"Fellow Association Execs:
Your dealer and supplier members will benefit tremendously from the relational insight of advisor, educator, and coach Ken Wilbanks.
Ken successfully combines his years of solid experience in the LBM industry with his natural ability to "reach and connect with" his audience. He has a "direct but supportive" approach that encourages people to honestly reflect on the present in order to identify and target future opportunities. He then coaches them through the necessary changes that are required to maximize their chances of success.
Whether Ken is educating a roomful of members, advising the management and employees of a single member company at their own location, or coaching an owner in a one on one setting, his message helps every listener feel that their personal and corporate possibilities are substantial and attainable.
No matter the audience, the format, or the venue, your members will be inspired and positively changed by Ken Wilbanks."
Rick Seely, Michigan Lumber and Building Materials Association, rseely@mlbma.org

"Kenneth Wilbanks is a highly professional, informative and entertaining speaker. As a meeting planner, I found him to be easy to work with and the audience feedback was very positive. “Very good – Ken kept everyone involved in the seminar. Far, far above anything I expected. Ken set the standard for other speakers that I doubt will ever be met,” is how one attendee summed up the experience. "
Pam Feldman, Northwestern Lumber Association, pfeldnla@megapathdsl.net

"People are still talking about your seminar -- my readers are calling and writing in for more articles like Within a Culture of Excellence -- my boss thinks I am a hero for "discovering" you. I owe you a car.
If you have any more articles, keep'm coming!"
Beth Stoll, Editor, Building Products CONNECTION, bstollnla@megapathdsl.net

"Ken is a brilliant teacher, a passionate leader, and a counselor, but most of all an educational coach with a remarkable depth of communicational skills and humor, who has challenged each and every person in our organization. He has a set program but is willing to vary from it, as questions come up from the rank and file. Ken uses an old-fashioned hands on approach with the ultimate goal of making everyone more successful.I feel all of the Triple “A” personnel received the skills that equipped them to do their jobs better and succeed, which shows with customer satisfaction and increased employee productivity."
Robert J. Ashley, CEO and Owner, Triple A Building Centers, Massena, New York, rashley@twcny.rr.com

"Ken Wilbanks, quite simply, changed my life and the lives of our employees. He is a man with decades of experience in the building materials industry. He is also a man obsessed with individual and collective excellence. He is an intuitive counselor and workshop leader who challenges each of us to identify and attain our personal best in life and the workplace. He has inspired us to greatness!"
Tom Dwyer, President, Dwyer’s Home Improvement Centers, North Bangor, New York, tcdwyer@hotmail.com

"I just wanted to thank you for choosing us to be the beneficiary of your building materials industry expertise, knowledge and wisdom. It was evident from spending the afternoon together that you have so much to offer an organization like ours. And your energy is infectious. Iwoke up today thinking that our organization was the fortunate winner of the top draft pick. Your generosity with regard to your offer of giving back to the industry in the form of making a local Maine company a more competitive and profitable entity is certainly appreciated. But in life, these offers tend to come back to the giver in multiples. "
Chris Rhoades, owner, HF Pinkham Lumber and Building Supply, Milbridge, Maine, rhoady1@yahoo.com

"Coach. Teacher. Mentor. Integrity. Candor. Each speaks to what Ken Wilbanks can bring to a business. We have used his services 3 times on three separate projects. I suspect that this is unheard of in the consulting business - he is THAT good! If you want your company to become the "best that it can be", Brother Ken will CHALLENGE YOU to become it."
Bill Sherwood, CFO LOkNLogs Log Homes and Webb and Sons

"Prior to my time spent with Ken if anyone told me it would benefit me as a leader and a person to talk with someone like Ken I would have dismissed that suggestion in a New York minute. However with circumstances beyond my control and going in kicking and screaming I had the benefit of spending a few days with Ken and my peers. The end result gave me a renewed spirit for not only our industry but for family, friends and co-workers. During our time together I came back to the foundation of beliefs that I have tried to live by and set examples by. I came to have a much greater respect for my peers and all of those associated to our industry, including suppliers and customers. All in all I would suggest to even the most ridged of people in our industry to take some time to explore what it is that makes you who and what you are, and Ken is the guy to help you do this."
Fred Calvo, Dunn Builders Supply, Hudson, New York, fcalvo@dunnbuilderssupply.com


"I just wanted to say thanks again for a great class! Even though I am still in training and not in the field alone yet, I gotta tell you, your classes are so helpful. As a matter of fact they are very inspirational to me, being the "ROOKIE", and wanting to succeed! I have come away from the two times I've met you, feeling like I took a step forward in my own path of this buisness! I hope we see more of you in the future, you are great inspiration!"
Dan Fiore, G.V. Moore Lumber, Ayer, Massachusetts, truckerday@comcast.net

