Join us for discussions about credit and social media in the LBM industry.

In episode one of LBM Talks: Credit, Thea brings the energy as she shares five pet peeves in Credit Management. If you work in Credit, be sure to let us know in the comments if you can relate.

Sales and credit are a team. In this episode, Thea shares some tips for salespeople on how to build a better relationship with their credit manager, ultimately making them more efficient in the long run.

Thea claims that every credit manager she knows has at least one “friend of boss” or “friend of sales” account that never gets paid.

Thea’s here to remind you why friends and credit don’t mix and how to sluff these “friends” off to your credit manager.

In this episode, Thea sits down with the President of the National Association of Credit Managers' (NACM) North Central chapter, Tanya Guy, and Board Chair, Michelle Ochetti, after their annual meeting back in May. These ladies addressed many pain points for today’s credit managers such as being a team of one, mentorship and community, attracting young people to the credit profession, and more. They also discussed the power of a community like NACM and its affiliates in providing resources for Credit Managers around the country.

Learn more about NACM: https://nacm.org

and NACM North Central: https://www.nacmnc.org

Among many endeavors, Thea writes a monthly Credit Q&A column for LBM Journal the magazine. Credit managers from around the country send Thea their questions and ask for her input. With only one column published a month, several questions are left unanswered. In this episode, Thea addresses these archived questions.

If you have a question for Thea, send it to thea@creditoverlord.com or leave it in the comments section of this podcast.

Thea's Column: https://lbmjournal.com/author/theadudley/

In episode three of LBM Talks: Credit, Thea sits down with Ryan Ayers, Co-Founder of Suppli. Together they discuss ideas like how technology can streamline workflow, what to consider when choosing a software, getting other members of your team onboard, and more. If you’re interested in learning how technology can affect your day-to-day, don’t miss this conversation.

Learn more about Suppli: https://www.gosuppli.com

Fraud is a huge challenge for businesses around the country. In this episode, Thea breaks down the Payment Fraud and Control Survey shared by the Association of Financial Professionals and Truist bank to help you understand your risk and ways to prevent it from happening in your company.

In this episode, Thea sits down with Todd Sawyer, a man who possesses the dual perspective of being both LBM dealer and contractor. 

Todd’s knowledge will help you understand the bigger picture of your transactions and how to do better business with contractors.

Connect with Todd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-sawyer-7b131510/

Rick Schumacher, Founder of LBM Journal, joins Sally to discuss the intention behind LBM Talks Social Media and what to expect.

Cash flow is a great way to know if your business is over or under performing.

Thea shares five reasons your cash flow might suck and five ways to improve it. These include solutions for both credit managers and business owners.

Thea Dudley and Tina Breen sat down together during the 2024 LBM Strategies conference to discuss the decision making process. Tina Breen has her masters in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, bringing a unique perspective to the topic.

In this episode, Thea and Tina discuss what cognitive fatigue is and how it affects the decision making process, how credit managers can be mindful of their mental state, and what they can do to prevent making poor decisions.

Today, Sally is joined by John Perna, President/CEO, and Jon Jacob, VP of Business Development, from Hamilton Building Supply.

Odds are you've seen Hamilton Building Supply on social media through their humorous vertical videos, which is why we needed to chat with them.

In this episode, John and Jon share when and why Hamilton started utilizing social media, the decisions they made that led them to where they're currently at, networking and hiring opportunities that social media has unlocked, and what's involved in their content creation process. 

You can find Hamilton on Instagram @hamiltonbuilingsupply.

For any podcast related inquires, contact sally@lbmjournal.com.

In this episode, Thea is joined by Janet Hammel. Janet and Thea met at LBM Strategies 2024 where she was accompanying her husband who works for Morsches Builders Mart. With Janet's unique connections to both credit and the LBM industry, Thea insisted she join her on the podcast.

Janet shares advice on protecting your business from fraud. She shares that there is not one action you can take, but many proactive measures to make your business difficult to steal from.

