Executive Search Success Story: Building the Commercial and Channel Leadership for a Building Products Manufacturer Expanding Across Pro Dealer, Big Box, and Builder Channels

How JRG Partners executed a confidential, multi-role North American executive search strategy that equipped a publicly traded building products manufacturer with the commercial, channel, pricing, and marketing leadership required to rebalance its go-to-market across pro dealers, home centers, and national builders, recover share lost to competitors, and protect margins through housing cycle volatility.

The Challenge

A publicly traded building products manufacturer had historically relied on home center relationships for the majority of its volume, but as competitors built stronger pro dealer and builder channels, the company lost share in the professional segment while home center pricing pressure compressed margins. Channel conflict between retail and pro pricing was damaging dealer relationships, national builder accounts were underserved, and the commercial organization was structured around products rather than channels. Executive leadership identified several critical vulnerabilities threatening their market position:

• Share losses in the professional contractor segment to competitors with stronger pro dealer programs
• Home center dependence exceeding 60% of volume with intensifying pricing pressure
• Channel conflict between retail and pro pricing eroding dealer loyalty
• National builder accounts served inconsistently with no dedicated leadership
• A product-organized commercial structure with no channel strategy or pricing governance
• Investor concern about margin resilience through housing cycle volatility

Recognizing that channel rebalancing required a new commercial leadership team, the CEO and board launched a strategic talent initiative to recruit a Chief Commercial Officer, VP of Pro Channel & Distribution, VP of Retail & Home Center Sales, VP of National Builder Accounts, and VP of Pricing & Channel Strategy. The company required an executive search partner with deep building products expertise and access to commercial leaders who had built multi-channel go-to-market models in the category.

Why They Chose JRG Partners

Building Products Industry Focus

JRG Partners possesses deep recruiting expertise across building products manufacturers, building materials distributors, home improvement retailers, and construction products companies, including commercial, channel, pricing, and marketing leadership. This domain knowledge ensured an immediate understanding of pro dealer economics, home center dynamics, builder account management, and channel pricing governance.

Multi-Channel Commercial Experience

Our team specializes in identifying commercial leaders who have rebalanced building products go-to-market across pro, retail, and builder channels while resolving channel conflict and protecting margins.

Public Company Experience

JRG Partners has extensive experience serving publicly traded building products companies, with a clear understanding of investor expectations on channel mix, margin resilience, and share performance through housing cycles.

Our Executive Search Strategy

Phase 1 — Commercial Review

Our consultants partnered directly with the CEO, board, CFO, and product leadership to evaluate channel mix, share trends, pricing and channel conflict, builder account performance, and commercial organization structure. This review aligned the search with channel strategy and margin objectives.

Phase 2 — Industry Talent Mapping

Our research team performed an extensive talent mapping initiative targeting commercial, channel, pricing, and account executives at building products manufacturers, building materials distributors, and home improvement retailers. Over 420 executives were systematically assessed across these sectors.

Phase 3 — Candidate Engagement

Priority during outreach was given to leaders with a documented history of building pro dealer programs, managing home center relationships profitably, growing national builder accounts, implementing channel pricing governance, and reorganizing commercial structures around channels. Only candidates meeting these strict performance baselines advanced.

Phase 4 — Final Selection

Finalists presented channel strategies to the CEO and board, completed structured leadership assessments, and underwent reference verification focused on quantified share, channel, and margin outcomes.

Key Outcomes

• 420+ building products commercial executive profiles mapped across North America.
• Successfully placed a synchronized leadership tier spanning chief commercial, pro channel, retail, builder accounts, and pricing strategy.
• Grew pro channel revenue by 35% within two years.
• Secured preferred supplier positions with four of the top ten homebuilders.
• Rebalanced channel mix and improved margin by 220 basis points.
• Recovered professional segment share and demonstrated margin resilience through the housing cycle.