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The Building Industry’s Unfair Advantage

Your Competitive Edge in the Building Industry

Hosted by industry insider Stefanie Couch, The Grit Blueprint Podcast goes beyond talk. It’s where ambitious leaders get the tools, insights, and stories that actually move the needle.

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Your Competitive Edge in the Building Industry

The Grit Blueprint Podcast gives leaders across the building industry the ideas and inspiration to grow on purpose. Every week, host Stefanie Couch talks with manufacturers, distributors, and builders who are redefining what success looks like through visibility, systems, and leadership that lasts.

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If you run a hardware store, lumber yard, or building supply business, this episode shows you how to compete without big box budgets. I sit down with Sharona Eiserer of Wood Shed Lumber and Hardware, Ashley Guest of Harbin Lumber Company, and Kerry Hasselbach of Do it Best to break down omnichannel marketing for independent dealers that actually drives foot traffic and revenue. Sharona Eiserer runs Wood Shed Lumber and Hardware across six locations in Missouri. She does live radio twice a week, and helped kick off the company's video content by recording their first reel. Now her team has taken the reins and has over 500 posts on Instagram. Ashley Guest is the marketing manager at Harbin Lumber Company, a fourth-generation business in Georgia with about 300 employees. She built a branded apparel program where every employee gets a $100 stipend twice a year to wear what they choose, and the logo now shows up on kids at the Little League field and shoppers at the grocery store. Kerry Hasselbach leads marketing at Do it Best and has spent 20 years building brands across fashion, retail, and home. She walks through the digital tools available to members and what most dealers are missing. If you have ever felt like marketing is too big, too expensive, or too confusing for your business, choose one thing from this episode to implement, and start winning. What You'll Take Away Today - Omnichannel marketing for independent dealers is not a digital-only game. Print, radio, events, and in-store signals still drive real customers through the door. - A branded apparel program turns your team and your customers into walking billboards. Done right, every hat and hoodie pays back the cost in word of mouth. - A simple marketing strategy for lumber yards comes down to the four C's: customers, culture, community, and consistency. If one bucket is empty, you are leaving money on the table. - Google My Business for retailers and reviews are still the cheapest way to get found. Most dealers have not even claimed their listing. - Do it Best digital marketing tools make it possible to plan, post, and track ads without hiring a full marketing team. Many members are not using what comes with their membership. Chapter Markers: 00:00 Can Independent Dealers Still Compete With Big Box Retailers? 00:46 Welcome to the Grit Blueprint Podcast 03:03 Meet the Marketing Panel: Sharona, Ashley, and Kerry 04:53 How Radio Marketing Drives Foot Traffic for Lumber Yards 08:54 The Power of Authentic Video Content for Hardware Stores 10:43 Building a Branded Apparel Program That Employees Actually Wear 14:16 Co-op Apparel and Merch Programs Through Do it Best 16:01 How Independent Dealers Are Winning With Social Media Video 19:55 Instagram, Facebook Reels, and Employee Spotlights 20:32 Do it Best Digital Marketing Tools for Independent Dealers 22:21 Why In-Person Events Still Win in the Building Industry 24:33 How to Choose Where to Spend Limited Marketing Time and Money 25:15 The Four C's of Omnichannel Marketing for Lumber Yards 28:20 What Independent Retailers Get Wrong About Omnichannel Marketing 29:17 Google My Business and Reviews for Local Hardware Stores 30:00 One Marketing Move Every Dealer Should Make on Monday 32:31 Audience Q&A: Managing TikTok Content and Apparel Budgets 36:53 How Much Should Independent Dealers Spend on Marketing? 37:12 Closing Thoughts and Where to Find Grit Blueprint Ready to turn visibility into growth? Head to gritblueprint.com to learn more and book a call to talk about your growth strategy. 🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint Episodes Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch 📧 Join the Newsletter Real talk, strategies, and tools from Stefanie: https://stefaniecouch.kit.com/ae221e2ce6 📅 Book a Strategy Call Ready to grow your brand or business? Let’s talk: https://calendly.com/stefaniecouch/grit-blueprint-strategy-call 🚀 About Stefanie Couch & Grit Blueprint I'm Stefanie Couch, the founder of Grit Blueprint. I grew up in a third-generation building supply business. I've worked inside dealers, distributors, and manufacturers. I built Grit Blueprint to solve problems I saw in our industry. Grit Blueprint is a visibility, media, and growth partner for manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and leaders in the building industry. We help you get seen, build trust, and become unmistakable. We help you build authority, reputation, and relationships that drive revenue. 🔗 Learn more: GritBlueprint.com Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch

If you run a hardware store, lumber yard, or building supply business, this episode shows you how to compete without big box budgets. I sit down with Sharona Eiserer of Wood Shed Lumber and Hardware, Ashley Guest of Harbin Lumber Company, and Kerry Hasselbach of Do it Best to break down omnichannel marketing for independent dealers that actually drives foot traffic and revenue.

