Episode 2: More Than Metal - The Present (Part 1)

In Episode 2 (Part 1) of Metal Life, Chad and Consuela sit down with Isaac Libbey, Owner & CEO of  Best Buy Metals to talk about where the business is today and the heart behind the company’s “Driven to Serve” mindset. 

Isaac shares how serving others has shaped both BBM’s culture and his personal mission, diving into the importance of community outreach, giving back, and making a lasting impact beyond the metal industry. Listen for more! 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hey guys, welcome back to Metal Life Podcast. I'm Chad Helms, Director of Marketing Strategy for Best Buy Metals. We have been in a series called More Than Metal, where we have taken a look at our past, our present. Now we wrap up today talking about our future. Next year marks year 25 for Best Buy Metals, and we could not be more excited, not just because of what we've been able to accomplish as a company, but the platform that it gives us and will continue to give us as a company to serve communities, customers, builders, contractors, and people all over the world with various efforts. So we're super glad that you've joined us. Listen in as we talk about where we are headed as a company in More Than Middle. So in talking about the present, uh Isaac, what excites you most about where we are today as a company? You know, you've we've gone through a lot to get where we're at today.

SPEAKER_02 2:02

But um I think that's exciting to see us grow and have a team around us that we all working together.

SPEAKER_01 2:07

Yeah, it's a group effort for sure. So, you know, uh I look forward to one of these days, we'll we'll do a dedicated series on kind of our our efforts and our branding. We've we've seen a lot of changes this year, but you know, one of the things that we did we rolled out this year was a new slogan or POV point of view. And and that is designed to inspire, made to protect, driven to serve. And it was quite a journey to for for us internally as a team to to roll that out because we wanted it to reflect who we are, right? And so, real quick, I want to I want to focus on driven to serve because today with our company, it's not just a strategy. Um, it's not something that we've conjured up to say, hey, we want people to think that we serve people well. Because a lot of people talk about a lot of companies really even aspire to do that. But what I absolutely love about Best Buy Mentals is we're doing it today. We're absolutely doing it today. There's signs everywhere, and not just here in Cleveland, Tennessee, but uh, you know, in all of our locations, even around the world. And it's an amazing thing. You know, you know, I go to different uh events and shows, and people are like, hey, tell us about this that you're doing, or tell us about this involvement. So driven to serve, it's it's an outflow of you and Angel's hearts that the company has fully embraced. Talk to us a little bit about that driven to serve. I know, you know, we've got arms of hope, and that's something you're deeply, deeply connected with. Give people a picture of how we serve.

SPEAKER_02 3:46

You know, I do think it's it's a very important part of what God has called us to, you know, even whether it's whether no matter what we're doing in life, whether it's in the workplace, outside the workplace, to serve because you know to tell you the truth, that's where that's where we feel most fulfilled because I think that because that is God's heart is to serve. We we could do all kinds of things for ourselves and we're thankful and for our families, you know, we're going to. But when it comes down to it, when you could help someone else or another organization or another or or a church or or maybe it's just a uh individual in need on their home. Maybe the roof they just really can't can't take care of their roof. So when when we're able to do that as a team, as a as a company, or as an individual, either way, it don't matter, then I feel like that that's w that's really when life is beautiful. That's when we're really living life, you know? Yeah. And so be able to serve someone else, it's uh that's good. Talk to us about arms of hope. Something near and dear to your heart. Very much so, very much so. Now that we got started on this, it we may not even get off the tide. But maybe But tell you the truth, the the arms of hope really is is an orphanage in Haiti. And and those those children there at the orphanage are very close to our heart, you know. And it's something that that God's allowed us to be a part of for for many years now. And we can go way back, you know, even when I was a child, I really had a had a heart for missions and I didn't know where that was going to take us, you know. I even in in my prayer time I'd pray, you know, if God you ever would have me to go on a mission field, you know, just you make a way, you direct me. I didn't really know at the time where that would take us, right? I didn't know at all. And so and then when I was uh sixteen, I had an opportunity to go to Haiti for a good period of for a month and a half, actually. First trip was there for a month and a half with a a missionary family. And at that trip, that's when it really got my heart there. So get me choked up just thinking about how God's led that way. So then as years a few years went by, God placed me in a church that the pastor had been involved in Haiti for years for like thirty years. Um Pastor Larry Hamilton and been a big huge influence on my life and and so I got to go with him on many trips and he had to work there in Haiti and and had a an orphanage and and several churches. And then as it as it went on, and I'm skipping quite a bit because I don't want to take up the whole time here, but um at one point God really felt for him to, you know, turn it over to someone else and and uh he'd went on for years doing it, and so he turned it over he turned it uh the ministry over to my myself and and uh sister Julie and from there the Lord's made a way for it to continue to grow and we was able to uh to buy some property there in Haiti and uh fifteen acres right there in the in town of Mary Ballet. And uh there's such a need in Haiti and I could go into that some, but I don't know, just just so much poverty, one of the poorest countries you'll find, and it'll just really get your heart. You'll see children that just won't make it if someone don't didn't help 'em. Yeah. And so the fifteen acres there and we was able to begin it was a it was a process of time, you know, going back and forth to build and and we would go for probably the last fift sixteen years, we'd go every month to Haiti for a period of time to work take care of the children to build a ch orphanage while we're taking care of some other children and and uh and then um there was other aspects there. There's nutrition program, churches. I think really though the end result the children do that we took in, many of them as babies, they all have their different stories and some did no parents at all, some were left just on the streets because the parents couldn't take care of 'em. Others would get dropped off at an orphanage door and you have to take 'em. You don't know, you know, there's just they all have their different stories. Most of 'em had uh medical needs that they had to get took care of before they can bring them into orphanage, you know, like T B and and other things they had to have treatments for before you could bring 'em in to make sure that when they're around the children that they're not going to expose it to them. Some needed um surgeries. There's so many different stories that won't have time to get into today. But I tell you the one of the the things about that's I think's very important, not just that they were took care of naturally, that's very important. But they were clothed clothed, fed. We got we got 'em going to a good school. But even more than that, that that we was able to teach 'em about the Lord and the ways of God, things that you don't know if they would ever have the opportunity. So we raise them to live for the Lord. And and uh to see them in church singing, praising God and uh and growing healthy and learning that to me is is is very rewarding. And it's just it's just what God's done, you know, and the and uh and really the team here has been a big part of that 'cause they're helping support that, you know, and and so um when it comes down to it, if you look at Haiti, there's so many needs that you feel like you're doing nothing. And and you really not we're really not doing anything compared to the needs. But what keeps driving me and those around us is the fact that you look at each child and you see how it changed their life. Yeah. And you say, Well, it's worth it. If it changed their life for the betterment also and also for the glory of God, they live for him, makes it worth it. So you s take in the ones that we are able to help, and then you see a difference. And so uh it goes back to we say serving, religious serving, you know, because it's it's very um very humbling and uh and rewarding that that God would allow us to to be a a part of that.

