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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Do it Best Group vice president of lumber and building materials Russ Kathrein was elected chair of the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association’s (NLBMDA) Manufacturers & Services Council, according to trade publications reporting on October 1, 2026. The chair role also gives him a seat on NLBMDA’s board of directors.
What the election means
The appointment places Kathrein in a leadership role for the council, which represents manufacturers and service providers supporting the lumber and building-material industry. The council connects those businesses with dealers through association activities. As chair, Kathrein is expected to help guide its priorities and strengthen collaboration between suppliers and dealers.
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His board seat accompanies the council chair position; the reports do not describe a separate election for that seat. The election was reported by HBS Dealer, Hardware Retailing and Cutting Edge Products on October 1, 2026.
Who is Russ Kathrein?
Kathrein is Do it Best Group’s vice president of lumber and building materials. Hardware Retailing attributed to him the statement: “Independent dealers succeed when they have strong partners who understand their businesses and are invested in their future.”
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Who the council serves
The Manufacturers & Services Council represents companies that make products or provide services to the lumber and building-material trade, and provides a forum for connecting them with dealers. Hardware Retailing reported in 2026 that NLBMDA represents more than 6,000 member locations, including lumberyards and component plants serving homebuilders, contractors, remodelers and consumers. That figure is attributed to the publication; the available reports do not include confirmation from NLBMDA itself.
NLBMDA president and CEO Jonathan M. Paine described Kathrein as someone who understands the independent dealer channel and the value of industry partnerships. That is Paine’s assessment, rather than independent evidence about Kathrein’s record.
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