Sharona Eiserer runs Wood Shed Lumber and Hardware across six locations in Missouri. She does live radio twice a week, and helped kick off the company's video content by recording their first reel. Now her team has taken the reins and has over 500 posts on Instagram.

Ashley Guest is the marketing manager at Harbin Lumber Company, a fourth-generation business in Georgia with about 300 employees. She built a branded apparel program where every employee gets a $100 stipend twice a year to wear what they choose, and the logo now shows up on kids at the Little League field and shoppers at the grocery store.

Kerry Hasselbach leads marketing at Do it Best and has spent 20 years building brands across fashion, retail, and home. She walks through the digital tools available to members and what most dealers are missing.

If you have ever felt like marketing is too big, too expensive, or too confusing for your business, choose one thing from this episode to implement, and start winning.

What You'll Take Away Today

- Omnichannel marketing for independent dealers is not a digital-only game. Print, radio, events, and in-store signals still drive real customers through the door.
- A branded apparel program turns your team and your customers into walking billboards. Done right, every hat and hoodie pays back the cost in word of mouth.
- A simple marketing strategy for lumber yards comes down to the four C's: customers, culture, community, and consistency. If one bucket is empty, you are leaving money on the table.
- Google My Business for retailers and reviews are still the cheapest way to get found. Most dealers have not even claimed their listing.
- Do it Best digital marketing tools make it possible to plan, post, and track ads without hiring a full marketing team. Many members are not using what comes with their membership.

Chapter Markers:
00:00 Can Independent Dealers Still Compete With Big Box Retailers?
00:46 Welcome to the Grit Blueprint Podcast
03:03 Meet the Marketing Panel: Sharona, Ashley, and Kerry
04:53 How Radio Marketing Drives Foot Traffic for Lumber Yards
08:54 The Power of Authentic Video Content for Hardware Stores
10:43 Building a Branded Apparel Program That Employees Actually Wear
14:16 Co-op Apparel and Merch Programs Through Do it Best
16:01 How Independent Dealers Are Winning With Social Media Video
19:55 Instagram, Facebook Reels, and Employee Spotlights
20:32 Do it Best Digital Marketing Tools for Independent Dealers
22:21 Why In-Person Events Still Win in the Building Industry
24:33 How to Choose Where to Spend Limited Marketing Time and Money
25:15 The Four C's of Omnichannel Marketing for Lumber Yards
28:20 What Independent Retailers Get Wrong About Omnichannel Marketing
29:17 Google My Business and Reviews for Local Hardware Stores
30:00 One Marketing Move Every Dealer Should Make on Monday
32:31 Audience Q&A: Managing TikTok Content and Apparel Budgets
36:53 How Much Should Independent Dealers Spend on Marketing?
37:12 Closing Thoughts and Where to Find Grit Blueprint

Ready to turn visibility into growth? Head to gritblueprint.com to learn more and book a call to talk about your growth strategy.

🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint Episodes
Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch

📧 Join the Newsletter
Real talk, strategies, and tools from Stefanie: https://stefaniecouch.kit.com/ae221e2ce6

📅 Book a Strategy Call
Ready to grow your brand or business? Let’s talk:
https://calendly.com/stefaniecouch/grit-blueprint-strategy-call

🚀 About Stefanie Couch & Grit Blueprint
I'm Stefanie Couch, the founder of Grit Blueprint. I grew up in a third-generation building supply business. I've worked inside dealers, distributors, and manufacturers. I built Grit Blueprint to solve problems I saw in our industry.

Grit Blueprint is a visibility, media, and growth partner for manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and leaders in the building industry.

We help you get seen, build trust, and become unmistakable.

We help you build authority, reputation, and relationships that drive revenue.

