Rathdrum-based contractor John Mandere has launched a new retail venture that will complement operations at two North Idaho construction companies he leads.

Ponderosa Building Supply, established March 31, in Hauser, Idaho, will enable Mandere Construction Inc. and Northwest Building Components Inc., both of Rathdrum, to serve their existing customers better by fulfilling more of their material needs, says Mandere, who is president of all three companies.

"I've always wanted a building supply business, because it kind of tucks in nicely with our business model," he says. 

Additionally, the new business will satisfy demand from many longtime customers of the two construction companies, who have been asking for a way to purchase lumber supplies from Mandere for years, he says.

Ponderosa Building Supply opened its doors at the old Stimson Mill site, at 16809 W. Prairie in Hauser, just north of Post Falls, to provide supplies to residential and commercial builders, contractors, and homeowners within a 150-mile radius of the Spokane area. 

The business is located on 19 acres of land with about 115,000 square feet of building space in a dozen buildings for lumber and building material storage use. The new company offers general building materials, lumber, sheathing, and framing hardware, in addition to exterior siding materials, says Mandere.

"We feel like the site gives us plenty of runway to grow," he says. "It's going to give a chance to service other customers that aren't necessarily doing business with Mandere Construction and Northwest Building Components right now."

The three companies all are subsidiaries of Englewood, Colorado-based Kodiak Building Partners, a building materials distribution company that provides administrative, financial, and expansion support to acquired companies in its portfolio.

"They (Kodiak) are big on locally led, locally controlled, so it's been a neat deal for me as a former owner. I was only going to remain for three years, and I've had so much fun working with them, that I've stayed on for almost five now," Mandere says.

About nine months ago, Mandere approached Kodiak with an idea to start a complementary building supply business that would align with the existing contracting company and the truss manufacturing and framing businesses in Rathdrum.

With a lack of existing companies available to purchase in the area, Mandere pitched a plan to Kodiak to start another business from the ground up, but launching a new company now is much different than when he opened Mandere Construction in 1992 and Northwest Building Components in 2004, he says.

"We're starting from scratch, which I'm finding is challenging, but we're getting there," says Mandere.

Ponderosa Building Supply has 15 employees, and the company will need to fill another 25 more positions in the future as it expands its product offerings.

"We're basing our initial model around what we already do, but our expansion plans are to move into interior millwork, doors, and windows. Everything you need to complete the construction of a house, is our goal," says Mandere. 

Later this year, the offsite wall panel manufacturing division of Mandere Construction will be relocated to the Hauser property with Ponderosa Building Supply. Mandere Construction will continue operating an office at 13964 N. Ohio, in Rathdrum, which it shares with Northwest Building Components.

"It's the final piece of the puzzle," says Mandere. "We have installed framing on the job site. We have roof trusses, and now we can supply all the lumber."