Janet and Thea will be taking this subject deeper in an upcoming webinar with LBM Journal on 3/25/25. This webinar is free for qualified LBM pros. Sign up for our enewsletter to receive more information at https://lbmjournal.com

Mentioned resource: https://www.ftc.gov

For all inquiries, contact Thea at thea@creditoverlord.com

In this episode, Sadie Hoyt, Marketing Specialist at Dakota County Lumber located in Farmington MN, shares the story of when and why her company decided to hire someone new to manage their presence on social media.

Sadie also shares who her company targets on social media, what kind of content they make and why, and advice for LBM dealers aspiring to get started.

We hope you enjoy this episode. Be sure to leave us a comment, letting us know what you think and what other topics you would like discussed. For any social media inquiries, contact sally@lbmjournal.com.

Connect with Sadie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sadie-hoyt-365109113/

Sprout Social Blog (resource): https://sproutsocial.com/insights/

Veteran credit managers are retiring and a lot of companies don’t know what to do.

Join Thea and Jon Flora, CEO of the National Association of Credit Managers (NACM) Business Credit Services (BSC), as they discuss topics like recruiting, networking, and training; all necessary protocol to keeping your back office staffed.

Please send any inquires to thea@creditoverlord.com.

In this episode of LBM Talks Social Media, Amy Smiley, VP of Marketing & PR at 84 Lumber, shared the mentality and tactics that took them from their small social media presence in 2016 to roughly 700,000 followers on all their platforms combined in 2025.
Key points Amy shared include the Super Bowl ad that skyrocketed their brand awareness, how innovation and remaining digitally current contributed to their growth, and the kind of themes their content is built around.
This is a story of investing in the digital landscape and reaping its rewards.
Thank you PWT for sponsoring this episode of LBM Talks Social Media.

In this episode of LBM Talks Credit, Thea shares multiples ways to act when a customer ghosts you. There's persistence, mechanics liens, Little Miller Act, small claims court, and more.

If you've ever gotten ghosted by a customer right when you need them the most, you're not alone. Learn some new strategies in this episode then leave us a comment about a time you got ghosted.

Contact Thea with any podcast related questions and comments at thea@creditoverlord.com.

Thom Cafaro is the Director of Marketing and Sales at Arnold Lumber Company. Arnold Lumber Company was named a 2025 Dealer of the Year by LBM Journal for many reasons, one being their knack for innovation.

Take for example their latest YouTube series "Breaking Ground," a show that marries their builders and suppliers by documenting different stages of the homebuilding process.

Sally and Thom discuss the origin of their "Breaking Ground" series, the effort it takes to capture; edit; organize; and publish digital content, how different departments at their company collaborate, and more.

If you're interested in learning how this sort of innovation begins and succeeds, check out this episode.
You can reach out to Thom with questions or comments at tcafaro@arnoldlumber.com.
All general podcast inquires should go to sally@lbmjournal.com.

If you have ever found yourself in a cycle of burnout, this podcast is for you.

Nicole Hicks was a credit manager in the LBM industry for approximately 20 years. Last November, she made a change and is now a Career Ownership Coach at The Entrepreneur's Source.

In this episode, Thea and Nicole discuss how stressful the credit manager profession can be, Nicole's journey out of the industry, how to manage and relieve stress, what a positive work environment looks like, and balancing work and personal life.

If you want to get in touch with Nicole, you can call her at 801-719-0746, email nhicks@esourcecoach.com, or connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-hicks-81b83530/.

For any podcast related inquiries, contact Thea at thea@creditoverlord.com.

Patrick Kenefick, Marketing Coordinator at Cape Cod Lumber, joins this episode of LBM Talks Social Media.

Sally and Patrick discuss how CCL uses TikTok, the chaos that comes with creating and managing content, ways to get more organized, Instagram's collaboration feature, and more.

If you're interested in learning how social media is useful for businesses, check out this short episode. During their conversation, Sally and Patrick build off of each other's ideas, resulting in an information packed episode.

For podcast related inquires, reach out to sally@lbmjournal.

Connect with Patrick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-kenefick-a4920962/

There are many factors to consider when making a new hire. Do they understand the job? Do they fit our culture? Are they here to stay or just gain experience?

Rodney Schwab is the Regional Vice President at Professional Alternatives, the nation’s largest recruitment and consulting firm specializing exclusively in commercial credit, collections and risk management.

