Glenview's Standard Lumber is standing the test of time

I was going to wait six more years to write this story. After all, the 100-year celebration should really be something!

But at my age, and the age of the two current owners? Waiting that long might mean the story never gets written (fun thought for the day). So why take a chance? And still, 94 years is plenty long enough to throw a few kudos their way.

Ninety-four years: That is how long the family business of Glenview's very own Standard Lumber Company has been going. Incorporated and formed all the way back on June 7, 1927, by Leo Cohen, and then passed down to his sons Eddie and Skippy, who run the operation now, the tradition lives on at 1912 Lehigh Ave. in Glenview.

When the business first started, it was on Pulaski Road in Chicago. But when Leo passed away at the age of 78 and the neighborhood started to change, the brothers decided to make the move out to Glenview.

"We made the move to Glenview in 1998, and it has worked out great," says younger brother Skippy, who was given that nickname in maybe the earliest recorded time ever for a nickname to be given. "My actual name is Sidney, but my parents told me before they even left the hospital the nickname Skippy was given to me."

There is a story there I am sure, but this journalistic detective could not uncover it. So Skippy it is and was for the rest of his life, although in his professional years he did lose the "y" and became known as Skip.

More importantly, the two brothers have been part of the business for almost their entire lives.

"We grew up in the business," says older brother Eddie, now 68, "I always tell people my playpen, when I was kid, was sawdust. It kind of grew in my blood. It was kind of expected we would follow in our father's footsteps and keep the company running. We have been working there probably since we were 9 or 10 years old."

Standard Lumber sells all kinds of building materials to customers in the industrial, residential and commercial field, with general contractors definitely amongst their regular customers. Lumber is their mainstay, though.

And it is lumber you see first, a couple warehouses full of it, when first entering their parking lot. When you get out of your car, you can practically smell the fresh lumber aroma - not bad actually on the old olfactory senses - especially on a slightly chilly autumnal day.

But I digress.

These guys have truly built a longtime, successful, independent business. The kind that, unfortunately, these days have been folding and closing on a regular basis. Not so for The Standard Lumber gang. In fact, their business is more than surviving - it is thriving.

Maybe a factor is that both Eddie and Skippy were heavily into sports in their younger years and have used that competitive edge to help make the company grow.

"Survive, compete, and thrive," says Eddie proudly. "That is what we've done. A lot of independent business have folded or gone under and just were not able to make it, particularly in the current business environment, but we were able to, and now even stronger than ever."

"I think it is the service and quality that we provide," adds Skippy. "We really try and treat our customers in the best possible way and have developed a strong brand loyalty over the years because of that."

Many of their customers come from not only the Chicago area, but just over the border into Wisconsin and a little bit in Indiana and into Joliet as well. These customers have been on board for years.

"We build relationships," emphasizes Eddie. "They are not just names and faces to us, but they become like family. We have customers that are just like us, second- and third-generation. We get to know them well; it really helps in developing trust."

You would think after 94 years in business, and for the two brothers working most of their lifetime in the field, that they would have seen just about everything.

You would be wrong, though. The past two years have been crazy - and then some.

"Two things really changed our work world," says Eddie, "The pandemic and the summer protests of last year. We had some of our highest volume requests ever last summer with all the windows that needed to be boarded up, and of course with the pandemic, things have gotten really hectic. Supplies have been extremely hard to get, trucks and truck drivers have been in short supply, and prices for materials have skyrocketed. We had to cut our profit margins so we could keep the costs as low as possible for our customers."

Good idea. The kind of good ideas and customer-first service that have kept the business going strong and the loyal customer base solid through all the difficult times.

"The only thing consistent lately," adds Eddie, "has been the inconsistency. But we have survived, and hopefully things will get better."

So, any plans for the 60-something brothers to hang up the old lumber spikes? Maybe rest a little bit and head to some nice warm weather spots? A Piña Colada under a nice umbrella while remembering all the good times?

"Not in the plans," says Eddie, with a little bit of a smile, "things are just going too well right now. It would be tough to leave. Plus, we have two young kids that are giving us many new ideas and areas to go into that we had never even thought about before."

Ahhh. The "young kids." Every good organization has to have the "farm club" ready to produce up-and-coming talent, and The Standard Lumber gang is no different. On board and rolling along strong are generation three at Standard Lumber, featuring rising stars Lee, Skippy's son, and Tommy, Eddie's son.

They are but two of the 24 loyal and friendly employees at the Glenview location. All dedicated to customer service and quality product.

Both Lee and Tommy have brought a whole modernized version of what the lumber company can become in the future, and it is much more than just lumber. The third generation is rapidly moving to the forefront.

"They are taking us to a new level," no question, says Skip (OK, we now lost the "Y"), "particularly in areas such as marketing, social media, and the internet."

So, there it is. 94 years and counting, and it looks like no stopping in sight for Team Standard Lumber.

Going back to my first thought at the top of this column, maybe I should have waited the six years to write this story? What a wonderful centennial celebration it will be.

Either way, hopefully after writing this I have elevated my status to, at the very least, the potential guest list for their 100-year gala.

Now all we have to do is stay healthy. Healthy as their business is right now would be good.