"It is difficult to know where to begin to express the wonderful benefits of having Ken Wilbanks serve as our business coach. His experience and passion for the Independent Lumber and Building Supply Industry are unsurpassed. He has helped us to address all aspects of our business from global issues to personal counseling. His vibrant and dynamic personality and consulting style is positively infectious to the organization. His worldly perspective helps us to see our own business in a different light."
Jerry Howard, Curtis Lumber, Sherburne, New York, howardgd@curtislumber.com

"For any company in the building materials industry looking for an inspirational catalyst to train and develop people in what it takes to be competitive in today’s dynamic forces, you will truly want to consider the first-hand experiences, sensitive insight, and the articulate ability of Ken Wilbanks. He is an extraordinarily gifted educator who will listen with his heart, engage in your needs, and customize programs to your perfection."
Larry Huot, President, LaValley Building Supply, Inc., West Lebanon, New Hampshire, lhuot@lavalleys.com

"Ken Wilbanks truly believes in education in our industry. After taking any of his classes you will realize that he has a wealth of information to share, and you will keep on going back for more."
Margaret F. Price, Ridgefield Supply, Ridgefield, Connecticut, mprice@ridgefieldsupply.com

"I am pleased to offer our endorsement of Ken Wilbanks as an excellent industry educator. I began working with Ken when I assumed management of our educational programs in the spring of 2002. I was immediately struck by Ken’s contagious enthusiasm for this industry and his genuine interest in helping to educate his peers and competitors.Ken brings insight, energy, humor, common sense and a fresh perspective to his programs. He tackles the tough issues facing the lumber and building materials industry, including a shrinking and aging labor force, competition from the “big boxes”, changing consumers and changing needs, as well as, the increasingly widening chasm between a traditional top down management structure and a workforce more and more interested in team decision making and individual empowerment.Ken has also been very well received by our members with his on site training. Ken is able to offer personalized and customized education for members. Ken has done thirteen on site programs for us this year. I fully expect that our members will wish to contract with Ken and with us to provide more of these programs in the future. "
Debra R. Wood, Director of Education, Northeastern Retail Lumber Association, debra@nrla.org

"As a relative newcomer to the lumber business I am fortunate to have had Ken Wilbanks' support along every step of the way. Ken's teachings are based on knowledge he earned the hard way--by dedicating his life to the building supplies industry and toiling endlessly to make it a better place. His philosophies are borne of experience in all aspects of the business, from the mill operated by his ancestors through the mega-giants today known as Lowe's and Home Depot. His message of achieving excellence resonates throughout his seminars, whether they are about customer service, yard operations, merchandising, or competition in an aggressive market. Ken's enthusiasm shows through in his passionate delivery of his sermons. I have grown tremendously as a result of Ken's counsel and take his mantras with me into the workplace every day. He has had an enormous impact on my professional development and I am grateful to have had his guidance."
Brian Howard, Team Leader, Curtis Lumber, New Berlin, New York,bhoward@frontiernet.net

"We have 35 employees here at the Massena branch, and it feels like we are dancing to the same beat! We now work in unison with each other to achieve one goal, to satisfy the customer. And we are finding that it is not as hard as it looks. I am closing more sales, understanding customers' needs and becoming the professional they are looking for and need.I can not thank you enough."
Terry White, Triple A Building Centers, Massena, New York, twhite2386@yahoo.com

"Since having the opportunity to attend many of Ken Wilbanks’ seminars I have come to realize how his philosophies have played out in my work environment. He taught us the importance of being a team. The information we received from Ken was not only very valuable, but it was vital to our team at Triple A Building Center.Personally Ken taught me the importance of perfection. To search from within and go with your gut. To speak up and ask for what you want. To be happy with what you’re doing and above all to love one another. Treat others like you want to be treated."
Tammy LaBarge, Triple A Building Center, Massena, New York, tripleamassena@nnymail.com

"We probably all have a persistent problem. For us, maintaining neat piles of lumber had always been a challenge. After Ken’s presentation of industry standards, including the rationales behind the practices, our employees now recognize the benefits. Keeping flat piles of lumber and routinely removing the cull actually reduces waste and simplifies our work, and now our customers perceive that we have good quality products. Thanks to Ken’s time with us, we now have some of the highest standards in the industry."
Lenny Lawson, VP Branch Operations, Ellsworth Building Supply, Inc. Ellsworth, Maine, lml@ebsbuild.com