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This year marked a special milestone for LMC's Leadership Summit as the program returned to Seattle, Wa., the city where it all began, to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Over the past decade, the Leadership Summit has become one of LMC's premier educational offerings, preparing emerging leaders to drive growth, navigate change, and carry forward the legacy of independent lumber and building material businesses. By combining world-class education, peer networking, and practical leadership development, the program continues to equip the next generation with the skills and confidence needed to lead their organizations into the future.
The Leadership Summit brought together rising leaders from across the LMC network for a week of learning, collaboration, and connection. Throughout the program, attendees explored how strong leadership serves as the foundation for long-term success, while gaining valuable insights they can apply within their businesses and communities.
LMC is continually seeking innovative ways to strengthen its educational offerings, and this year's Leadership Summit began with a new prelude: the Succession Preparedness Course. Led by founder, consultant, and coach Natalie McVeigh, the course was designed specifically for individuals preparing to step into ownership roles. Participants gained practical insights into succession and estate planning while exploring the personal and emotional aspects of leadership transition. Whether actively navigating a transition or planning for the future, attendees left with a roadmap and the tools needed to support long-term business continuity and success.
“The goal of this course was to help the next generation start thinking differently about leadership, succession, and the future of their business,” said Sean Tighe, LMC’s senior vice president of purchasing. “To me, the greatest measure of success was that attendees left with important conversations to continue at home and within their businesses.”
Attendees got an immediate taste of Seattle at the welcome reception, which brought the city's iconic Pike Place Fish Market experience directly to the Summit. Known for its famous fish toss, the market's signature activity quickly became a crowd favorite. Beyond the entertainment, the experience reinforced key leadership themes. Pike Place Fish Market demonstrated how attitude shifts, empowered decision-making, creativity, and engaged teams can contribute to lasting success.
The Learning Journey began with an energetic session led by Kaiser Yang, CEO and Co-Founder of Platypus Labs. Yang explored what it means to be an innovative leader and challenged the group to apply those lessons to a real, nonconfidential business challenge. Through the exercise, they learned how to build a culture of innovation, prepare for competitors to disrupt the status quo, and use creative thinking to drive growth within their own businesses.
Building on themes from Yang's session, attendees headed to Boeing's Everett Factory for a behind-the-scenes tour of what Boeing describes as the world's largest factory and the 777/777X assembly line. Boeing, leaders in aviation and innovation, offer services with safety, design, and efficiency at the forefront. The experience provided a firsthand look at their operations at scale, while demonstrating their management and strategies that translated to the LBM industry. The day concluded with a group dinner at W Seattle and some fun at a popular Seattle entertainment venue, giving attendees an opportunity to unwind and network.
The second day continued the momentum with Zach Mercurio, Ph.D., author, speaker, and facilitator. Mercurio's interactive workshop on purposeful leadership, meaningful work, and creating cultures where people feel valued rang true with attendees. His message resonated with LMC members, speaking directly to the strengths of independent and family-owned businesses and how leaders can preserve and strengthen the cultures that have supported generations of success.
Lunch was a highlight of the agenda, giving attendees a unique opportunity to engage with Costco and learn from one of the world's most successful warehouse retail organizations. Participants heard firsthand about Costco's remarkable growth journey and gained insights into key areas such as leadership development, employee retention, company culture, operational excellence, warehouse strategy, technology and innovation, and customer loyalty through its membership model.
While classroom sessions kept leaders' minds sharp, an afternoon at Lawless Forge gave them the chance to try their hand at blacksmithing. As they worked with hammers, anvils, and a forge, participants developed new skills while embracing an unfamiliar craft. The experience reinforced lessons in adaptability, teamwork, and continuous learning that apply just as readily in lumber yards, kitchen and bath showrooms, and other areas of the business.
The Leadership Summit concluded on a sweet note with a visit to Chateau Ste Michelle, Washington’s first premium winery. Chateau Ste. Michelle offered attendees both a unique educational experience and an opportunity to connect with fellow dealers. For LMC's independently owned businesses, Chateau Ste. Michelle's return to local ownership in 2025 after 50 years stood out as a powerful example of a theme that carried throughout the Summit.
Eric Ciraulo, chief operating officer at Mitchell Lumber Co., remarked, “The LMC Leadership Summit was an outstanding experience and incredibly well put together. The speakers provided meaningful leadership takeaways that I can bring back and apply within our company, and the experiences outside of the conference were just as valuable. Spending several hours at Boeing learning about their approach to innovation, safety, and lean operations gave me a lot to think about and take back to our own organization. Lawless Forge was another great experience. We learned about their business and then had the opportunity to work together and forge our own pieces. Having members of our Mitchell Lumber team there from both Washington and Alaska also made it a great opportunity to strengthen relationships and share the experience together. I came away from the Summit energized, with new ideas, stronger relationships, and practical takeaways that I can put into action.”
“The Leadership Summit continues to be one of LMC’s most impactful opportunities to bring together the next generation of leaders in our industry. Celebrating our 10th anniversary in Seattle, where the Summit began, made the experience even more meaningful,” said Paul Thorne, LMC’s VP of business development. “The engagement, energy, and willingness of our attendees to learn from one another reinforced exactly why we created this program. We are incredibly proud of what the Summit has become and excited about the future of leadership within the LMC network.”
Developing the next generation of leaders is not only valuable, but essential to ensuring the continued strength of independent lumber and building material dealers. LMC's Leadership Summit provided attendees with knowledge, perspectives, and experiences that will continue to influence them long after leaving Seattle. By investing in the growth of future leaders, LMC helps strengthen both individual businesses and the co-op model for years to come.
LMC is the leading and longest-standing Forest Products and Building Materials Buying Group in the U.S., proudly serving 1900 independent lumber and building material locations since 1935. In addition to its core dealer base, it has long supported component manufacturers and have expanded to serve millwork shops, gypsum specialists, commercial packaging companies, and post-frame building manufacturers, and most recently adding modular manufacturers.