🔗 Learn more: GritBlueprint.com
Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial
LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch

YouTube Video UExxVm1PQVRSdmk4cnRBT0xsX053di1laW1CZllZLVp1dS4zQzRCMTcyRDlBMUQ4REU4

Simple Marketing Strategies You Can Implement That Drive Revenue For Independent Businesses

Stefanie Couch June 3, 2026 1:00 pm

Lew Oliver has spent decades doing something most designers never attempt. He does not just draw homes. He plans entire towns. From Seaside to Rosemary Beach to the first expansion of Edinburgh since 1805, his work has shaped some of the most loved communities in the world. In this episode of the Grit Blueprint Podcast, I sit down with Lew at his studio in Clarksville, Georgia, to talk about what real community building looks like and why so many developers miss it. We walk through his philosophy on vernacular architecture, why a home should feel like it belongs to the land, and how the early settlers of the South shaped a building tradition still worth studying today. You’ll learn the principles of new urbanism and walkable community planning, including how a hundred houses can sit on fifteen acres instead of one hundred, and what that does for both people and profit. We also break down two collections Grit Blueprint helped bring to life. The MOD Modular Home Design Collection is built to make stylish, well planned neighborhoods attainable for teachers, families, and first time buyers. The Lew Oliver Collection with Magbee Contractors Supply is a curated millwork, molding, and door collection that ends the twenty year drought of soulless trim and doors, and brings real detail back into homes. Lew shares why labor shortages are pushing modular forward, why details create the moments people remember, and what most developers get wrong when they try to manufacture a sense of place. If you are a builder, dealer, designer, or developer in the building industry, this conversation will sharpen your thinking about scale, materiality, and affordable home design. What you'll take away: Why vernacular architecture creates homes that feel like they belong on the land and sell faster because of it. How walkable community planning lets you fit one hundred homes on fifteen acres, raise margins, and preserve land. Why modular home design is the path to affordable home design without losing style or quality. How the Lew Oliver Collection with Magbee Contractors Supply ends the era of boring trim and brings detail back into homes. What most developers get wrong about new urbanism, and what it takes to build communities people refuse to leave. Chapter Markers: 00:00 Intentionally Design And Build With Community Top Of Mind 00:49 Welcome To The Grit Blueprint Podcast 01:11 Live From Clarksville, Georgia With Lew Oliver 01:33 Meet Lew Oliver Of Lew Oliver Inc. 03:13 The Story Behind Burton And Walking The Land 05:36 What Vernacular Architecture Really Means 08:48 Why We Should Build Towns, Not Subdivisions 13:55 Architecture Should Be A Blessing, Not A Blight 16:39 Inside The MOD Modular Home Design Collection 19:38 How Modular Homes Can Solve The Construction Labor Shortage 22:22 The Lew Oliver Millwork Collection With Magbee Contractors Supply 25:43 Design Anything But Normal: Scale, Materiality, And Detail 28:38 How Small Details Transform A Space 30:04 Building A Family Team That Works 32:26 What Most Developers Get Wrong About Community 34:20 Lightning Round: The Best Book Lew Has Ever Read 36:07 A Surprising Fun Fact About Lew Oliver 37:00 What Lew Would Do If He Was Not Designing Towns 37:19 Grit Is Creative And Energetic Marketing Ready to turn visibility into growth? Head to gritblueprint.com to learn more and book a call to talk about your growth strategy. 🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint Episodes Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch 📧 Join the Newsletter Real talk, strategies, and tools from Stefanie: https://stefaniecouch.kit.com/ae221e2ce6 📅 Book a Strategy Call Ready to grow your brand or business? Let’s talk: https://calendly.com/stefaniecouch/grit-blueprint-strategy-call 🚀 About Stefanie Couch & Grit Blueprint I'm Stefanie Couch, the founder of Grit Blueprint. I grew up in a third-generation building supply business. I've worked inside dealers, distributors, and manufacturers. I built Grit Blueprint to solve problems I saw in our industry. Grit Blueprint is a visibility, media, and growth partner for manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and leaders in the building industry. We help you get seen, build trust, and become unmistakable. We help you build authority, reputation, and relationships that drive revenue. 🔗 Learn more: GritBlueprint.com Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch

Lew Oliver has spent decades doing something most designers never attempt. He does not just draw homes. He plans entire towns. From Seaside to Rosemary Beach to the first expansion of Edinburgh since 1805, his work has shaped some of the most loved communities in the world. In this episode of the Grit Blueprint Podcast, I sit down with Lew at his studio in Clarksville, Georgia, to talk about what real community building looks like and why so many developers miss it.

