Strategies_Spring2024

CUSTOMER PROFILE

Embracing Heritage Shamburger & Graham Building Center Bridges Yesterday and Tomorrow

Don Graham, owner of Shamburger & Graham Building Center, credits his success to his loyal, longtime employees. From left to right: Pam, Don, Bert and AC.

S hamburger & throwback to a time when relationships were not just measured in years, but decades—back when a handshake was a promise, a person’s word was their bond and family meant everything. Now, as the custodian of this rich legacy, owner Don Graham looks to the future. Graham Building Center is a

A Square on the Map The small town of Graham in

Shamburger & Graham Building Center, which has operated in Graham for more than 100 years. Its storied history is evident in the details, such as the original 1920s lumber sheds still standing from its early days as a lumberyard or the antique tools displayed on the walls. The location was once part of C.D. Shamburger Lumber Co., a chain of lumberyards founded in 1907 in Vernon, Texas, by C.D. Shamburger. The Shamburger locations delivered timber to the oil fields by team and wagon. Over the years, the business grew to include 40 lumberyards spread across small towns in southwest Oklahoma and Texas By 1937, Shamburger was the largest independent lumber company in the region. Don’s father, Eddie, began working for Shamburger Lumber Co. in 1960.

north-central Texas is famous for its downtown square—the largest in the U.S. The square is home to a drive-in movie theater, annual parades and many local businesses, including Shamburger & Graham Building Center. Located an hour and a half outside of the busy Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Graham is heavily influenced by the local oil, gas and ranching industries. It is a town of about 9,000 residents, where people come to retire and get away from the hustle and bustle of larger cities. “Everybody knows everybody here,” Don says. “People honk at me and wave when they see me out and about.” Tale of Tradition A sense of history and tradition is deeply rooted in the culture at

30 Spring 2024 • Hardlines Strategies