Swift Current Building Supplies recently celebrated their 55th Anniversary on April 1st! No, it isn’t an elaborate, half-century long April Fools prank – they really have been serving the community since 1970!
If you’re a contractor in the area or an avid DIYer, you’ve probably stopped by Swift Current Building Supplies once or twice over the years. While a few things have changed since opening day, they’ve remained a reliable building supplier you can trust for quality, affordable products, and probably a smile or two.
Swift Current Building Supplies is a family-owned business, now owned by three sisters: Melissa Jensen, her twin Marissa Wolfe, and their younger sister Kristie Mueller. They took over the business together in 2020, carrying on the family legacy.
“My grandpa and grandma, John and Norma Mueller, opened the doors to Swift Current Building Supplies on April 1st, 1970,” explained Jensen. “My dad, Lindsey Mueller, started working there in, I want to say, 1973. He ran the business as the manager for many years, until he took over as the owner in 2011 when Grandpa passed away. My sisters and I took over when Dad passed away in 2020.”
Growing up, Jensen and her sisters spent countless days and weekends at Swift Current Building Supplies. Jensen remembers many Saturdays playing on the lumber stacks, sweeping the floors, and helping the bookkeeper stamp envelopes. While a lot has changed since those days, both with the business and with the community, it’s still like a second home for Jensen, one that she’s proud to share with their customers.
“Walking through the lumberyard for me is definitely a walk through memory lane,” she said. “Little things are different now – like we’ve got banisters and stairs on the mezzanine now. We used to just have ladders to climb up there. It’s much safer now.”
As they continue to move forward with the business, Jensen admits that, while she wants to keep the business as familiar as possible for their longtime customers, it’s time to start modernizing some aspects of their operations.
“It’s one of the biggest challenges we’re facing right now,” she said. “We have this amazing legacy, but we can’t continue to do things exactly the same as they were done in 1970. So we’re looking at bringing in some new technology, software, things like that.”
However, any upgrades they make are always going to be in the interest of the customer experience, the community, and the memory of their family.
“At the end of the day, we just try to maintain the overall excellent service and prices people know. We want Swift Current Building Supplies to be a place people want to visit because they know us, they know we've got the products they need, and at a price that’s going to make everyone happy.”
Since taking on a more active role in the business, Jensen’s dedication to the community has only continued to grow. Aside from building supply sales, Swift Current Building Supplies regularly contributes to community events and charities, knowing that John and Lindsey would have done the same.
“We want to continue the business in their memory, and we want to keep it successful, while also supporting the community, because that was a big thing for Grandpa and Dad,” said Jensen.
She continued, “We've got customers who come in, and they have the best stories about Dad and Grandpa. Because they weren't just customers, they were friends. They were neighbors. And that's something we want to continue as well. We're here to support the community. We are a part of the community. Swift Current is important to us, not just as our customers, but like I said, as friends and family.”
While running a business with your family isn’t always the easiest thing to do, Jensen explained that the key to making it work is having the same underlying goal.
“If anything has kept us working together, it’s that we’re not doing this for ourselves,” she said. “Some days it feels like a heavy burden, but it's very worthwhile, and it's something that we are working extremely hard to maintain. We’re doing this for our family. We’re constantly asking ourselves, what would Grandpa have done? What would Dad have done? My sisters and I, we just want to make our dad and our grandpa proud.”
The next time you need lumber, tools, hardware, roofing supplies, and everything else you need for your home and farm projects, stop by Swift Current Building Supplies and become a part of their legacy.
Keep your eyes open for events we plan to host this summer, we’re very excited to continue to celebrate!