

Shed Geek:

Hey, not everyone's for everybody, I get it, you know. Not every episode for every person, I I get that, but we try to bring some conversations and some stories, uh, to help make your day as a as a shed hauler, as a shed builder, uh, as a shed manufacturer, a little bit better. If you want to throw your headphones on and invest in your trade a little bit more, to hear about experiences from other guys and gals in the industry that they've seen over years. Hopefully it makes for a better experience. I can't encourage you guys enough to go sign up for the newsletter, stay tuned to what I hope will be our new Monday episode we're putting the final details on getting that together where we're going to have a little bit of a focus on the um metal side of the world and how sort of the carport world fits into our business, and just these, these other experiences, even outside of sheds, where we almost can't tell where one bleeds over into the other, where one stops and where one starts.

Shed Geek:

Please go, click on the links. Support, support the advertisers. Those who are advertising help make these shows possible and gosh anything else you want to say. Doug, I can't appreciate you enough for being able to show you. It's been way more pleasant than what I even expected.

Doug Oliver:

Well, thank you for inviting us to be here. You know I've certainly enjoyed myself today and you know I look forward to maybe doing it again sometime yeah, absolutely love to have you guys back on.

Shed Geek:

Congrats on everything thank you, sir.