The National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) honored Scott Yates, president of the Denver Lumber Company, with its Distinguished Lifetime Service Award. The award was presented earlier this month, amid the association’s annual ProDealer Industry Summit, in Louisville, Kentucky.
Born in 1957 in Denver, Colorado, Yates began his career with the company in 1973. He worked in all facets of the business until becoming the general manager in 1986. In 2019, he began taking a role in the company’s daily operations, while his son, Sam, serves as vice president and general manager.
Yates served as president of Mountain States Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association (MSLBMDA) in 2000 and 2001, and later served as chair for the NLBMDA from October 2015 to October 2016. He has been the chair of NLBMDA’s Lumber Dealers Political Action Committee Board of Trustees for more than 15 years, and as the Mountain States Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association’s NLBMDA board representative on two separate occasions, concluding his most recent term in March of this year. A longstanding and active member of NLBMDA’s Government Affairs Committee, Yates has never missed an NLBMDA legislative or ProDealer Conference, officials said, adding that he is deeply passionate and engaged in NLBMDA’s advocacy efforts and is a fixture in Washington, D.C.
“Scott’s leadership is deeply rooted in his genuine care for people and the industry he’s devoted his life to,” said NLBMDA president and CEO Jonathan Paine. “His time on the NLBMDA board of directors reflects not just experience, but a true passion for lifting others up. Scott’s wisdom and steady presence have inspired those around him and strengthened the lumber and building material community.”
The NLBMDA Distinguished Lifetime Service Award is presented in recognition of individuals who have demonstrated dedicated service and made outstanding contributions toward advancing the mission and goals of NLBMDA. The honor has only been presented on four other occasions in the history of the association. It celebrates those who have significantly impacted both the association and the broader lumber and building materials industry. Recipients of the award exemplify leadership, commitment, and excellence, furthering the growth and development of the industry while upholding the core values of the NLBMDA, officials said.