Lansing Building Products

In 1947, Ted Lansing was transferred to Richmond by CertainTeed Corporation as their Virginia roofing sales representative. In 1955, Ted received the news that his largest customer, Southern States Iron and Roofing Company was going out of business. Ted saw this as a great opportunity to start a new roofing supply business.

With the blessing of his management at CertainTeed, Ted, along with two former Southern States men, JC "Dike" Griffith and James C. "Mac" McLane, formed a partnership trading as Ted Lansing Supply Company. Dike Griffith took care of the office while "Mac" McLane handled the physical warehouse operations. Ted was involved in selling, and as President, the overall management of the company. The partnership was changed to a corporation in 1957.

The company grew slowly in the beginning. The first associate hired was John Watkins, who worked for many years before retiring from the Richmond warehouse. Expansion started in 1967 with the opening of the Norfolk location. It continued to grow with the opening of Roanoke in 1969, Newport News in 1972, Raleigh in 1974, and Charleston, SC in 1977.

In 1979, Ted was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease). In March of 1980, Ted died at the age of 57.

Chris Lansing, Ted's eldest son, was named president of the company following Ted's death. Chris is a graduate of BYU. He is married to Erlynn Ensign Lansing, who is active in the business. They have four children: Ted, Hunter, Lindsay, and Chase. Under Chris Lansing's leadership, the company has continued to prosper and has grown today to be the foremost independent building products wholesaler in the country.