with Chip Cofer of Cofer Brothers (www.coferbrothers.com)
- Cofer Brothers has been in business since 1919 by staying competitive, useful, and human.
- This is a decades and centuries game. Short-term decisions quietly erode long-term value.
- Legacy businesses don’t fail because they change. They fail because they wait too long to move.
- Over the last year, Grit Blueprint has helped Cofer Brothers modernize how they show up and how they respond, without losing who they are.
- Right now, companies that are not as good as you are are winning simply because they are easier to find and easier to do business with.
I love a family lumber yard. Always have.
Not because it’s charming. Because it’s a scoreboard.
You can see who knows their stuff in five minutes.
You can feel the service.
You can tell if the place is built to last.
That’s why I wanted to be on-site at Cofer Brothers in Tucker, Georgia, with owner Chip Cofer.
They’ve been open since 1919. Same town. Same grind. Same standard.
And yes, this is Chip’s story.
But the reason it matters goes far beyond one company.
What Cofer Brothers represents matters more than ever right now.
This is a decades and centuries game.
For context, I’m Stefanie Couch, founder of Grit Blueprint. I work with legacy businesses in the building materials industry that are great at what they do, but don’t always show up the way they should in today’s buying environment.
That lens matters here.
Why Cofer Brothers is still standing
Cofer Brothers started in 1919 with Chip’s grandfather and great-uncle. Back then, it was dry goods. Household items. Farm supplies. Then grocery. After World War II, they leaned into building materials as homebuilding accelerated.
They grew. Opened more stores. Family members ran them. It was a make-it-or-don’t mentality.
Then the market shifted.
Northlake Mall was coming. Big retail was changing the rules. Competing head-to-head would have been a slow bleed. So they made a clean decision in the 70s. They liquidated the department store side and focused entirely on building materials.
That decision is why they’re still here.
Too many businesses keep parts of the business alive out of attachment. Then they act surprised when the numbers stop working.
Cofer Brothers protected the core.
Builders. Remodelers. Homeowners.
The east side of Atlanta.
That’s not nostalgia.
That’s discipline.
Leadership you can feel
Chip didn’t grow up “around” the business. He grew up in it.
Two miles away. Rode his bike there after school. Worked Saturdays. Loved the engines. Loved the yard. Rode on trucks. Helped unload.
When I asked him what leadership means, he didn’t dress it up.
Set the example.
He doesn’t ask anyone to do something he hasn’t done or won’t do.
That’s why people stay.
Leadership used to be evaluated internally.
Your team knew you.
Your customers knew you.
That used to be enough.
It isn’t anymore.
The hard years show who you really are
Chip talked about 2009 and 2010. If you were in this industry, you would remember those years. Atlanta took a hit.
He said something that stopped me.
They have never laid off anyone for slow business.
Never.
So he’s staring at the worst market in decades, thinking, I’m not going to be the third generation that starts laying people off.
They cut hours. They used furlough days. They tightened everything they could without breaking their people. Chip called it circle the wagons, phase by phase.
Then they shifted.
A friend told him about the movie business coming into Atlanta. Studio supply. Set building. A completely different lane.
Chip didn’t overthink it.
They jumped in and started solving problems. Anything the studios needed. Make it happen. Fast.
They even wore shirts that said, “No is not an option.”
That’s not hype.
That’s commitment under pressure.
Here’s the real lesson.
Reputation isn’t built in good years.
It’s built when things get uncomfortable.
And it’s protected by the willingness to move.
To change direction.
To step into work you didn’t plan for.
To go where the business needs you, not where it feels familiar.
Change is not the enemy.
Especially in a legacy, family-owned business.
Staying rigid is what kills growth.
Change is often the thing that protects it.
Trust still wins. But trust looks different now.
This is where many legacy businesses fall behind.
Trust is still the currency.
But trust alone is no longer enough.
People trust what they can verify.
They want to see:
- Proof you’ve solved this problem before
- Evidence that you understand their world and needs or desire outcomes
- Signals you reduce friction instead of adding it
- Confidence that the outcome they want is realistic
They are not trying to reward the best operator.
They are trying to reduce risk.
And here’s the uncomfortable truth.
Someone who is not as good as you is showing up better and more consistently.
They’re easier to find.
They’re more transparent about what they do.
They look like the safer choice.
So they’re getting the call.
They’re getting the meeting.
They’re getting the job.
Not because they’re better.
Because they’re easier to choose.
The work we’ve done with Cofer Brothers
Over the last year, my team at Grit Blueprint has worked alongside Cofer Brothers.
We helped relaunch their brand.
We rebuilt their website.
We brought their social presence back to life.
We helped revamp their luxury showroom.
But just as important, we focused on what happens after someone raises their hand.
We set up systems to track and manage leads so opportunities don’t slip through the cracks.
We’re installing a chat experience so questions get answered when the yard is closed.
We’re adding a voice agent to handle after-hours calls, so customers aren’t met with silence.
Not to replace people.
To support them.
Because trust doesn’t just come from how you show up.
It comes from how easy you are to work with.
Reputation has to travel.
And the experience has to live up to it.
A business that’s been here for over a century should feel just as reliable at 8 p.m. as it does at 8 a.m.
That’s what modern visibility does when it’s done right.
It doesn’t change who you are.
It removes friction from the decision.
Indifference is the enemy
Indifference is the enemy.
Not competition.
Not change.
Not technology.
Waiting. Shrugging. Assuming things will work themselves out.
That’s what kills momentum.
Built to Win moves you can make right now
1. Treat visibility like a core business system
Not something you “get to later.”
If people can’t find you, they can’t choose you.
2. Make it obvious how to contact you and get a response
Phone. Forms. Messages. After hours.
No guessing. No dead ends.
3. Put your people and expertise out front
Your team is your advantage.
Let customers see who they’re trusting.
4. Make your website help people decide
It should answer questions and reduce uncertainty.
If it creates confusion, it’s costing you work.
5. Show up like you plan to be here for decades
Consistency signals stability.
Stability makes buyers feel safe choosing you.
This is what I want you to hear
If you run a lumber yard, a building materials business, or any legacy company, hear this clearly.
You cannot rely on reputation alone anymore.
Reputation has to travel.
And the experience has to live up to it.
Your buyers still care about service and relationships.
But they start online.
They verify online.
They decide faster.
If you’re great but hard to reach, slow to respond, or easy to overlook, you are giving deals away.
Not because your competitor is better.
Because your competitor is easier to do business with.
Want the full conversation?
Go watch the full episode on YouTube and listen on the Grit Blueprint Podcast. Chip’s story is worth hearing in his own voice. And if you’ve ever worked with family, the laughs will hit close to home.
Listen on Audio Here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2335084/episodes/17363692
Built to Win Newsletter
If this is your world, join the Built to Win Newsletter .
I write for leaders and companies who refuse to be the best-kept secret. The kind of people people notice first and remember last. The ones who win on purpose. Long term.