We walk through his philosophy on vernacular architecture, why a home should feel like it belongs to the land, and how the early settlers of the South shaped a building tradition still worth studying today. You’ll learn the principles of new urbanism and walkable community planning, including how a hundred houses can sit on fifteen acres instead of one hundred, and what that does for both people and profit.

We also break down two collections Grit Blueprint helped bring to life. The MOD Modular Home Design Collection is built to make stylish, well planned neighborhoods attainable for teachers, families, and first time buyers. The Lew Oliver Collection with Magbee Contractors Supply is a curated millwork, molding, and door collection that ends the twenty year drought of soulless trim and doors, and brings real detail back into homes.

Lew shares why labor shortages are pushing modular forward, why details create the moments people remember, and what most developers get wrong when they try to manufacture a sense of place. If you are a builder, dealer, designer, or developer in the building industry, this conversation will sharpen your thinking about scale, materiality, and affordable home design.

What you'll take away:

Why vernacular architecture creates homes that feel like they belong on the land and sell faster because of it.

How walkable community planning lets you fit one hundred homes on fifteen acres, raise margins, and preserve land.

Why modular home design is the path to affordable home design without losing style or quality.

How the Lew Oliver Collection with Magbee Contractors Supply ends the era of boring trim and brings detail back into homes.

What most developers get wrong about new urbanism, and what it takes to build communities people refuse to leave.

Chapter Markers:
00:00 Intentionally Design And Build With Community Top Of Mind
00:49 Welcome To The Grit Blueprint Podcast
01:11 Live From Clarksville, Georgia With Lew Oliver
01:33 Meet Lew Oliver Of Lew Oliver Inc.
03:13 The Story Behind Burton And Walking The Land
05:36 What Vernacular Architecture Really Means
08:48 Why We Should Build Towns, Not Subdivisions
13:55 Architecture Should Be A Blessing, Not A Blight
16:39 Inside The MOD Modular Home Design Collection
19:38 How Modular Homes Can Solve The Construction Labor Shortage
22:22 The Lew Oliver Millwork Collection With Magbee Contractors Supply
25:43 Design Anything But Normal: Scale, Materiality, And Detail
28:38 How Small Details Transform A Space
30:04 Building A Family Team That Works
32:26 What Most Developers Get Wrong About Community
34:20 Lightning Round: The Best Book Lew Has Ever Read
36:07 A Surprising Fun Fact About Lew Oliver
37:00 What Lew Would Do If He Was Not Designing Towns
37:19 Grit Is Creative And Energetic Marketing

Ready to turn visibility into growth? Head to gritblueprint.com to learn more and book a call to talk about your growth strategy.

🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint Episodes
Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch

📧 Join the Newsletter
Real talk, strategies, and tools from Stefanie: https://stefaniecouch.kit.com/ae221e2ce6

📅 Book a Strategy Call
Ready to grow your brand or business? Let’s talk:
https://calendly.com/stefaniecouch/grit-blueprint-strategy-call

🚀 About Stefanie Couch & Grit Blueprint
I'm Stefanie Couch, the founder of Grit Blueprint. I grew up in a third-generation building supply business. I've worked inside dealers, distributors, and manufacturers. I built Grit Blueprint to solve problems I saw in our industry.

Grit Blueprint is a visibility, media, and growth partner for manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and leaders in the building industry.

We help you get seen, build trust, and become unmistakable.

We help you build authority, reputation, and relationships that drive revenue.

🔗 Learn more: GritBlueprint.com
Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial
LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch

YouTube Video UExxVm1PQVRSdmk4cnRBT0xsX053di1laW1CZllZLVp1dS41MEMwQjE1RjkxQ0Y4OUYy

Designing The Future: Modular Homes, Custom Millwork, And Walkable Communities with Lew Oliver