In this episode, Rodney and Thea discuss reasons employees leave their employers, what qualities to look for in your next hire, characteristics of Generation Z, how businesses can decrease turnover, and more.

Caitlin Stone and Chris Roelandts work together to create content for and manage Big C Lumber's social media accounts. Both have full time jobs with the company, but recognized the opportunity to do more with social media and took on the effort together. 

With 16 locations, these two cover a lot of ground when highlighting their Big C Lumber online. By focusing on their employees, company culture, and the unique aspects of their business, Caitlin and Chris have increased online engagement within their communities and their company. 

Tune into the full conversation to learn what prompted Caitlin and Chris to take on this job, how they work together to create content, tools they use, and how they've seen it affect their business.

https://bigclumber.com

In this episode, Thea urges you to ask yourself what your breaking point is when it comes to filing liens.

Tune into this short episode to get Thea's advice on when and how to go about this process.

For all podcast related inquiries, contact thea@creditoverlord.com.

Beth PopNikolov is the CEO of Venveo, a digital marketing agency that serves the LBM industry. In this episode, Beth discusses the importance of social media in our digital age, which content formats perform best on different platforms, content ideas for LBM dealers, and why individuals in your company should be utilizing LinkedIn.
Tune in to this episode if you want to a better understanding of how social media affects your business, ways to use it, and creative ideas for content.

In this episode, Thea Dudley and Maureen Brennan break down the content of a recent article by CreditSafe titled "Why Tariffs Require CFOs to Reshape Working Capital Strategies." Thea and Maureen discuss how current tariffs could affect your business and how to be proactive in protecting your company.

Please send all podcast inquiries to thea@creditoverlord.com.

Get in touch with Maureen at Maureen.Brennan@creditsafe.com or connect with Maureen on LinkedIn.

In this episode, Sally is joined by TJ Shaheen, Executive VP of Builders' General, who shared his executive level perspective on the value of social media for LBM dealers.

TJ discussed how social media is a great tool to affordably increase brand awareness and it's potential for LBM dealers to connect with each other. He also shared information about their recent video series that served both their social media profiles and their customers'.

Curious if investing in social media makes sense for you? TJ can help.

Contact TJ at tj.shaheen@buildersgeneral.com.

Please send all podcast inquires to sally@lbmjournal.com

The LBM industry has been described as an "underserved industry" by technology companies who are now flooding to the scene. Today, there are several options to choose from when shopping for a software to help streamline your operations.

In this episode, Thea shares her own experiences with the different options and what it takes to successfully choose one.

Let us know what you think in the comments section and reach out to thea@creditoverlord.com for all podcast related inquires.

Samantha Post, Co-Owner of T and M Hardware, was invited to be on LBM Talks Social Media because of her personable and transparent approach to running her company's Instagram account.
It's not often you see the individuals of a business take to their company's social media, which is the reason Samantha stood out. By using social media to communicate, Samantha has built trust with her customers and opened new opportunities for promoting their business.
Take a listen to this episode and learn why she takes this approach, how she assured her family, and the response she's received online.
Find her content on Instagram @tandmhardware.
Please send all podcast inquires to sally@lbmjournal.com

Succession planning is for more than just the Owner of a company, it's essential to the well being of all departments.

Thea is joined by Sam Brownell, Founder and CEO of Stratus Business Advisors, to discuss why departmental succession planning can fall through the cracks, how individuals can be empowered during the retirement process, what steps the individual and owner need to take to achieve successful planning, and more.

If you want to retire but aren't sure they could survive without you, this episode is for you...

Contact Thea at thea@creditoverlord.com

Call Sam at 301-873-4602

Email Sam at sbrownell@stratusbusinessadvisors.com

Or go to https://stratusbusinessadvisors.com

This week, LBM Talks Social Media welcomes Ryan McAnally, Marketing and Communications Manager, and Sallie Keene Denton, Marketing Specialist, from Wilson Lumber Company, LBM Journal's 2025 Dealer of the Year (category: $100MM+).

The insights shared in this episode include how social media fits into their digital marketing strategy, how marketers can measure social ROI, the content creation process for Wilson Lumber, and more.

