Phillip Steffy (3rd from left), President of Zarsky Lumber, is pictured with members of the Zarsky team
The front page of the Zarsky website states in big bold letters “90 years of quality service” which is an impressive feat in its own right. You can probably bet, with great certainty, that any organization approaching the century mark of existence has a high level of success and sustained excellence.
But like many great organizations, there’s always more. Behind the quality service that Zarsky prides itself on is the community they’re immersed in, and the people who have long been engrained in their local neighborhoods. It often feels like the organization, and the people in their community, are almost empowered by challenge as if it were some form of reverse psychology. When it feels like the world is saying no, it makes the community even more determined to prove the world wrong.
The Zarsky team commemorates Breast Cancer Awareness month with their pink shirts
Take one of the more recent natural disasters as an example. Hurricane Ida, a category 4 hurricane, hit with unstoppable force and covered nearly a third of the country bringing hail storms, tornadoes, and winds of up to 170 mph. The damage was reminiscent of Hurricane Harvey in 2017 when Zarsky completely lost one location and suffered significant damage at three others.
“What hit us the hardest (in 2017) was the outpouring of support we saw from others. Our Port Aransas store is on an island and as soon as they opened the island up, people from all over the state as well as other states came in to assist those in need,” said Phillip Steffy, President of Zarsky Lumber headquartered in Victoria, TX, with locations mostly along the southeastern coast of Texas between Galveston down to the Mexican border. “Whether it was setting up food stations to hand out food or piles of clothing for people who lost everything to pick from, it was overwhelming.”
So when Ida came along, Zarsky knew it was their turn to return the favor – not because there was some debt to be repaid but because it was, quite simply, the right thing to do. Even more eye opening – it was the employees themselves that took the initiative to mobilize and execute relief efforts.
“What I’m most proud of is that this effort originated from our local location, not a directive from our office,” said Steffy. “Our team in Port Aransas did a great job receiving, organizing and packing the supplies brought to our store for transportation to Louisiana.”
Like most, if not all, LMC dealers, Zarsky takes pride in its service but service has a greater meaning to LMC dealers. It extends to the people in their communities. This is because LMC dealers call their communities’ home and the people in it their extended family. Thus, the Hurricane Ida relief effort was not some single grand ovation but a scene in a greater act of an even bigger play. The people of the organization have, for a long time, been the foundational backbone of their communities.
Zarsky locations collected "Toys for Tots" as part of their work giving back to the community
“On a regular basis, we encourage all of our employees to give back. We have many employees who are members of non-profit organizations…it doesn’t matter as long as we help make our community a better place to live,” said Steffy proudly as if he were the unofficial patriarch of these communities.
“Pre-Covid, we would have quarterly events each location would do that allows our employees to give back,” Steffy continued. “We hope as things get back to normal, we can continue this. The camaraderie developed with our employees also goes a long way in creating a great work environment as well as helping the community. Our four quarters of service consist of: 1st Quarter; Habitat for Humanity. 2nd Quarter; Veterans assistance. 3rd Quarter; “Do your own thing” (by location). 4th Quarter; Toys for Tots. We ask each location that they do something within these areas. They can also do other events as they see fit during the year.”
While Covid-19 has changed the world and the way that LMC dealers do business, and volatility has become the theme of market going on two years now, the two things that can be controlled and remain consistent among LMC dealers are simple – just be kind and do good. At the heart of this are dealers like Zarsky who continue to elevate their community with time and some helping hands.