Ken Wilbanks will be bringing his decades of building industry experience to Gloucester's Building Center as its new CEO, and he is already making big plans for the city's oldest retail outpost.
"Unprecedented achievement and having a damn good time doing it," he said yesterday, his first day on the job, when summing up his goals as chief executive officer. "Can you think of anything better to do? I can't."
Wilbanks, who was born in Georgia and lived in Maine for the past 10 years, has had a hand in the building material industry for decades. He said his connections to the building and hardware industry date back "probably before birth."
"I'm the fifth generation of a family in Georgia that was immersed with the lumber building materials and hardware business," he said. "So I basically was born into the lumber and timber industry completely. That's why my experience is very long even though I'm not that old."
After helping with the family business, he went on to earn a two-year degree in architectural engineering technology from Southern Technical College.
However, his primary interest during his college years was the fine arts. He studied voice, with classical choral music as an emphasis, at Furman University and the University of Western Georgia, from which he graduated. He calls himself an "artist at heart" and hopes to join an area chorus.
"I wanted to avoid the building material industry like the Black Plague," he said. However, the need to pay the bills drew him back, and he began his 30-year industry career in an entry-level position at the first Home Depot store, in Atlanta. He went on to work his way up to a management position. He also was a branch manager for Lowe's Cos. and later, Ernst Home.
He has spent the past 10 years in Maine as vice president of operations for Ellsworth Builder's Supply and as an independent consultant for executives in the industry.
Wilbanks said he was alerted "out of the blue" to the Building Center position by fellow colleagues, who told him to look into it even though he wasn't searching for a job.
"I never had envisioned I would enter the industry again as a CEO chair," he said.
Despite its unexpected timing, the opportunity proved to be a good fit for Wilbanks.
"This is just the right thing," he said. "I came to Gloucester exclusively to run the Building Centers here in Gloucester and Essex. ... This opportunity completely caught my attention and I have enthusiastically accepted the seat."
Wilbanks succeeds Joseph Parisi III, a well-known civic figure who was ousted as CEO and president in September. The firing of Parisi sparked chatter that the site could be for sale, but a statement released by owners Margaret Herberle Huff and Harriet VanWart announcing Wilbank's hire says the 105-year-old establishment isn't going anywhere.
"Ken's hiring is the latest commitment that this third-generation business is making to this community and its commitment that this business is here to stay," the statement reads. "Although the lumber and building material industry is reeling from three years of steady decline, the Building Center remains profitable and is committed to the Cape Ann community and to its core base of local contractors, home owners, and the industrial community."
Wilbanks said in spite of the recession, the building industry isn't shrinking.
"Even in spite of the economic and market difficulties we're having in the nation as a whole, the truth is that the building industry is still at the very core of what makes America's economic system work," he said. "In the worst year, it's still an enormous industry."
He said his plan for steering the company through the changing times is based on running "an excellent organization." He said leading by example, hiring "extraordinary" people, having systems that work, and expressing an "exciting and magnificent" vision are a recipe for success.
"When a leadership team does those things, you will prevail at the top of your game," he said. "You will grow a business despite economic and market challenges."
However, Wilbanks' goals extend beyond the business world. He said he wants to become involved in Cape Ann life by serving in civic organizations. He has yet to decide which to join, but the Rotary and the Chamber of Commerce are at the top of his list.
He also hopes to continue to pursue his varied interests. An avid fly fisherman, Wilbanks intends to learn how to fish with saltwater gear. He is also planning on continuing his practice of judo and aikido, which are martial arts.
Amanda Flitter can be reached at gt_reporter@gloucestertimes.com.