Stefanie Couch May 26, 2026 1:00 pm

Most leaders in the building industry know AI is going to change the game. Very few have a real plan for what to do about it. This episode is a working playbook on how to use AI in your business from a CEO who is already doing it. Jason Blair runs Tal Building Centers, a family-owned company with 28 locations in the Pacific Northwest. Fifteen months ago, he started an internal AI committee with people from across his organization. Not just IT. Not just leadership. A real cross-section of his team. The goal was simple. Define what AI means for Tal, set governance, and put it to work as an augmentation tool, not a replacement for people. In this episode, I sit down with Jason at the Do it Best Market to break down the real moves. You’ll learn how he used ChatGPT as a thinking partner on a project he called Project Clarity, which solved months of friction between three of his departments. Jason shares how he uses AI to help write board updates in five minutes, how his AP department runs a 225 million dollar business with two people, and how he handled the youngest leader on his team who was the most resistant to AI. This is not theory. This is AI for small business owners in action. You’ll learn how to keep sensitive data safe, why Loom is one of the smartest tools for training your team, and what the next 12 months look like for AI in the building materials industry. If you have been waiting for a sign to start using AI at work, this is it. What you'll take away: AI works best when you treat it like a thousand dollar an hour consultant, not a search engine. You can get started with AI in your business with simple tasks like writing emails, summarizing financials, and verifying POs. Using AI as a thinking partner can help you spot leadership blind spots and find friction between teams that you cannot put your finger on. AI automation is already helping 225 million dollar companies run AP departments with only two people. How you start using AI at work matters less than the fact that you start. Pay the 20 dollars a month, turn off data sharing, and ask it to help with tasks that you do every day. Chapter Markers: 00:00 Can AI Really Replace a Consultant for Lumber Dealers 00:45 Welcome to the Grit Blueprint Podcast 01:55 Meet Jason Blair, CEO of Tal Building Centers 02:46 Why Tal Started an AI Committee 15 Months Ago 03:35 Simple Ways CEOs Use AI Every Week 05:38 Project Clarity: Using AI to Solve Team Friction 09:54 How to Use AI as a Strategic Thinking Partner 12:00 What Jason Blair’s Team Said About the AI Results 12:40 A Fun Way to Use ChatGPT on Your Phone 13:36 Why Every Company Needs an AI Committee 14:18 Keeping Company Data Safe When Using AI 16:50 How Small Lumber Yards Can Start With AI 19:00 Using AI to Find Your Leadership Blind Spots 19:28 How a 225 Million Dollar Company Runs AP With Two People and AI 21:11 Why Price Comparison With Home Depot Is So Hard 23:12 How to Win Over Employees Who Resist AI 24:32 Using Loom to Train Your Team Faster 26:13 What AI Means for the Retirement Wave in Building Materials 26:37 Where AI Is Going in 2026 for Building Material Dealers 27:56 The Smartest Way to Start Using AI Today 29:06 How to Make AI Sound Like You 32:12 Best AI Tools for Building Custom Software Ready to turn visibility into growth? Head to gritblueprint.com to learn more and book a call to talk about your growth strategy. 🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint Episodes Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch 📧 Join the Newsletter Real talk, strategies, and tools from Stefanie: https://stefaniecouch.kit.com/ae221e2ce6 📅 Book a Strategy Call Ready to grow your brand or business? Let’s talk: https://calendly.com/stefaniecouch/grit-blueprint-strategy-call 🚀 About Stefanie Couch & Grit Blueprint I'm Stefanie Couch, the founder of Grit Blueprint. I grew up in a third-generation building supply business. I've worked inside dealers, distributors, and manufacturers. I built Grit Blueprint to solve problems I saw in our industry. Grit Blueprint is a visibility, media, and growth partner for manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and leaders in the building industry. We help you get seen, build trust, and become unmistakable. We help you build authority, reputation, and relationships that drive revenue. 🔗 Learn more: GritBlueprint.com Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch

Most leaders in the building industry know AI is going to change the game. Very few have a real plan for what to do about it. This episode is a working playbook on how to use AI in your business from a CEO who is already doing it.

Jason Blair runs Tal Building Centers, a family-owned company with 28 locations in the Pacific Northwest. Fifteen months ago, he started an internal AI committee with people from across his organization. Not just IT. Not just leadership. A real cross-section of his team. The goal was simple. Define what AI means for Tal, set governance, and put it to work as an augmentation tool, not a replacement for people.

In this episode, I sit down with Jason at the Do it Best Market to break down the real moves. You’ll learn how he used ChatGPT as a thinking partner on a project he called Project Clarity, which solved months of friction between three of his departments. Jason shares how he uses AI to help write board updates in five minutes, how his AP department runs a 225 million dollar business with two people, and how he handled the youngest leader on his team who was the most resistant to AI.

