The staff at Pioneer Building Materials takes great pride in continiously providing outstanding customer service. We've got what we call the Pioneer Spirit. Each staff member plays an important and unique role in the company!
Richard is the President of Pioneer Building Materials and Pioneer Ready Mix Corp. He has been with Pioneer for over 20 years. Arriving at Pioneer in 1991, Richard started his work here in the yard as a laborer and then a driver, yard manager, sales person/dispatcher, & operations manager. He was then given the opportunity to become the president. Richard is in charge of overseeing the operation of Pioneer Building Materials and working with the division manager to ensure our customers have the best products and services and have them at competitive prices. Richard’s work days can best be described as challenging and rewarding. Richard enjoys the fact that no two days here are ever alike. What he finds most rewarding is instituting an action plan and then watching how it benefits our customer base. On his spare time, Richard enjoys fishing, jeeping, and boating. For the future, he wants to continue growing his business and nurture his own ideas to ensure that the customers have the best shopping experience possible.
Jonathan is the Vice President at Pioneer. His parents founded the business & he has been at Pioneer for over 10 years. Jonathan does a little bit of everything here, including Sales, Orders, & Operations. Jonathan’s work day starts at 7am and lasts until 5pm, and while he’s here he enjoys working with the other employees and spreading the Pioneer Spirit. Jonathan is an avid culinary enthusiast. In the future, he hopes to expand Pioneer to three locations. In addition, he hopes to become CEO of the company, and have 100 employees on staff.
TC is the Operations Manager for Pioneer. He specializes in veneering stone, pavers, and direct buy customers. He is responsible for running all of the operations that have to do with Pioneer and its attached companies. A typical day for TC starts at 6:15 in the morning and lasts until 5 in the afternoon, and is filled with a little bit of everything. TC finds it rewarding to know that a customer has left fully informed and completely satisfied. On his spare time, TC likes to read, spend time with his family, and read. For the future, TC wants to continue to grow within this company and is looking to bring in a championship caliber team, or a bunch of smovers, as he likes to say.
Dawn Veit is the Accounts Payable Supervisor and Office Manager for Pioneer Building Materials. She was given the position as Office Manager based on her ongoing dedication to the company. Dawn has over 10 years of accounting experience. Here at Pioneer, Dawn is responsible for supervising three staff members, overseeing accounts payable, accounts receivable, collections, some sales, and some equipment maintenance. She is also in charge of health/liability INS renewals, human resources, and handling any and all Pioneer matters that arise. While a typical day on the job for Dawn is very busy, she enjoys learning new things regarding sales and satisfying her customers. Dawn is an avid animal lover and shopper. One of Dawn’s goals is to advance into a more important position with Pioneer as well as be able to assist upfront with sales as a backup, if necessary.
Joy Arnero works for Municipal Accounts Receivable at Pioneer. Having over 10 years of bookkeeping experience, she was hired to come on staff by Dawn. As well as doing accounts receivable work, Joy is responsible for invoicing, statements, bids and contracts, and Pioneer Ready-Mix Payables. Joy describes a typical work day as pleasant, enjoying the people she works with and also enjoying the fact that the job keeps her busy. On her free time, Joy enjoys meeting new people, as she is a very friendly person.
Charlie Selzner is the Manager of the Lumber Division here at Pioneer. He has been at this position since he was hired to open the lumber yard on April 1, 1996. Charlie has 45 years of experience in the lumber business. It is Charlie’s responsibility to oversee all aspects of operation that go on in the lumber yard. Charlie starts off his day by making sure all orders are ready for delivery. He also places orders for whatever materials are needed, quotes all new jobs, fills out forms for annual bids, school, & municipalities, and speaks to customers about door orders or special orders. What Charlie likes most is that he has been able to see the growth of the lumber division for the past 16 years. He aspires to keep up the pace of business he has now for as long as possible and hopes his efforts are successful.
Thomas Harper works in Dispatching and Sales for Pioneer. Having over 10 years of experience, Thomas is responsible for giving drivers the plan and route for the day, purchasing, and high end sales. Thomas’ day starts at 7:00 in the morning and he describes his day as crazy, consisting of planning the day’s route and helping the customers. Thomas enjoys working with the customers here at Pioneer. Outside of work, Thomas enjoys cooking in his free time. He hopes to further grow within the company.
Todd L. Sohan is the Hardscapes Manager for Pioneer. He was given this position due to his hard work, honesty, discipline, and his strong knowledge of the products Pioneer sells. He has been with Pioneer for 11 years. It is Todd’s responsibility to order and restock materials in the yard, to load and off load tractor trailers with special order materials, and to ensure the materials are the right ones for the job. On a typical day, he builds all of the orders that are going out on delivery and services the customers. Todd enjoys interacting with the customers, informing them about the line of materials we carry, and being able to convince them to buy our products. On his spare time Todd enjoys fishing, and he is considered a very honest person. One of his goals is to become financially stable.
