LBM Talks

When it comes to LinkedIn, the LBM credit community is not the most active group.  In this episode, Thea and Sally Lacey, Social Media Manager at LBM Journal, dive into the reasons credit managers are staying off LinkedIn, the platform's potential, ideas for content, and more. If you like to talk yourself out of posting on LinkedIn, this conversation is for you. Don't forget to check out o...

After years of letting their marketing fall through the cracks when business was booming, Jami Lee Wright from  Wright Building Center  recently formed a partnership with a Gen Z member to help manage their social media presence. With someone in place to create content and manage the accounts, Wright Building Center is having a resurgence of relatable and entertaining content made with the algorit...

Conference season rolls around every year and having a plan can help you make the most of it. In this episode, Thea talks with Ann Westpy, Director of Membership Services at CMA ( Credit Management Association ), about what to look for when deciding on conferences to attend; strategies for networking; advantages of virtual conferences; getting information from sponsors; and more. Tune in for a can...

Adam Pettit  is the Director or Marketing for  Red River Lumber , three lumberyards and a design center located in Texarkana, TX and Idabel, OK. In this episode, Adam shares why he likes advertising on Facebook, how they optimize YouTube videos for search engines, their goals for LinkedIn networking, and more. Tune into this episode for practical takes on paid and organic social media marketing. D...

In this episode, Thea is joined by Dena Cordova-Jack of  Cordova-Jack Consulting  to discuss mentorship. Mentorship will look different for different people, but every good mentorship starts with each party communicating their expectations and goals; a relationship will evolve from there. Tune in to the full episode for practical advice on seeking out a mentor, self-awareness, and setting expectat...

Creating a content series for social media is one way to breathe intentionality and creativity into your strategy. In this episode, San Antonio Lumber Company's President/Owner, Sarah Schrader Cameron, joins us to discuss their new video series for Facebook and Instagram, "Lumber Lowdown with Megan." This series stars Sales Associate Megan Sumner and focuses on answering questions fr...

In July of 2024, LBM sales columnist Bill Lee wrote an article for LBM Journal titled, "The LBM Salesperson's Role in Collections." In this episode, Bill joins Thea to discuss his column. Some topics they touch on include why salespeople feel incompetent to collect, if salespeople should receive commissions on uncollected accounts, training for salespeople, and more. Read Bill's...

Instagram receives roughly 2 billion users every month and ranks as the third most popular social media platform in the world, right behind Facebook and YouTube. In this episode, we discuss Instagram's roots as a visual platform, strategy for video, and best practices for the app. Let us know what you think and thanks for tuning in! Articles mentioned in the episode: https://sproutsocial.com/i...

Andy Ruwe  is the Vice President of Inside Sales at Cameron Ashley Building Products and longtime friend of Thea Dudley. For 25 years, Thea and Andy worked together at Cameron Ashley and in this episode they discuss why their relationship worked. Andy shares the mindset sales leaders should have regarding their credit department and that taking a collaborative, problem solving approach to their cr...

This week's episode is a candid conversation about social media management and strategy between two, passionate social media managers. Noah Shackelford  is the Marketing Manager at  Jonesville Lumber , a one location lumberyard located in Jonesville, MI. After seeing several engaging reels from them on my Facebook feed, I was so glad he agreed to join me for an episode. Noah not only understands b...

Customers will handle their business financials the same way they handle their personal. Get to know them to better assess your risk. Today's guest is Chelse Hounshell, a self employed budget coach and friend of Thea Dudley. In this episode, Thea and Chelse discuss the overlap between personal and professional finance, stigma around money, knowing the financial habits of potential customers before...

Andrew Beasley  is the Marketing Coordinator for  Grant Home Hardware Building Centres , three building center stores located in northern Ontario. About four months ago, Andrew and his team had an Instagram video go viral, which put them on our radar. After finding several other original, creative reels on their social media accounts, Sally reached out to see if they would join us  on the podcast....

What started out as a conversation about unnecessary and confusing tech jargon quickly turned into a substantial discussion with Nuvo's CEO, Sid Malladi, and Head of Partnerships, David Fulham.  Tune into this episode with three credit industry professionals to discuss the onboarding process, its effects on customer relationships, understanding DSO, and strategies to improve these processes. If yo...