Connect with Sallie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/salliekeenedenton/

Connect with Ryan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcanallyryan/

Thea Dudley, also known as the Credit Overlord, writes a monthly Credit Q&A column for LBM Journal. Because she receives multiple questions every month, many are not featured in the magazine. LBM Talks Social Media is now the place where these additional questions get answered.

Enjoy another episode of The Column Comes Alive.

Thea's monthly column: https://lbmjournal.com/author/theadudley/
Send questions to thea@creditoverlord.com.

Welcome to LBM Talks Social Media, Dealer of the Year edition.
Chad Amble of Issaquah Lumber and Brenda Collons of Collons Communication, join this episode to discuss their recent efforts to expand the Issaquah name through digital channels that make sense. 
Some topics discussed in this episode include how they manage six social media channels, their new podcast the "Lumber Lounge," the versatility of marketing, marketing strategy, and more.
Check out Issaquah Lumber on most social media channels, connect with Chad and Brenda on LinkedIn, and email sally@lbmjournal.com with any feedback.

Credit managers juggle both numbers and people, and one quiet skill that can help them walk the line between the two is emotional intelligence.
In this episode, Thea dives into the soft skill of emotional intelligence - what it is, what it's not, and how it might come into play.
Have a soft skill you want covered in an episode? Send it in an email to thea@creditoverlord.com.

Adam Pettit is the Director or Marketing for Red River Lumber, three lumberyards and a design center located in Texarkana, TX and Idabel, OK.
In this episode, Adam shares why he likes advertising on Facebook, how they optimize YouTube videos for search engines, their goals for LinkedIn networking, and more.
Tune into this episode for practical takes on paid and organic social media marketing. Don't forget to leave a comment, subscribe, and send feedback to sally@lbmjournal.com.

In this episode, Thea is joined by Dena Cordova-Jack of Cordova-Jack Consulting to discuss mentorship.

Mentorship will look different for different people, but every good mentorship starts with each party communicating their expectations and goals; a relationship will evolve from there.

Tune in to the full episode for practical advice on seeking out a mentor, self-awareness, and setting expectations.

Creating a content series for social media is one way to breathe intentionality and creativity into your strategy.
In this episode, San Antonio Lumber Company's President/Owner, Sarah Schrader Cameron, joins us to discuss their new video series for Facebook and Instagram, "Lumber Lowdown with Megan." This series stars Sales Associate Megan Sumner and focuses on answering questions from their customers.
Tune in to this conversation to hear more about Sarah and her company's experience on social media, their goals for brand awareness, and the inspiration behind the new series.

In July of 2024, LBM sales columnist Bill Lee wrote an article for LBM Journal titled, "The LBM Salesperson's Role in Collections."
In this episode, Bill joins Thea to discuss his column. Some topics they touch on include why salespeople feel incompetent to collect, if salespeople should receive commissions on uncollected accounts, training for salespeople, and more.
Read Bill's column here: https://lbmjournal.com/the-lbm-salespersons-role-in-collections/

Instagram receives roughly 2 billion users every month and ranks as the third most popular social media platform in the world, right behind Facebook and YouTube.
In this episode, we discuss Instagram's roots as a visual platform, strategy for video, and best practices for the app.
Let us know what you think and thanks for tuning in!
Articles mentioned in the episode:
https://sproutsocial.com/insights/instagram-best-practices/
https://sproutsocial.com/insights/instagram-stats/

Andy Ruwe is the Vice President of Inside Sales at Cameron Ashley Building Products and longtime friend of Thea Dudley.

For 25 years, Thea and Andy worked together at Cameron Ashley and in this episode they discuss why their relationship worked. Andy shares the mindset sales leaders should have regarding their credit department and that taking a collaborative, problem solving approach to their credit manager will help them close more sales.

For all podcast related questions, email thea@creditoverlord.com. Leave a comment with your thoughts below! Thanks for tuning in.

This week's episode is a candid conversation about social media management and strategy between two, passionate social media managers.

Noah Shackelford is the Marketing Manager at Jonesville Lumber, a one location lumberyard located in Jonesville, MI. After seeing several engaging reels from them on my Facebook feed, I was so glad he agreed to join me for an episode.Noah not only understands brand management and marketing, but he believes in the impact of social media and is great at what he does.

We hope you enjoy this episode. Don't forget to look up their work on Facebook!