This is not theory. This is AI for small business owners in action. You’ll learn how to keep sensitive data safe, why Loom is one of the smartest tools for training your team, and what the next 12 months look like for AI in the building materials industry. If you have been waiting for a sign to start using AI at work, this is it.

What you'll take away:

AI works best when you treat it like a thousand dollar an hour consultant, not a search engine.

You can get started with AI in your business with simple tasks like writing emails, summarizing financials, and verifying POs.

Using AI as a thinking partner can help you spot leadership blind spots and find friction between teams that you cannot put your finger on.

AI automation is already helping 225 million dollar companies run AP departments with only two people.

How you start using AI at work matters less than the fact that you start. Pay the 20 dollars a month, turn off data sharing, and ask it to help with tasks that you do every day.

Chapter Markers:
00:00 Can AI Really Replace a Consultant for Lumber Dealers
00:45 Welcome to the Grit Blueprint Podcast
01:55 Meet Jason Blair, CEO of Tal Building Centers
02:46 Why Tal Started an AI Committee 15 Months Ago
03:35 Simple Ways CEOs Use AI Every Week
05:38 Project Clarity: Using AI to Solve Team Friction
09:54 How to Use AI as a Strategic Thinking Partner
12:00 What Jason Blair’s Team Said About the AI Results
12:40 A Fun Way to Use ChatGPT on Your Phone
13:36 Why Every Company Needs an AI Committee
14:18 Keeping Company Data Safe When Using AI
16:50 How Small Lumber Yards Can Start With AI
19:00 Using AI to Find Your Leadership Blind Spots
19:28 How a 225 Million Dollar Company Runs AP With Two People and AI
21:11 Why Price Comparison With Home Depot Is So Hard
23:12 How to Win Over Employees Who Resist AI
24:32 Using Loom to Train Your Team Faster
26:13 What AI Means for the Retirement Wave in Building Materials
26:37 Where AI Is Going in 2026 for Building Material Dealers
27:56 The Smartest Way to Start Using AI Today
29:06 How to Make AI Sound Like You
32:12 Best AI Tools for Building Custom Software

Ready to turn visibility into growth? Head to gritblueprint.com to learn more and book a call to talk about your growth strategy.

🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint Episodes
Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch

📧 Join the Newsletter
Real talk, strategies, and tools from Stefanie: https://stefaniecouch.kit.com/ae221e2ce6

📅 Book a Strategy Call
Ready to grow your brand or business? Let’s talk:
https://calendly.com/stefaniecouch/grit-blueprint-strategy-call

🚀 About Stefanie Couch & Grit Blueprint
I'm Stefanie Couch, the founder of Grit Blueprint. I grew up in a third-generation building supply business. I've worked inside dealers, distributors, and manufacturers. I built Grit Blueprint to solve problems I saw in our industry.

Grit Blueprint is a visibility, media, and growth partner for manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and leaders in the building industry.

We help you get seen, build trust, and become unmistakable.

We help you build authority, reputation, and relationships that drive revenue.

🔗 Learn more: GritBlueprint.com
Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial
LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch

YouTube Video UExxVm1PQVRSdmk4cnRBT0xsX053di1laW1CZllZLVp1dS5DMUIyRDZDMDEzNjM4QjY0

How To Start Using AI In Your Business: Proven AI Tips That Help Businesses Grow with Jason Blair

Stefanie Couch May 22, 2026 1:00 pm

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Fast, practical insights on growth, AI, and visibility. Each episode delivers the systems leaders use to get seen, stay chosen, and win on purpose.

Trends & Takes

Quick takes on the shifts reshaping the market today. Bold perspectives on what matters most for your business right now.

Proven Wins

Real growth stories from dealers, distributors, and manufacturers. Proof that the right playbook delivers measurable results.

