Build Trust, Lead Through Acquisition, And Keep Customers First: Kristy Labrecque

What does it really take to build a career and a business that lasts in the building materials industry? Kristy Labrecque’s story offers a rare, ground-level answer. Starting as a teenage cashier in a contractor-focused lumberyard, Kristy spent 37 years learning every aisle, role, and pressure point of the business. That long view became her greatest asset as she helped guide her store through COVID, a complex acquisition, and a major operational change, without losing the trust of her team or customers. 

In this episode of the Grit Blueprint Podcast, recorded live at the Nation’s Best Women’s Retreat at Rough Creek Ranch, Kristy reflects on how independent dealers continue to outplay big box competitors: relentless customer service, deep relationships, and a willingness to adapt without abandoning what works. She shares how strong sales support and on-the-job learning shaped her confidence early on, and why creating a culture where people feel supported to ask questions still matters today, especially for younger team members entering the industry. 

Topics we covered:
• Starting as a teen in a contractor-first yard
• Learning on the job with strong sales support
• Building a rental center and service department
• Adding value with a full kitchen and bath showroom
• Navigating COVID paperwork and acquisition due diligence
• Leading through uncertainty and protecting morale
• Traveling ERP conversions and forging cross-store ties
• Women advancing in lumber, windows, and doors
• Customer service as the moat against big box
• Practical advice for loving a long career

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👉 About Stefanie Couch & Grit Blueprint

I'm Stefanie Couch, the founder of Grit Blueprint. I grew up in a third-generation building supply business. I've worked inside dealers, distributors, and manufacturers. I built Grit Blueprint to solve problems I saw in our industry.

Grit Blueprint is a visibility, media, and growth partner for manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and leaders in the building industry.
We help you get seen, build trust, and become unmistakable.

Transcript

Opening And Guest Introduction

Stefanie Couch 0:00

There's managers here that are driving the business, that are doing things every single day. They're running the place. And it's exciting to see that.

Kristy Labrecque 0:07

They made it easy. They got just the right people. The one thing that's always been instilled with all of us is the customer service aspect of it.

Stefanie Couch 0:16

And I think those customers, especially contractors that come back every single week, it's important that they feel like you're reducing friction in their business and making their life easier.

Kristy Labrecque 0:25

We have very young people that have just come into the business and they just try to embrace everything, learn everything that you can. Everybody's there to help you, so just take everything you can in and you know embrace it.

Christy’s Start And Early Store Life

Stefanie Couch 0:37

Welcome to the Grit Blueprint Podcast, the playbook for building unmistakable brands that grow, lead, and last in the built world. I'm Stephanie Couch, the founder of Grit Blueprint. And I'm a lifelong building industry insider. I was raised here, built my career here, and now my team and I help others win here. The truth is, you can be the best option in your space and still lose to someone else who simply shows up better and more consistent. Each week on the Grit Blueprint, I'm going to show you how to stand out, earn trust, and turn your brand into a competitive advantage that lasts. If you're ready to be seen, known, chosen, and become unmistakable, you're in the right place. Let's get started. Thank you for joining me on the Grit Blueprint Podcast. I'm your host, Stephanie Couch, and I am here live from the great state of Texas today. And I am interviewing my friend Christy. You are actually from one of the nation's best stores, and we are here at the Nation's Best Women's Retreat in Glenrose, Texas, at the Rough Creek Ranch. So welcome to the show, Christy.

Kristy Labrecque 1:50

Thank you. My name is Christy LeBrec. I'm from Berlin, New Hampshire. We were store number 20 acquired at Nation's Best, Karen Building and Rentals Center.

Stefanie Couch 1:59

Amazing. Well, tell me a little bit about you. You actually have been at Karen for 37 years. You have done every job at the store, I think, and you have been there since high school. Your dad actually encouraged you to apply for this job. So tell me a little bit about you and your story and how you got started.

Kristy Labrecque 2:17

So my grandfather and Morris Karen, who was the owner of the family business, were friends. And my dad actually worked there briefly. Um he was more of a grocery, more from the grocery industry, but he was there for about six months or so. And again, like knowing the family for a long time, he found out they were looking for a part-time girl and encouraged me to go and interview, which I did. Back then when there were no cell phones, it was definitely a landline. So by the time I got back home, that phone was ringing and I got the job. What was the first senior in high school? Cashier. Okay. I did do some work in the afternoons in the office because I would come in after school. So I'd work 2:30 to 5 Monday through Thursday. Back then the store was open until 8 o'clock at night on Friday. So then that I would work downstairs at the front desk and then all day on Saturdays.