In July, LBM Journal highlighted  Woods Lumber  on Facebook, and we were astounded at the response. Hundreds of people liked, shared, and commented on the posts, so naturally, we reached out for them to join us on the podcast. Katy Woods, Social Media Manager at Woods Lumber, joined us for this episode to discuss the strong community connections Woods Lumber has, why Facebook is their best perform...

This episode of LBM Talks Credit contains information regarding cyber security that every credit manager and business professional should hear... Thea's guest,  Joe Bonanno , is the President and Co-Founder of  Archetype SC , a full service digital development, big data, and IT security company. From horror stories to practical advice, this episode will leave you with a broader knowledge of potent...

Kayla Fearing is the Director of Marketing for Hilltop Lumber, a four location LBM dealer located in central Minnesota. Hilltop Lumber uses social media to connect with their customers, community, share news, and personalize their brand. In this episode, Kayla and Sally discuss Hilltop's best performing social media content, their success with Facebook, getting employees to participate in cont...

Jon Flora, CEO at  NACM  Seattle BCS, is back for another episode of LBM Talks Credit. It seems like credit managers everywhere are drowning. No time for work, no time for webinars, conferences, training, implementing new systems, etc. If this is you, tune into this episode for Thea and Jon's candid response about why this is the case and how to reclaim your time. A big thanks to  Nuvo  for be...

The social media algorithms are constantly changing, giving them the mystique of being unknowable. But the fact is, they are understandable, and despite their changing nature, their purpose generally remains the same. Tune into this solo episode for information on what algorithms are, how they operate on different platforms, and how you can harness them. Leave a comment with your thoughts or conta...

This week's guest on LBM Talks Credit is  Kelly Franklin . Kelly is a former Credit Manager and the current President of  Building Material Suppliers Association  (BMSA). This episode explores Kelly's journey as a Credit Manager, the challenges and lessons she learned in that role, her opportunity to pivot with BMSA, and how her skills as a Credit Manager apply to her new role. Wherever yo...

Dave Ables is the Owner and President of  Tri-County Lumber Company , located in Clearwater, MN. Dave has nearly 30 years of experience in the trucking industry, 10 in hardware stores, and he is a consistent user of LinkedIn. Dave believes LinkedIn is a tool that can expand and improve his business through his network of connections. In this episode, Dave shares how he got his start on LinkedIn; i...

This episode of LBM Talks Credit is all about Credit Insurance. Thea is joined by Joe Ketzner, Regional Vice President, and Bobby Williams, Vice President of Business Information Sales, from  Coface , a global credit insurance company. This episode includes information about what credit insurance is, how it works, and implementation mistakes to avoid. Reach out to Joe at joseph.ketzner@coface.com/...

In this episode, Sally is joined by Zach O'Brien, a fellow content marketer and social media manager. Zach is the Founder of Active NorCal , Northern California's Outdoor Magazine, providing news and features on outdoor lifestyles. In addition to growing Active NorCal's social media following to 200,000+ since its founding, Zach is the Head of Content for  Niche Media ; coordinates social media co...

This episode of LBM Talks Credit features Amy Wallace and Alex Petrin from Wallace Building Center . After outsourcing their Credit Management for several years, Alex and Amy took this department in-house two years ago. In this episode, they share why they made the change; how they did it; and how it's going two years later. Tune in to hear their story. Reach out to Amy at amy@wallacebuildingc...

In this episode of LBM Talks Social Media,  Amy Smiley , VP of Marketing & PR at  84 Lumber , shared the mentality and tactics that took them from their small social media presence in 2016 to roughly 700,000 followers on all their platforms combined in 2025. Key points Amy shared include the Super Bowl ad that skyrocketed their brand awareness, how innovation and remaining digitally current co...

In this episode of LBM Talks Credit, Thea shares multiples ways to act when a customer ghosts you. There's persistence, mechanics liens, Little Miller Act, small claims court, and more. If you've ever gotten ghosted by a customer right when you need them the most, you're not alone. Learn some new strategies in this episode then leave us a comment about a time you got ghosted. Contact Thea with any...