The first customers walked through the front doors and into the new addition on the Friday of Thanksgiving weekend. Rangeley Lakes Builders Supply now offers 8000 square feet of retail space that is filled with a tremendous range of hardware and house-wares. Without a doubt, the store has evolved into an impressive structure that will offer the most complete selection of building products in the area.

With the expanding store comes the need for a larger staff to keep things running smooth. In the past few months we have added some new faces and promoted some "old-timers". Den`e White, a hardworking 2002 graduate of Mt Abram’s High School, is helping to keep lumber moving into and out of the yard. Working along side of her is Daren White. Daren is returning to us after three years of working in the construction field. He and his wife Laura live in Phillips and have a son named Micheal. They are expecting a new addition to the family in 2004. Ward Bredeau has recently been promoted to yard foreman after many years of hands on experience at the logistical end of the business. Congratulations Ward! We can only hope that one day you will use your skills to build your fiancée a house .

If you have called us recently, you may have been helped by Hermila Perreault, our newest receptionist. Born in Colombia, she has lived in Rangeley for the past 5 years with her husband Ron. Our sales staff has received two new additions. The first is the mighty Joe Young from Andover. Joe’s past experience as part owner of a construction company is bound to serve him well when it comes to take offs and quotes. Our second addition to our sales staff is Wade Bredeau. Wade has been the yard foreman for several years and brings with him a tremendous amount of experience in the lumber field. Among other skills, Wade is the man to see when you need the best pricing on windows.

Can anyone guess who recently became a grandmother? Though she hides it well, and for the record she is younger than Doug, Marlene Knowles received a new addition to the family that elevated her to grandmother. Last but certainly not least, we would like to congratulate Kris Walton on his engagement to Leslie Stone. Good Luck!!

As the Holiday season gets into full swing, we here at RLBS have lots to be thankful for. This is a very special year for us. The final phase in Gary’s three-phase plan is almost complete! The shelves are being put up, the merchandise loaded in and Jackie and Gary will be back under the same roof! (We are hoping this will be a good thing!) Different from the first two parts is the amount of community members involved in this leg of the project. Gary’s hardworking spirit was rallied and we have many people to thank….

Ellen and Corey Albrecht, Mark Beauregard, Jim Williams, Steve Rogers, Randy Goodwin, Rex Ellis and crew, Ken MacFawn, Billy Archard, Tony Polvino, Keith Webber with his crew, Jeep Wilcox and many, many others.

Call or stop in for your Christmas Shopping!

This project has brought much joy (and headaches) to the employees here at RLBS. We heard from all of you how much the old building would be missed. We also appreciated its quaint charm and history, it’s "little town" feel, and all the nooks and crannies you could get lost in. But…it was becoming ill suited for our growing company and frustrating to the employees. We remember fondly the days of searching for Bobby in her mounds of paper, but now Bobby and newcomer Hermilla have ample room for filing and executing their jobs. Doug, Kris and Marlene can remark on how the tight office quarters gave new meaning to the words "working together." Some of you may recall the fingerless gloves employees had to wear in the winter to accomplish paperwork, a practice now made obsolete by the new Toyo Stoves. Many of you, our longtime customers, will also remember the odd dance of dodging and leaning needed to get to and from each office. We tell these stories and share these memories with fondness, but are happy to be a part of the changes. We hope you too will learn to love the new home of Rangeley Lakes Builders Supply. There are still corners to get lost in and memories to be made.

We invite you to come in and visit our new store, look around, check out all the great Christmas and house ware items Jackie and Marlene have brought in again this year.