Stefanie Couch 3:05

Tell me a little bit about the store back then. What was the was it contractor-based? Was it mostly walk-in? Like what type of business was it?

Kristy Labrecque 3:12

Definitely mostly contractor-based. Okay. And back then it was booming. It was so busy. And I think that's what I liked. It was like hectic and it was busy. It was fun. You know, the family was great to work for, and the contractors were fun. And I was nervous because I didn't know anything back then, but it was it was good.

Stefanie Couch 3:28

How did you find working with contractors when you didn't know anything? How was that? Because I remember when I was young, that was one of the things I was most worried about. Is someone was going to ask me something and I had no idea what the answer was.

Kristy Labrecque 3:42

Right. Um, so a lot of support. Definitely had a great say we've always had great sales support, always helping and stuff. So there's always somebody there to answer that question.

Stefanie Couch 3:52

Did they ever send you looking in aisle 12 for a board stretcher?

Kristy Labrecque 3:56

That's always been a little bit of a joke, the board stretcher, but no, I never had to go look for it.

Stefanie Couch 4:00

They caught me first time on that, though. I'm not gonna lie. They uh they did send me to aisle 12 for the board stretcher, and I was bound and determined to find it. Oh no, I did not, but I I looked with the most valiant effort that one could have, but never found that board stretcher.

Launching The Rental Center

Kristy Labrecque 4:17

That's funny. That is funny. Oh gosh.

Stefanie Couch 4:20

They were they were jerks, but you know, it's okay. I was very young when that happened, and uh, and it's funny to think about that. I also remember in high school when I was a softball player, they had me go look for hunting snipes, which is an imaginary bird that doesn't exist too. So I guess maybe I was a little gullible. It was really my need to win, I think. I love it. Well, you've done every job, and you've been in HR, you've been in all the sales roles, you've worked a lot. What is your favorite job you've ever had over your career?

Kristy Labrecque 4:51

So I still kind of work in all of them in one way or another to this day. I think one of the things we can be mostly proud of is when we opened that rental center back in 2017. It was like from the ground up, it was something brand new. It was in a different building. We, you know, I went to the Do-It Best show, we purchased equipment. You know, Mike included me like right from the ground floor with that. My husband came with us to help chauffeur equipment because he knew stuff. So that was pretty rewarding because that was like a whole new avenue to the business.

Stefanie Couch 5:23

How's that doing now? I mean, it's been a long time. Oh, good while. Okay, I love that. Yeah. And when you were doing that with do it best and go into the the whole thing, like, what was the thought of like, what if this doesn't work?

Kristy Labrecque 5:36

I mean, was that scary? It was. I mean, and I remember Mike talking about that a lot. So we have a commercial rental center that was down the road from us. So they were trying to get away from that homeowner and definitely go more commercial. So they were very um supportive of us, kind of told us different things we should be doing. Yeah. From there, we became a steel authorized dealer. That happened, I think, um, within a year of when we opened it. And then we have a huge service department. So we have a um retail, I mean a rental manager, and we have a rental um repair center. So, and we that technician does so much. Wow.

Stefanie Couch 6:15

Yeah, there's so much in the industry like that that you don't think about Saturday projects people need stuff for, and just little tools that you don't want to have to go purchase, but you can come and check out. Do you rent heavy equipment too?

Kristy Labrecque 6:29

We rent like Skid Seers, um, man lifts, you know, about up to that, um, a mini excavator.

Stefanie Couch 6:35

Do they just let anyone come in and get those? Like, could I just go in and rent an excavator?

Kristy Labrecque 6:40

If you have a license, oh shoot, you have to have a license.

Stefanie Couch 6:43

That's disappointing.

Kristy Labrecque 6:44

Yeah, I know.

Stefanie Couch 6:45

Because you know, I could just see myself like on a Saturday just having a fun time in a field somewhere with a mini excavator that I'm not I'm not really required to have a license.

Kristy Labrecque 6:53

I would try that out. Yeah, no, I mean, you're gonna sign a damage waiver, you sign the contract, and it's gonna come back. We're gonna be able to rent it again. So darn.

