LBM Talks

Beth PopNikolov  is the CEO of  Venveo , a digital marketing agency that serves the LBM industry. In this episode, Beth discusses the importance of social media in our digital age, which content formats perform best on different platforms, content ideas for LBM dealers, and why individuals in your company should be utilizing LinkedIn. Tune in to this episode if you want to a better understanding o...

In this episode, Thea Dudley and Maureen Brennan break down the content of a recent article by  CreditSafe  titled  "Why Tariffs Require CFOs to Reshape Working Capital Strategies."  Thea and Maureen discuss how current tariffs could affect your business and how to be proactive in protecting your company. Please send all podcast inquiries to thea@creditoverlord.com. Get in touch with Mau...

In this episode, Sally is joined by TJ Shaheen, Executive VP of Builders' General, who shared his executive level perspective on the value of social media for LBM dealers. TJ discussed how social media is a great tool to affordably increase brand awareness and it's potential for LBM dealers to connect with each other. He also shared information about their recent video series that served both thei...

The LBM industry has been described as an "underserved industry" by technology companies who are now flooding to the scene. Today, there are several options to choose from when shopping for a software to help streamline your operations. In this episode, Thea shares her own experiences with the different options and what it takes to successfully choose one. Let us know what you think in the comment...

Samantha Post, Co-Owner of T and M Hardware, was invited to be on LBM Talks Social Media because of her personable and transparent approach to running her company's Instagram account. It's not often you see the individuals of a business take to their company's social media, which is the reason Samantha stood out. By using social media to communicate, Samantha has built trust with her c...

Succession planning is for more than just the Owner of a company, it's essential to the well being of all departments. Thea is joined by Sam Brownell, Founder and CEO of Stratus Business Advisors, to discuss why departmental succession planning can fall through the cracks, how individuals can be empowered during the retirement process, what steps the individual and owner need to take to achiev...

This week, LBM Talks Social Media welcomes Ryan McAnally, Marketing and Communications Manager, and Sallie Keene Denton, Marketing Specialist, from Wilson Lumber Company, LBM Journal's 2025 Dealer of the Year (category: $100MM+). The insights shared in this episode include how social media fits into their digital marketing strategy, how marketers can measure social ROI, the content creation proces...

Thea Dudley, also known as the Credit Overlord, writes a monthly Credit Q&A column for LBM Journal. Because she receives multiple questions every month, many are not featured in the magazine. LBM Talks Social Media is now the place where these additional questions get answered. Enjoy another episode of The Column Comes Alive. Thea's monthly column: https://lbmjournal.com/author/theadudley/...

Thom Cafaro is the Director of Marketing and Sales at Arnold Lumber Company. Arnold Lumber Company was named a 2025 Dealer of the Year by LBM Journal for many reasons, one being their knack for innovation. Take for example their latest YouTube series "Breaking Ground," a show that marries their builders and suppliers by documenting different stages of the homebuilding process. Sally and Thom discu...

If you have ever found yourself in a cycle of burnout, this podcast is for you. Nicole Hicks was a credit manager in the LBM industry for approximately 20 years. Last November, she made a change and is now a Career Ownership Coach at The Entrepreneur's Source. In this episode, Thea and Nicole discuss how stressful the credit manager profession can be, Nicole's journey out of the industry, how to m...

Patrick Kenefick, Marketing Coordinator at Cape Cod Lumber, joins this episode of LBM Talks Social Media. Sally and Patrick discuss how CCL uses TikTok, the chaos that comes with creating and managing content, ways to get more organized, Instagram's collaboration feature, and more. If you're interested in learning how social media is useful for businesses, check out this short episode. Dur...

There are many factors to consider when making a new hire. Do they understand the job? Do they fit our culture? Are they here to stay or just gain experience? Rodney Schwab is the Regional Vice President at Professional Alternatives, the nation’s largest recruitment and consulting firm specializing exclusively in commercial credit, collections and risk management. In this episode, Rodney and Thea...

Caitlin Stone and Chris Roelandts work together to create content for and manage Big C Lumber's social media accounts. Both have full time jobs with the company, but recognized the opportunity to do more with social media and took on the effort together.  With 16 locations, these two cover a lot of ground when highlighting their Big C Lumber online. By focusing on their employees, company culture,...

In this episode, Thea urges you to ask yourself what your breaking point is when it comes to filing liens. Tune into this short episode to get Thea's advice on when and how to go about this process. For all podcast related inquiries, contact thea@creditoverlord.com.

Today, Sally is joined by John Perna, President/CEO, and Jon Jacob, VP of Business Development, from Hamilton Building Supply. Odds are you've seen Hamilton Building Supply on social media through their humorous vertical videos, which is why we needed to chat with them. In this episode, John and Jon share when and why Hamilton started utilizing social media, the decisions they made that led them t...

In this episode, Thea is joined by Janet Hammel. Janet and Thea met at LBM Strategies 2024 where she was accompanying her husband who works for Morsches Builders Mart. With Janet's unique connections to both credit and the LBM industry, Thea insisted she join her on the podcast. Janet shares advice on protecting your business from fraud. She shares that there is not one action you can take, bu...

In this episode, Sadie Hoyt, Marketing Specialist at Dakota County Lumber located in Farmington MN, shares the story of when and why her company decided to hire someone new to manage their presence on social media. Sadie also shares who her company targets on social media, what kind of content they make and why, and advice for LBM dealers aspiring to get started. We hope you enjoy this episode. Be...

Veteran credit managers are retiring and a lot of companies don’t know what to do. Join Thea and Jon Flora, CEO of the National Association of Credit Managers (NACM) Business Credit Services (BSC), as they discuss topics like recruiting, networking, and training; all necessary protocol to keeping your back office staffed. Please send any inquires to thea@creditoverlord.com.

In this episode, Thea sits down with Todd Sawyer, a man who possesses the dual perspective of being both LBM dealer and contractor.  Todd’s knowledge will help you understand the bigger picture of your transactions and how to do better business with contractors. Connect with Todd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-sawyer-7b131510/

Rick Schumacher, Founder of LBM Journal, joins Sally to discuss the intention behind LBM Talks Social Media and what to expect.

Cash flow is a great way to know if your business is over or under performing. Thea shares five reasons your cash flow might suck and five ways to improve it. These include solutions for both credit managers and business owners.

Thea Dudley and Tina Breen sat down together during the 2024 LBM Strategies conference to discuss the decision making process. Tina Breen has her masters in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, bringing a unique perspective to the topic. In this episode, Thea and Tina discuss what cognitive fatigue is and how it affects the decision making process, how credit managers can be mindful of their...

Sales and credit are a team. In this episode, Thea shares some tips for salespeople on how to build a better relationship with their credit manager, ultimately making them more efficient in the long run.

Thea claims that every credit manager she knows has at least one “friend of boss” or “friend of sales” account that never gets paid. Thea’s here to remind you why friends and credit don’t mix and how to sluff these “friends” off to your credit manager.

In this episode, Thea sits down with the President of the National Association of Credit Managers' (NACM) North Central chapter, Tanya Guy, and Board Chair, Michelle Ochetti, after their annual meeting back in May. These ladies addressed many pain points for today’s credit managers such as being a team of one, mentorship and community, attracting young people to the credit profession, and more. Th...