Marketing Director, Erin Plummer, shares a fun weekly recap from Hancock Lumber:
Happy Friday! This week was a perfect blend of planned events and unexpected surprises, beautifully capturing those intangible moments and experiences that make Hancock Lumber so special. I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I did when they crossed my desk.
Robert Babb Celebrates his 80th Birthday, and 61-Years of Doing Business with Hancock Lumber.
One of our log buyers, Jeff Hall, recently shared a cool story with the Marketing team. He asked for a Hancock Lumber jacket because he was headed to bring lunch to a logging contractor who was turning 80–and, he’s still logging!
A little history on Robert Babb: Bob started in the logging business 61 years ago, at the age of 19. He now has his two sons, Bobby and Barry, working in the family business. In the early 1960’s, Bob started delivering logs to Hancock Lumber’s sawmill. His first few machines for yarding logs were a crawler (a bulldozer to some of us), and it wasn’t until the late 60’s that he purchased his first skidder. Bob has always harvested trees with a chainsaw. To this day, he still works full time. What makes Bob a little more unique is that when he was 6 years old he came down with polio. It caused him to lose virtually all use of his left arm. He could still grasp the handle of the saw, but lost all lifting ability. Bob never let his disability slow him down. He started in the outfield of the Windham High School baseball team, where he would drop his glove to throw the ball and was better than the average hitter. After graduation, he started racing cars in the Pro Stock division, early on at Oxford Plains Speedway, and then at Beech Ridge for 40 years. He won two point championships and had a handful of second place finishes. Both of his sons raced against him for 15 years and he prided himself on beating them most of the time. He is proud that the racing tradition has continued on in his family, as his grandson Brad won the open wheel points championship this year in southern New Hampshire.
We love hearing these about these relationships and stories. Thank you, Jeff, for sharing this story. And, a very Happy 80th Birthday, Robert. Thank you for your loyalty and friendship–and for showing us what’s possible at 80 years young!
Six-year-old Safety Director in Training!
Shout out to our Safety Director, Gregg Speed and his grandson, Ryker! For a school assignment, Ryker needed to go on a field trip and he choose to spend the day at Hancock Lumber, learning the ins and outs of his grandad’s safety world–from the sawmills to the admin office, and even a trip to the Bridgton lumberyard. To top off the trip, Ryker got to wear a homemade, matching Hancock Lumber collared shirt. Looking sharp, Ryker – please visit us again soon!
Harland Storey honored by the Cumberland/North Yarmouth Lions club
Kevin Hancock recently received a letter from the Cumberland/North Yarmouth Lions Club recognizing our Yarmouth store General Manager, Harland Storey. Kevin Hancock commented on receiving the note, “Harland, thank YOU for affixing yourself to the community your store serves! That’s an important part of who we are as a company, and it is best done on the local level like you are doing!”
Employee engagement, customer engagement and community engagement is such an important part of our culture and mission–we are proud to support the communities we serve. To learn more, visit www.hancocklumber.com/inthecommunity
Hancock Hosts ‘Land for Maine’s Future Coalition’ State Legislative Tour
Presented by Representative Patrick Corey and Representative Martin Grohman, Hancock Land hosted a group of Maine legislators and toured Jugtown Forest. Covering parts of Casco, Naples, and Otisfield this 5,000-acre working forest is home to nearly 17 miles of four-season recreational trails. The group of 20 legislators learned more about the collaboration between the Land for Maine’s Future, the Nature Conservancy, and Hancock Land, working together to preserve this land for generations to come.
Thank you to the Land for Maine’s Future Coalition, the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, and the Sportsmen’s Caucus for including Hancock Lumber’s Jugtown Forest as part of the legislators’ tour!
Often times it’s these unexpected stories and events that help people best understand who Hancock Lumber is. I was so happy to have these moments all come together this week – some planned, some sporadic – the best of both kinds capturing what we’re all about!
Have a great weekend,
Erin Plummer
Marketing + Communications Director