The mission of Tamarack Materials is to be a regional firm that understands local needs, but with the resources to supply even the largest orders.

Safety is always the first priority for all of Tamarack Materials’ job site deliveries.

Tamarack Materials Inc., a GMS company, has coordinated an inventory capable of supplying any building need in the vertical construction market in the north central U.S. Founded 36 years ago, the firm operates under the brand names “Tamarack Materials” and “Badgerland Supply” and has grown to almost 300 employees staffing 18 distribution yards in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois. Each yard offers delivery service within a 100-mile radius, and has a showroom that is open to the public for pick-up orders.

Early on, it was the company’s steadfastness and determination to succeed that paved the way for growth and expansion in this market.

Putting Tamarack Materials “On The Map”

The early to mid-1980s was a difficult time for small businesses. Interest rates were at an all-time high, making financing and capital expansion almost impossible. With GMS’ backing, Tamarack Materials was established in 1981 as a small drywall building supplier led by Hal Wunder and Jim Elliott. The company managed to persevere through this difficult business climate and, in 1988, won a series of contracts to supply drywall systems to the Mall of America in Bloomington—one of the nation’s largest shopping malls at the time. Keith Elliott, Jim’s son, recalls his dad crediting the Mall of America project with “putting the company on firm footing and establishing Tamarack Materials as a leader in drywall distribution in Minnesota.”

Keith has been with the business since 1986. In college, he worked part time with inside sales in Bloomington, Minn. Now he’s a Yard Manager and part of the team that started up the Sioux Falls, S.D., store in 1993.
Today, the company’s remarkable journey of expansion is best exemplified through its added resources, increased staff and wide geographic reach, which was expanded in 2015 with the purchase of Wisconsin-based Badgerland Supply. Despite its tremendous growth, Tamarack Materials is still small enough to treat employees like family and clients like best friends. Its mission is to be a regional firm that understands local needs, but with the resources to supply even the largest orders.

“You can never go wrong doing the right thing” is a core tenet for all GMS companies. An entrepreneurial-centric service model supports local management and decision-making to best meet the needs of customers and employees at the local level.

That continued philosophy is the reason why many of Tamarack Materials’ employees have remained with the company for over 20 years—and some more than 30 years.

Promotion from Within

Generally, when people come to work at Tamarack Materials they stay a long time. Several employees who started their careers in lower-level delivery and warehouse positions stayed with the company for decades and eventually advanced into management. This is a testament to the great culture and work environment that the company provides.

“Tamarack has always been supportive,” explains Brian Kisor, a 32-year employee. “And in the past couple of years, upper management has really been working to teach employees to move up the ladder.”

Kisor, recently promoted to Yard Manager in the Cedar, Minn., facility, joined the company in 1985 as a 19-year-old who loaded, and later, drove delivery trucks. “My first manager taught me how to be a responsible adult,” he remembers. “He explained that the company depended on me being dependable on the job.” After 14 years in delivery, Kisor’s next supervisor “took [him] under his wing” and moved him into dispatch, where he learned about operations, procedures and customer service. Recently, Kisor transferred into a sales position to round out his experiences in preparation for his current role as Yard Manager.

“Tamarack has always been supportive … upper management has really been working to teach employees to move up the ladder.” Brian Kisor, Yard Manager, Tamarack Materials

When Chad Walth came to work at Tamarack Materials, he realized that he had stumbled across a great opportunity—and a home. He started as an entry-level delivery driver and noticed that few employees were stationed at the Sioux Falls office. He surmised that if he stayed with the company and performed well, there was opportunity to move up in the ranks, and move up he did. Thanks to his positive attitude and work ethic, Walth is now one of Tamarack Materials’ leading sales representatives. “Sales requires a lot of work,” he states. “Even if you aren’t given a company goal, you set personal goals.”

Commitment to Family and Community

The company demonstrates a caring commitment to the families of employees. The management team has always offered support—such as offering prolonged leaves-of-absence or coordinating benefit fundraisers—when employee family members undergo personal hardships. The Tamarack Materials “extended family” has seen breast cancer up close and personal too many times, so the company supports Susan G. Komen and breast cancer awareness through participation in local community events.

In 2015, GMS purchased a pink boom truck at a charitable silent auction held to support breast cancer research. The boom truck—a Western Star 4700SB with a Fassi 360SE wallboard crane—is an exclusive design of V&H Inc. Trucks. It is currently in service in Tamarack Materials’ Bloomington fleet, raising awareness at every job site it visits.

Family-oriented events and competitions have long been a custom at Tamarack Materials. Examples include summer vegetable garden contests, holiday decorating contests, holiday donation drives for needy families, pumpkin patch outings in the fall, and special events celebrating employee longevity.

Safety Above All

The safety philosophy espoused by both Tamarack Materials and GMS focuses on preventing unsafe conditions and injuries before they happen—in the yard, on the job site, or in between. Minnesota safety regulations exceed federal regulations, and Tamarack Materials safety programs exceed state regulations. The company employs three safety specialists who oversee the safety programs for their areas. They also serve as a resource to the managers and supervisors directly responsible for training and adherence to specific procedures. Local safety managers oversee vehicle maintenance, direct reviews and implement weekly meetings. They coordinate safety training for articulating boom loaders, rigging, fall protection, hazards communication, materials handling and more; and they coordinate any required certifications. Field iD, a safety compliance mobile app, aids Tamarack Materials managers and supervisors in performing and tracking ongoing inspections and reviews of safety programs, both in supply yards and on job sites.

All company employees receive advanced training for the various types of materials, equipment and situations pertaining to their work environment. Safety Manager Robert Wargo adds that personnel are also taught to recognize the inherent dangers of the types of work performed in the construction and supply trades. Several years ago, team members played a unique role in the creation of a new safety tool that is now offered commercially nationwide. To eliminate the need to climb onto the tops of railcars to unhook cables when unloading shipments—a hazardous task in an inherently dangerous job, particularly in icy weather—a pair of mechanically-inclined forklift operators designed a Y-shaped device known today as a Cable Viper. Safety innovations like these serve to protect workers and enhance construction practices.

Vice President and General Manager Todd Johnson concludes by saying: “This company is about the people. It’s not about the name or the equipment or the materials we deliver. The important thing is having good people, having them be productive in what they do, and being able to focus on the customer’s needs so that they don’t have to worry about issues that are outside of their control.”

With a company-wide commitment to safety and focus on continued growth, but never at the cost of maintaining close relationships with staff and clients, Tamarack Materials has the strong constitution needed to continue on—just like the robust, enduring Tamarack tree for which it was named.