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  • How Doors Are Made On The Kval Door Machine: Behind the Build at Magbee Contractors Supply Part 2
  • Simple Marketing Strategies That Drive Revenue For Independent Businesses | Marketing Panel at Do it Best Spring Market
  • How a 70 Year Custom Millwork Shop Operates: Behind The Build at Magbee Contractors Supply Part 1
  • Designing The Future: Modular Homes, Custom Millwork, And Walkable Communities with Lew Oliver
  • How To Start Using AI In Your Business: Proven AI Tips That Help Businesses Grow with Jason Blair
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Thermally modified wood is one of the smartest products to hit our market in years. It is wood treated with heat, no chemicals at all. The heat kills the sugars and the stuff termites want. That makes it durable, stable, and able to hold straighter and truer for years. The color you see comes from the process, not from stain. It often carries a longer warranty and needs sealing only about every five years. Magbee uses it for custom doors, moldings, shiplap, siding, and accent walls. It even stays cool to the touch outside, so you can walk it barefoot. Low maintenance. Long lasting. Beautiful. Watch the Grit Blueprint Behind The Build episode, Part 1: https://youtu.be/lia8luELQlI Q&A What are the benefits of thermally modified wood? Thermally modified wood offers enhanced durability, dimensional stability, and decay resistance, making it less prone to warping, mold, and rot. Additionally, it has a beautiful, consistent color and is environmentally friendly since it is treated without chemicals. How is wood thermally modified? Wood is thermally modified by heating it in a controlled environment with little or no oxygen, typically at temperatures between 180°C and 220°C. This process alters the wood's chemical structure, reducing its moisture content and enhancing its durability and dimensional stability. What can thermally modified wood be used for? Thermally modified wood can be used for various applications, including exterior cladding, decking, custom doors, moldings, shiplap, siding, molding and trim, accent walls, saunas, and underfloor heating. Its enhanced durability and dimensional stability make it suitable for both indoor and outdoor environments.

Thermally modified wood is one of the smartest products to hit our market in years.

It is wood treated with heat, no chemicals at all.

The heat kills the sugars and the stuff termites want.

That makes it durable, stable, and able to hold straighter and truer for years.

The color you see comes from the process, not from stain.

It often carries a longer warranty and needs sealing only about every five years.

Magbee uses it for custom doors, moldings, shiplap, siding, and accent walls.

It even stays cool to the touch outside, so you can walk it barefoot.

Low maintenance. Long lasting. Beautiful.

Watch the Grit Blueprint Behind The Build episode, Part 1: https://youtu.be/lia8luELQlI

Q&A

What are the benefits of thermally modified wood?
Thermally modified wood offers enhanced durability, dimensional stability, and decay resistance, making it less prone to warping, mold, and rot. Additionally, it has a beautiful, consistent color and is environmentally friendly since it is treated without chemicals.

How is wood thermally modified?
Wood is thermally modified by heating it in a controlled environment with little or no oxygen, typically at temperatures between 180°C and 220°C. This process alters the wood's chemical structure, reducing its moisture content and enhancing its durability and dimensional stability.

What can thermally modified wood be used for?
Thermally modified wood can be used for various applications, including exterior cladding, decking, custom doors, moldings, shiplap, siding, molding and trim, accent walls, saunas, and underfloor heating. Its enhanced durability and dimensional stability make it suitable for both indoor and outdoor environments.

YouTube Video VVV2ekpsVGhLM0E1cWlreTFBVFFFUTRBLnQ4VTVuX2h6elFJ

What Is Thermally Modified Wood and What are the Benefits of Thermally Modified Wood?

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What Our Listeners Are Saying

“Stefanie is a force. When she speaks, the industry pays attention.
She’s trailblazing for the next generation.”

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VP, JM Thomas Forest Products

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National Hardware Show

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Magbee Contractors Supply

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VP, Harris Door and Millwork

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From driving a forklift in her family’s lumberyard to leading divisions inside multi-billion-dollar companies, Stefanie has lived every corner of this business. She knows the challenges, the people, and the opportunities from the inside out.

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A sought-after speaker and strategist, Stefanie has been featured on stages for Do it Best, GlassBuild, and the National Hardware Show. Known for her energy and fearless voice, she makes complex ideas simple and sparks the confidence leaders need to take action.

ABOUT THE GRIT BLUEPRINT PODCAST

Building Industry
Leaders Deserve Stories That Drive Results

The Grit Blueprint Podcast, hosted by third-generation industry leader Stefanie Couch, spotlights the manufacturers, distributors, designers, and builders shaping the future of the building industry—sharing how visibility, storytelling, and systems drive real growth. Produced by Grit Media, each episode delivers practical stories and strategies on everything from AI and marketing to leadership and customer experience, helping you and your brand be seen, known, and chosen.
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The Grit Blueprint Podcast is produced by Grit Media, part of Grit Blueprint. We help building-industry companies grow through visibility, brand strategy, and AI-powered media systems.
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