Service Department And Equipment Rentals

Stefanie Couch 7:04

Maybe not may not be the best thing to rent. Yeah, I don't know. Put me on your blacklist. Well, you worked for this amazing family, the Karen family, and you were talking a little bit about some of your your memories with them, and I know you really were very close, almost like family to them. Tell me a little bit about what it's like to work for them and then now transition into being purchased by Nation's Best.

Kristy Labrecque 7:27

They were amazing. Like Morris, uh, some people would be a little like intimidated by him, but we just always hit it off. And I worked closely with him when he was in the store. You know, he was the one I reported the AR to, and we counted inventory together, we did all the pricing together, and then you know, Mike worked on the weekends, so you know, we were always working with him, and then I worked directly under um their sister Monique, who passed away suddenly in um 2015. Um, so that was at that point, even though I was very involved in the business, I definitely, you know, stepped up and took a leadership role, you know, to support the family, support the employees. It was a very sad time.

Stefanie Couch 8:11

But yeah, it's tough. Family business is hard. And then when someone like that gets out of the business or passes away, it's very it's a big change because it's like a shift in the whole ecosystem.

Kristy Labrecque 8:25

It was a huge change.

Stefanie Couch 8:26

Well, I'm sure they were very grateful for you for you know stepping up. You then were there through the acquisition with Nation's Best. And that was what year was that?

Kristy Labrecque 8:36

That was well, we started the process in late 2020 and we were acquired in Jan uh July of 2021.

Stefanie Couch 8:42

And obviously the world was in complete calamity at that time with COVID. So it's such a huge undertaking to take on anyway, and then you add that on to the amount of stress that COVID brought into our industry. Plus, it was the busiest time we've ever had.

Kristy Labrecque 8:58

It was.

Stefanie Couch 8:59

What was that like for you going through that and then really champing and being right alongside during the acquisition process?

Kristy Labrecque 9:06

So, like, you know, I feel like we went right from COVID to that, and like during COVID, dealing with a lot of um, you know, the PPP plans and all that other stuff. It was like, it was crazy. There was just paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. And so then we kind of kicked right off into like due diligence process for Nation's best. And that was that was huge. You know, I mean, that was a lot of it was a huge undertaking. And then as it went, we were going through it, then there was like a waiting period where we just kind of sat and waited. And then I was there when Mike got the phone call and decided that he was definitely selling the business.

Working For A Family Business

Stefanie Couch 9:39

So, what was that like for your team uh being acquired and then you having to lead them through, you know, how to change over from one family business for so long to something new?

Kristy Labrecque 9:50

So a lot of it nobody knew. I mean, even the I think sometimes people would definitely suspected something was up. I mean, I was kind of like did nothing in the store for I don't know, I feel like three months. I just was kind of locked in the office. Um, but for me personally, it was um where do I fit in? I mean, honestly, that was a big part of it. Um the team, I think they always kind of just balled maybe my lead because I knew what was going on. Yeah, you know, I'm not sure. I've always been kind of like their confident or liaison between the Karen's and you know, the rest of the employees for whatever reason, but I've always had their trust. Yeah, so I think just tried to be positive, even though I was in a world of uncertainty myself. But um I definitely tried to stay positive for all of them.

Stefanie Couch 10:42

What gives you the strength to stay in the leadership role? And really when you are uncertain or you're not, you know, feeling the best about things sometimes of what it might mean for you, what gives you the strength to do that for other people where you're still the one that's saying everything's gonna be okay and we're gonna get through this?

Kristy Labrecque 11:00

I had conversations with some of the people at Nation's Best, which were helpful. Um, you know, Mike definitely kept, you know, he definitely kept me in the loop. He still was very encouraging. Um, and he was very honest with me. And so I think, you know, it was always like it, it's gonna be okay. And you know, I was rest assured that there were other things that could be going on in the company that if I needed something, then just to raise my hand and they'd find a spot for me. But like in the first few months, there wasn't a lot of change because we were way up in New Hampshire and we were still doing business as usual. Yeah. In the store, I think um we went live with Epicor in October, and that brought some, even though we had been on Epicor forever, we've never been on anything else, that still we were doing things Nation's Best wasn't quite doing, so there was a huge transition period there. So, right up until December, I was pretty, I was pretty busy, and then finally I was able to travel a little bit with Tina's team starting in January.

Stefanie Couch 11:59

Yeah, how has that been? So you you've been traveling, going with Tina has a team doing ERP integrations right throughout the company. So tell me about that because it's a little new adventure for you to be out and about doing other things outside, I'm sure going all over, right?

