“It means ‘get after their ass.’ And you’ll see that motto in every Great Southern building.”The mantra was originally intended to fire up Georgia Southern University football fans back in the 1980s. It wasn’t much: A near-bankrupt backyard lumber treating plant with just $163,000 in sales (adjusted for inflation). The biggest is Grand Rapids, Michigan–based UFP Industries, with $9.6 billion in 2022 revenue; it makes non-wood composites and packaging in addition to treating wood. It’s a competitive business, but Great Southern has a degree of incremental purchasing power thanks to its size, says DA Davidson analyst Kurt Yinger. The fact that Great Southern manages to post numbers in line with its public rivals is an accomplishment given its comparative lack of ready access to capital.Keeping costs low is also key.

Source: Forbes April 26, 2023 09:49 UTC