SPEAKER_01 10:16

Yeah, you know, making an impact one person at a time, you know, uh it's easy to lose sight of of that. And um but I'm thankful that I've been impacted, you know, by multiple people in my life and uh without those in without those people focusing on me, you know, um I wouldn't be here today, right? And so the impact that we make one person at a time, you know, and I I know that you invested deeply into all of these things, but especially Arms of Hope. Um and it's not just again, it's not just a strategy. I mean, you've you've your son is from Haiti, you know, you adopted and and there are more than him that are here that are from Haiti. And so um deep, deep impact changing one life at a time.

SPEAKER_00 11:02

Definitely seen them live that too. Growing up, dad was went to Haiti a lot. I mean, every month he was there for at least a week, and then when they were building the orphanage over there, he spent more in Haiti that year than home. But it's it's impacted my life so much because to get to see an example like that, I mean, truly, he does all of this for them, you know, because of this, because of, you know, how God's blessed us, he's given him so many opportunities, and that's impacted my life and you know, gave me a heart for the kingdom of God and just getting to see that, and all my siblings getting to see that, and people around us, and it truly means the world.

SPEAKER_01 11:43

You know, one of the things I've been I've I've kind of uh spoken to this multiple times um in conversations is it's really uh incredible uh working here. And it I feel as though we just happen to sell, not just happen, we intentionally sell a really good product that ultimately gives us the platform to do what we do as as a company, what you do as individuals and serving others without the business, right? How would we have the tools and the vehicles to do that? So that's that's that is true.

SPEAKER_02 12:15

That is true. It definitely is a big part of it. And that's the reason why I mentioned the whole team here is a is a huge part of others. It's a huge part of serving. Even I mean, you mentioned my son, and and uh that's it. I could talk about that just a little bit because it's amazing what God does. We don't we didn't we didn't foresee the whole thing, you know. We went back and forth for years, but then um but our son he was brought into the orphanage when he was two, and I was there when he was two. Um and uh we didn't know the Lord was gonna work out for us to adopt him and bring him home. And we made many visits. My girls, my families went there, you know, and spent time with the children. But this this little guy, Potou, my son, he he was always right there beside me, even when we built the orphanage every day. He was right there beside me working as he grew up. I mean, sometimes I mean all the way back when he was just a little, but then uh it was where it was meant to be. And uh now he's here today working with us. You know, he works down there, he's a supervisor of the facility, 23 years old, and and uh it to me is just amazing. But um but yeah, a lot of a lot of great things. Good. Good. That's good stuff.

SPEAKER_01 13:25

So what's something you believe about leadership today that you did not realize ten years ago?

SPEAKER_02 13:33

Probably just how how very important it is. You know, I th I think ten years ago I knew it was important, but now I see the m even more importance in it because we stretch way too thin without it. Way too thin. I will you know, and I've seen this and I've tried to learn from from others and have learned, you know, and some will tell it if you don't have great leadership really that can take on different departments, then it just stretch you too thin, stretched out, really can't accomplish. One person can't accomplish it. So I have seen very much how great leadership takes us to a whole new level. Really, and and I can start naming names, but I'm not going to just the leaders that we have here. I mean, even you, Chad, being here. The the leadership that takes us to these, we couldn't grow without. So it's it's it's very important.

SPEAKER_01 14:26

Yeah, it's group epic for sure. Thanks for listening to Metal Life. We hope this conversation gave you a deeper look into not just what we do, but who we are and what matters to us. You know, at Best Buy Metals, we believe leadership, service, culture, and relationships matter just as much as the products we manufacture. That's why this broadcast exists to have conversations that challenge, inspire, and create value both inside our industry and beyond it. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow Metal Life and share it with someone who would benefit from this conversation. Thanks for following. It's Best by Metals, designed to inspire, made to protect, and driven industry.