COVID, Due Diligence, And Acquisition

Kristy Labrecque 12:13

It was. I mean, so I had never been on a plane by myself, so that was interesting. My first time I was going to um New Mexico. It's like, okay, but it was it was good. Like I was nervous because I didn't really know anybody. I had met Tina and a couple of others a handful of times. But we got there and we just started working. It was a really um had a rough start, this transition because Epicor wasn't quite ready and whatever. So it was not an easy conversion, but we got through it. And it's like we stay in Airbnbs, we get up in the morning, we have coffee together, you know, we go back, we cook in, we so you're spending a lot of time together and you're getting to know and and then you just build those relationships again, right? So now it's like you're living together like a family type thing. There's so many people in Nation's best that really when we come to these functions, it's like it's you know, we're we're comfortable, right? They made it easy, they got just the right people.

Stefanie Couch 13:09

Yeah, this is a great group. We're here with 50 plus women and we're in this incredible scenery, actually, like so pretty. But I've had some great conversations already in the last 24 hours since we got here, and it just has a certain pulse to it, this group, and you can feel that everybody's very passionate about it. Also, very knowledgeable about the industry. Like, I've talked to a lot of women here about some real nerdy door and window and lumber and hardware stuff, and that's always so cool to me because you meet a lot of people and you never know what role they're in, but there's managers here that are driving the business, that are doing things every single day, they're running the place. And it's exciting to see that. What do you think for a woman that is going into the industry or thinking about doing something in this industry, what would you tell them about the building industry in general?

Kristy Labrecque 14:02

Well, so we have like a very couple of very young people that have just come into the business and then just try to like embrace, try to embrace everything, learn everything that you can. Everybody's there to help you. So just take everything you can in and you know, embrace it. I'm not a huge salesperson. I've been in the business for 37 years, definitely more at an administrative level, but I still know, you know, I know the basics. Yeah. Um, and I see, you know, we have a very young girl, for instance, that I can think of right now that's been in there and she's now selling windows and doors. That's awesome. And she's only 27 years old, and it's like she wants to learn everything. Yeah.

Stefanie Couch 14:43

You know, that hunger is you can see it in certain people, and it does make you want to help them win because when somebody wants to win and they ask for help, it's almost impossible to tell them no if you have the resources to help them.

Kristy Labrecque 14:56

Exactly.

Stefanie Couch 14:56

And I I remember being that person and still am in a lot of situations where I want to just gobble up whatever knowledge I can get. And I've seen that a lot this weekend while we've been here. It's been really fun. Yeah. You have some different parts of your business that maybe are a little bit unknown to some. You have a full kitchen and bath uh upstairs in your showroom. Tell me a little bit about that because it's kind of a hidden you guys crush it with that business.

Kristy Labrecque 15:21

Yeah, we do over a million dollars in sales um every year. And a lot of it is contractor-based because they're coming in, it's the same contractors sending their customers in. But it's so strange when a local person comes in and asks for something, like, oh yeah, we'll take you up to the kitchen and bath showroom. They can help you up there in like kitchen and bath. And then you walk up there and it's amazing. We have kitchen displays, we have a huge flooring display, we have some shower stalls on display, everything. It's it's just so nice, but just some people just have no idea.

Stefanie Couch 15:52

How do you get all those displays upstairs? You have like a loading area?

Kristy Labrecque 15:56

Yeah, yeah. We have a loading area area on both sides of the building.

Leading Through Uncertainty

Stefanie Couch 16:00

Okay, very cool. Yeah, well, I would love to see pictures of that. That's uh that's amazing. We talked a little bit during our prep about a proud moment for you when Mr. Karen stopped you and told you how proud of you he was. And I know that you were an integral part of the acquisition and all of that. Tell me a little bit about your relationship with him and what that meant to you.

Kristy Labrecque 16:20

I don't know. I mean, we were just always just hit it off and everything. And he's been retired for quite a while, and he comes up every summer, he's up there for a few months. And and Mike had actually, we had just had dinner with him like two weeks before that, and he does all this wine corking stuff as a hobby. So I mean, he had given me a couple of items that night, but he ended up making me an L and he came up to see me because he's leaving for Florida next week. And he's like, I he came up into the office, and I'm like, Oh gosh, I said, look at my desk. I said, We're doing inventory. And he's like, Oh, I'm so proud of you. And then, you know, we had just hired some new employees, so took him down and he introducing himself to all the employees, and we had done some different changes. So, I mean, if you know, he hugged me and he says, I'm so proud of you, and very emotional tongue.

