Скачать или смотреть How a 4th-Generation Lumber Company Reinvented Their Leadership Culture - And Why It Matters to You

What happens when a legacy company chooses evolution over tradition?
In the latest episode of Hire Smarter with Tony Misura, we tackle one of the toughest questions facing LBM leaders today: how do you modernize leadership in a multi-generational company without losing what made you successful in the first place?

Tony sits down with Bryan Mellick, CEO of Ward Lumber, a company founded in upstate New York in the 1800s. Bryan recently led Ward through an extraordinary transformation from a fourth-generation, family-owned operation to a worker-owned cooperative. It's a bold move that raises important questions about ownership, accountability, and what the future of leadership looks like in our industry.

This isn't a theoretical conversation. Bryan has led three legacy companies, and he brings hard-won insights on what actually works when you're trying to shift culture, engage a changing workforce, and build a leadership structure that scales beyond the owner-operator model.

Here's what you'll walk away with:

The evolution of leadership expectations. Why command-and-control structures are breaking down, and what employees - especially younger ones - are looking for instead. (Spoiler: it's not just about pay.)

Ownership models that align incentives. Bryan breaks down the differences between ESOPs and worker co-ops, and explains how cooperative ownership creates buy-in from the warehouse floor to the executive suite.

Practical tools for letting go without losing control. How to coach future leaders, push decision-making down, and create a culture where people take ownership - literally and figuratively.

Financial transparency as a competitive advantage. Open-book management, project-based accounting, and teaching your team to think like owners can actually strengthen margins and performance.

Whether you're an owner planning your exit, an executive managing cultural change, or an operator trying to engage a skeptical workforce, this episode delivers real strategies from someone who's done it.

Listen now and see how rethinking legacy leadership might be the smartest move for your company's future.