Pete Newman is a Sales Associate at Pioneer. Pete has over 20 years of experience with retail, wholesale, lumber and millwork. Pete is responsible for ensuring quality customer care, sales, and maintaining the showroom. For Pete, a typical day at Pioneer is all about learning about the customers, products, and procedures. The day is filled with a steady flow of customers. Pete enjoys interacting with the customers and finds it rewarding when he solves difficult problems about product needs. On his free time, Pete likes to spend time motorcycling with his 18 year old daughter. Pete hopes to learn the business at Pioneer better so that in the future he can take on more responsibility here. Pioneer welcomes Pete!
Michael Ferrero is a Sales Associate at Pioneer. An experienced junior residential new home builder, Michael also has over seven years of outside sales experience. Michael has been a part of this industry for over seven years, partnering with his father and building spec homes right after graduating college. With little to no experience, Michael learned the business the hard way, through making errors. Michael worked hard to absorb all that he could while dealing with building companies, contractors, expeditors, architects, and working with his hands on the job. Starting his day off a Pioneer at 7am, Michael begins dealing with early contractor counter orders, arranging the aisles, and organizing the counter and floor items. For the rest of the day, he continuously takes orders, restocks the shelves, organizes the stock rooms, shows homeowners the showroom and takes order over the phone. What Michael likes most about his position at Pioneer is that it helps him to learn new products and the different ways the building, mason, and lumber industry is constantly changing. He gets to create relationships with new customers and maintain existing relationships with the ever demanding contractors. Michael also enjoys being in the company of his staff members. Originally from Toronto, Canada, Michael can speak Spanish fluently. On his free time, he likes to participate in outdoor sports, including hockey, tennis, mountain biking, and snowboarding. Michael hopes to continuously learn everything there is to know about the building industry while helping Pioneer grow. In the future he also hopes to increase a real estate portfolio.
Teresa Batterson works in Advertising and Marketing for Pioneer. Having experience in customer service and company promotions, Teresa was hired by Richard in June of 2011 and has now advanced to a full time position. Teresa is responsible for updating the company website, using social media tools, and finding ways to generate more traffic to the website and convert leads into customers. A typical day at Pioneer for Teresa is enjoyable, because she is continuously learning new things about Pioneer. What she finds most rewarding is that she is able to think creatively and her ideas are encouraged and put to use. On her free time she enjoys working out, reading and trying new things. Teresa hopes to learn more about new and different marketing techniques as well as take on more responsibility at Pioneer.
Harry is the lead yardman in the lumber division at Pioneer. He came to this position having been referred by Todd in 2002. Harry has 9 years of lumber experience, and is in charge of shipping, receiving of orders and materials, and customer service. A typical day for Harry consists of opening the yard for business, loading the trucks, stocking the inventory, and pulling orders. What Harry enjoys most is talking and interacting with the customers. On his free time, he enjoys playing cricket. One of Harry’s future goals is to stay gainfully employed and grow with Pioneer.
Gary is the Mason Division Manager and Ready-Mix Plant Manager at Pioneer. Also working in purchasing, Gary is responsible for opening and closing the yard, helping customers, loading the trucks and ordering new materials for the yard. Prior to being offered the position of Manager of the Mason Yard, Gary started out at Pioneer as a driver. While a typical day on the job for Gary is busy, he enjoys interacting with the customers. On his spare time he likes to go hunting. In the future, Gary hopes to make more money working at Pioneer as well as retire here, whenever that day may come.
Tom W. is the lead driver for Pioneer. Having experience in this industry for 17 years, he has been given a variety of responsibilities. Tom came to the position he has now by excelling at what he does for Pioneer. A typical day on the job for Tom can be long and stressful. What he likes the most about working for Pioneer is the excellent teamwork the staff provides. When he is not working, Tom likes to spend his time with his family. Tom hopes to one day be the manager of all of Pioneer’s drivers.
Arnold is the senior yard man at Pioneer. Having over 10 years of experience, Arnold came to this position by being recommended by an employee. Arnold is responsible for helping customers, checking stock, and inventory. His day starts at 6:45 in the morning, where he prepares the yard for the day and then begins to help the customers. One aspect of his job that Arnold finds rewarding is working as part of a team. On his spare time, Arnold likes to grow vegetables and eat exotic food. A goal Arnold has for the future is to continue to be happy.
Chris is a yardman in the mason yard at Pioneer. Chris has 15 years of experience in the lumber industry, working as yard personal/lift operator foreman at Woodply Lumber, and also as a fill in foreman at Nassau/Suffolk Lumber. Responsible for customer service, loading & unloading trucks, pulling orders, and occasional deliveries, a typical day at Pioneer for Chris is very physical and, depending on the weather, very busy. What he finds most rewarding about working at Pioneer is that he enjoys the people he works with and since his job is so physical, he doesn’t need to go to the gym! Chris was given this position because he is very good at what he does and has a tremendous work ethic, using his brain in everything he does. Chris has a deep rooted passion for music & the historical aspect of it. He has been playing the drums since he was twelve, and he played ice hockey as a goalie for ten years. Chris has a number of goals for himself in the future, including writing a book about what’s really going on in the world today, owning a piece of land in Vermont, and becoming a small farmer. Here is a piece of advice from Chris: Remember, those who forget or don’t know their history are doomed to repeat it!