Stefanie Couch 17:09

Well, it's incredible. You've you've won awards with Nation's Best, you won the Lighthouse Award. You have been very much someone it seems that he should be proud of in your career and very dedicated, and I can feel the heart that you have for what you're doing and the passion of that. You're really leading the next chapter. What excites you the most about what you have next in your career, but also what you're leading at Karen?

Kristy Labrecque 17:34

So I think you know the one thing that's always been instilled with all of us is the customer service aspect of it and just understanding what all that means. And Nation's Best is definitely giving us a lot of tools to keep that going. So that was always one of, you know, the Karen family's things was customer service. And I'm hoping that, you know, I've I tried to make a couple of changes at the beginning of the year because I visited so many stores and saw how other places were set up and navigated. So I kind of tried to make a couple of changes and well, it didn't work. Um, change is hard to get people to buy into, and I definitely got maybe a little pushback. But so I said, okay, that's fine. So we'll just we'll go back and do it this way, and you know, and I'm hoping that this new change brings us back to the more customer service. So I think it's very important that customer service is like the top priority.

Stefanie Couch 18:27

Yeah, I agree. And I think those customers, especially contractors that come back every single week or every day, yeah, it's important that they feel like you're reducing friction in their business and making their life easier. How do you see in the future, you know, there's so many options out there. How does the independent business continue to thrive? Is it customer service? What else is it that makes you win in the long term?

Traveling ERP Integrations And Team Bonding

Kristy Labrecque 18:51

I definitely think it's customer service because you go to these big box stores and you just don't get the customer service. A little off-the-topic conversation. My husband and I were shopping for a computer one time and we went into like a staples. Yeah. He would pick up one of those computers that had an alarm on it. Now we had been in there for quite a while. We nobody came over and asked us for customer service. He actually picks up a computer, sets off the alarm. Person comes over, shuts off the alarm, and walks away. What? Yeah. So it's like when I think about that, and so I think about these chains. That's unbelievable. I know. And we were out of town once. We had to go into a uh Home Depot to get the smallest item, and you ask somebody where it was, and they tell you, you get there, it's not there. And you gotta find somebody else and tell you. So we are really good about people walk in the door, we greet them, we ask them what they're working on, we walk them to the product, we do all of that. You know, we offer free delivery. Our kitchen design is free design. We do plans for customers from start to finish. So we we offer all those services, and I think that. That means a lot to people coming in.

Stefanie Couch 20:02

Yeah. You're giving them more than you have to, and they realize and recognize that. Well, you told me that after 37 years, you still love what you do and you're getting up and still loving it. What advice would you have for someone who wants to build a career that they love and maybe they're starting or maybe then in the middle or towards the end? But what is your advice to people that want to love the career they're in?

Kristy Labrecque 20:25

My husband always says that. He goes, You're so happy that you love your job. And I, you know, I think I'm in a unique situation, right? So I mean, everybody's gonna walk into a job and not really sure, you know, what they're looking for. But this was like a welcoming family. We had amazing employees, the customers. It's just it's just rewarding. I mean, you you go in, you just like the people, you you see the people and you strive to help the people. I don't know. I mean, I can't say that everybody can love their job like the way I learned to love my job, but I hope that people can be happy as happy as I am.

Stefanie Couch 21:03

That's amazing. Well, you are an incredible woman, and I'm inspired by you. I hope that you continue to thrive and do all the amazing things that you're doing at Nation's Best. You deserve all the awards that you're getting, and I'm I'm proud of you for continuing on since they've been in, you know, now it's from a family business to Nation's Best, but I can't wait to see what you do with them. And I hope you have a great night tonight at the hat bar. We're having dueling pianos. I know, we're gonna have to be honest. I'm pretty excited about it. Um, I don't know what I'm gonna request on the dueling pianos, so I gotta think about that. It's always hard to pick a song, you know. It is hard. You gotta pick which one you want. Well, thank you for joining me on the Grit Blueprint Podcast. Thank you for having me. And I will see you soon. All right, thank you. Thank you for listening to the Grit Blueprint Podcast. If this episode helped you think a little differently about how to show up, share it with someone in your building world who needs it. If you're ready to turn visibility into growth, then head to gritblueprint.com to learn more and book a call to talk to us about your growth strategy. Until next time, stay unmistakable.