NEWS RELEASE
Contact:
Charlie Meek
General Manager
(417)521-2801
October 4, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Meek’s Celebrates 90 Years of Business in the Ozarks
Officials fromMeek’s Building Centers have announced it will hold Saturday, October 16 in observance of its 90th anniversary.From 11am-1pm, free hot dogs and refreshments will be offered to the public at any of Meek’s 34 locations in Missouri and Arkansas, while additional festivities may be implemented at each store’s discretion.
“At a time when American businesses and workers have been constantly reminded of a slow-to-recover economy, we want to remind the Ozarks that Meek’s’ doors are open, and have been for nearly a century. This milestone is largely owed to our dedicated employees and faithful customers, we hope they’llreflect on that history with a feeling of pride and optimism,”Charlie Meek, General Manager, remarked.
Meek’s originated in Lockwood, Missouri, where Charles C. Meek opened the company’s first lumberyard in 1920; but it wasn’t until the early 1930s that Charles C. Meek, Jr. relocated the business to its current headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, and in 1951 opened the first Meek’s yard on the West Coast, in Northern California.
By the early 80s, the business had grown to 10 yards in the Midwest Division and 6 yards in the West Coast Division, where a separate headquarters in Sacramento, California had been established. However, changes were taking place in the building industry and marketplace requiring Meek’s’ response, andan aggressive expansion program began in the company’s Midwest territory.
Meek’s lumberyards converted to building centers-upgrading and enlarging, and replacing and acquiring facilities, including in Northwest Arkansas.The store, once known only for its large inventory of lumber, gradually added building materials such as roofing and insulation, windows and doors, kitchen and closet cabinetry, fireplaces, and home décor to its product selection.
The decision led to 20 years of sales growth, from $20 million to $200 million, and market expansion increasing the company’s count to over 40 retail locations.With two Design Centers, a state-of-the-art millwork facility, and hundreds of specialized delivery vehicles, Meek’s implemented many services, such as installation.
Yet in spite of its growth, Meek’s remains family-owned and is under the leadership of the founder’s grandsons, Terry and Bill Meek. Currently, Terry Meek’s sons Charlie and Mike, along with Bill Meek’s daughter Carrie, are preparing the way for future generations as officers in this successful family business.
“When I reflect on how much Meek’s has evolved, it inspires a real sense of honor and excitement that I’m part of something that isn’t just a business, but a legacywithin my family and the greater Ozarks,” Terry Meek shared.
Meek’s’most recent accomplishments include the news it achieved Certified Green Dealer™ status in April 2009, which required a minimum of75% of its sales personnel to receive vigorous training and testing on appropriate green building techniques and materials. Later that year, the company was selected to serve, for the second time, as a major sponsor to ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, providing building materials used to revitalize an Ozarks family’s home. Previously it assisted the show in 2005 with work on Camp Barnabas- a summer camp in Purdy, Missouri for special needs children.
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Meek’s Celebrates 90 Years of Business in the Ozarks
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“The accomplishments we have the most satisfaction in, are those in which we’ve been able to use our skills and resources to aid and encourage members of the local communities. Naturally, we have a duty to our business to ensure its survival; but it provides us much more pleasure to know we have achieved enough success that we can aspire to greater goals than simply making a sales quota,” Charlie Meekcommented forMeek’s, which also provides support and involvement to the local Home Builders Association and Habitat for Humanity.
Home Center News ranked Meek’s in 2009’s top 40 largest building material companies, nationally- an achievement potentially repeatable in 2010, considering the strides the building center chain made this year. Effective May 7, Meek’s concluded a transaction with E.C. Barton & Company of Jonesboro, Arkansas, to buy the assets of seven Barton’s retail building material stores located in Southwest Missouri. The announcement followed shortly after Meek’s entered a partnership with White River Hardwoods to carry over 450 of its products when the worldwide distributor closed its Missouri retail operations in April.Eric Sachse, Director of Marketing, summed up the reactions of himself and his coworkers:
“It’s thrilling to work for a company with a proven track record of growth over a period of 90 years, and prospects for an even brighter future! We hope everyone will stop by on October 16 to celebrate Meek’s 90th Birthday Bash with us.”
About Meek’s Building Centers
With 90 years of experience, Meek’s has become one of the leaders in the building materials industry, ranking in the top 40nationally. Currently there are 34 building centers in the Midwest Division with a general office located in Springfield, Missouri and 13 centers in the West Coast Division with a general office in Sacramento, California. Meek’s range of services includes distribution centers for insulation, drywall, plywood and engineered lumber; window showrooms; a custom window and door facility; and a delivery fleet of hundreds of vehicles.Meek’s has more than doubledits volume in the past ten years and achieved Certified Green Dealer™ status in April 2009.For more information, visit