High Country Lumber Acquires Home Lumber

High Country Lumber, based in Bishop, Calif., has acquired Home Lumber from owner Brent Johnson.

The facility purchased by High Country was one of three Home Lumber yards that was operated by Brent’s father, Milt Johnson, until he sold them to Stock Building Supply in 2006. Three years later, Stock announced plans to shutter the Bishop location until son Brent stepped in.

Home Lumber, which was honored by HBSDealer as the Independent ProDealer of the Year in 2009, exemplified the fortitude, tenacity and ingenuity needed to succeed in the rollercoaster world of lumber and building supply. As we wrote back in 2009, the company "represented a case of a business that was sold, nearly closed for good, then brought back from extinction by former management." Throughout its long tenure, Home Lumber continued to operate with a clear vision: "The company’s approach will be to keep doing what works. Run lean. Build word of mouth. Treat all customers equally, and never say 'no' unless it’s absolutely unavoidable."

“It has truly been a pleasure to serve the local and surrounding communities with building materials for the past 15 years,” Brent Johnson said. “I have decided it is time to return and retire to Southern California. This allows me more time to spend with my family and to pursue other opportunities. I chose to sell the assets of Home Lumber Company to High Country Lumber, a larger but still locally owned company, in hopes that the transition would be easier and would still provide excellent service for our customers. I have been blessed and am grateful for my time in Bishop and the people I have had the opportunity to work with.”

High Country Lumber began as a family-owned business in the 1970s. It now operates stores in Bishop and in nearby Mammoth Lakes, Calif. In, 2022, it became an employee-owned business.