Customers will handle their business financials the same way they handle their personal. Get to know them to better assess your risk.

Today's guest is Chelse Hounshell, a self employed budget coach and friend of Thea Dudley. In this episode, Thea and Chelse discuss the overlap between personal and professional finance, stigma around money, knowing the financial habits of potential customers before doing business, and more money insights for Credit Managers.

Learn more about Chelse and her business at joyfulmoneyspend.com, and learn more about our sponsor Nuvo at nuvo.com.

Andrew Beasley is the Marketing Coordinator for Grant Home Hardware Building Centres, three building center stores located in northern Ontario.

About four months ago, Andrew and his team had an Instagram video go viral, which put them on our radar. After finding several other original, creative reels on their social media accounts, Sally reached out to see if they would join us  on the podcast.

In this episode, Sally and Andrew discuss what strategies work on social media, the inspiration for their original content, the effects of a viral video, encouraging coworkers to participate in content, and more. Tune in for an insightful episode with a business that understands social media.

Check out their work @granthomehardware on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

What started out as a conversation about unnecessary and confusing tech jargon quickly turned into a substantial discussion with Nuvo's CEO, Sid Malladi, and Head of Partnerships, David Fulham. 

Tune into this episode with three credit industry professionals to discuss the onboarding process, its effects on customer relationships, understanding DSO, and strategies to improve these processes.

If you're looking for a faster and smarter way to onboard customers, check out Nuvo. Reach either David or Sid with questions by emailing david@nuvo.com or sid@nuvo.com.

As always, send all podcast related inquiries to thea@creditoverlord.com and don't forget to leave us your thoughts!

If you run your company's social media pages, you probably have some opinions about different platforms, strategy, content creation, and your company's overall involvement.
Tune in for five of Sally's hot takes regarding social media management and content creation, as well as five hot takes from the community of LBM social media managers.
We hope you enjoy this fun and light-hearted episode. Share your hot takes in the comments or reach out to Sally at sally@lbmjournal.com.

In July, LBM Journal highlighted Woods Lumber on Facebook, and we were astounded at the response. Hundreds of people liked, shared, and commented on the posts, so naturally, we reached out for them to join us on the podcast.

Katy Woods, Social Media Manager at Woods Lumber, joined us for this episode to discuss the strong community connections Woods Lumber has, why Facebook is their best performing platform, and what kind of content their audience enjoys most.

Thank you for being here and don't forget to leave your thoughts in the comments!

This episode of LBM Talks Credit contains information regarding cyber security that every credit manager and business professional should hear...

Thea's guest, Joe Bonanno, is the President and Co-Founder of Archetype SC, a full service digital development, big data, and IT security company.

From horror stories to practical advice, this episode will leave you with a broader knowledge of potential threats and strategies to protect your company, and yourself, from digital scams.

Don't forget to check out our sponsorer Nuvo, and leave a comment with your thoughts on the episode!

Article mentioned: https://www.archetypesc.com/why-a-password-manager-beats-relying-on-memory/

Kayla Fearing is the Director of Marketing for Hilltop Lumber, a four location LBM dealer located in central Minnesota.

Hilltop Lumber uses social media to connect with their customers, community, share news, and personalize their brand.

In this episode, Kayla and Sally discuss Hilltop's best performing social media content, their success with Facebook, getting employees to participate in content, and the fast-paced nature of social media.

Please send all podcast related inquiries to sally@lbmjournal.com and don't forget to leave your thoughts in the comments!

Jon Flora, CEO at NACM Seattle BCS, is back for another episode of LBM Talks Credit.

It seems like credit managers everywhere are drowning. No time for work, no time for webinars, conferences, training, implementing new systems, etc. If this is you, tune into this episode for Thea and Jon's candid response about why this is the case and how to reclaim your time.

A big thanks to Nuvo for being the official sponsor of LBM Talks Credit.

The social media algorithms are constantly changing, giving them the mystique of being unknowable. But the fact is, they are understandable, and despite their changing nature, their purpose generally remains the same.

Tune into this solo episode for information on what algorithms are, how they operate on different platforms, and how you can harness them.

Leave a comment with your thoughts or contact me at sally@lbmjournal.com.