The Lester Group has announced that it will open a building supply store in Christiansburg this spring, its fifth store in Virginia.
The store, to be named New River Valley Building Supply, is expected to open in April at US Hwy 460 and Roanoke Road in Christiansburg. Lester has begun an extensive renovation of what was a Moore’s Lumber store years ago.
“The Lester Group has been searching for communities to expand its building supply division into,” said CEO Jim O’Brien. “The growth in the New River Valley and our involvement in the local real estate market made the NRV a perfect choice for us.”
Based in Martinsville, The Lester Group was founded in 1896 and is privately held. Lester operates building supply stores in Martinsville, Lynchburg, Fredericksburg and Manassas. “We are a Virginia-based company with a 100+-year history of providing a high level of service at competitive prices,” said O’Brien. “Our stores are recognized for providing building materials for new houses, apartments and commercial buildings. We also stock products for remodelers, homeowners and ‘do-it-yourselfers.’”
The New River Building Supply will create approximately 15 new jobs to staff the store. The jobs include manager, sales, contractor coordinator, drivers and yard/warehouse specialists. Employment is anticipated to increase by approximately 10 in the second year. “Our employees have gained a reputation for providing customers with the expertise and the right answers,” O’Brien said.”
The store will have a 6,000-square-foot showroom to display new construction and remodeling projects. The renovated store will have new walls, lighting, heating/cooling, siding, paint, displays, racking and fixtures. In addition, two new buildings will be constructed to ensure the entire inventory is covered and protected. There will be more than 41,000 square feet of warehouse and store buildings spread over five acres.
“Our store will stock almost all materials needed to build a house,” said O’Brien.
Products include lumber, plywood, engineered flooring, windows, doors, columns, decking, kitchen cabinets, molding, millwork, roofing, insulation, siding, tools and hardware. New River Valley Building Supply will offer delivery, special orders, turnkey installation services for licensed contractors and blueprint takeoffs.
O’Brien said The Lester Group prides itself in giving back to the communities it serves. For example, the company owns the Lyric Theatre in downtown Blacksburg and donates its use to a local foundation that operates it.
In addition to building supply stores, The Lester Group is involved in the manufacturing of treated lumber and doors, the management of forest land and real estate development in West Virginia, North Carolina and Virginia.
