Managing editor
When customers come to Seacat Do it Best hardware and lumberyard in Marion, they will see changes in the works with a familiar face waiting on them.
It was announced Monday that owners Brad and Anita Seacat will step aside and Matt Kukuk will take over as manager.
“We plan to stick around for a few weeks to help Matt with the transition,” Brad Seacat said, “but Matt is going to run the business.”
The name of the business has changed to Flint Hills Building Supply but the business will continue to be affiliated with Do it Best warehouse.
“We’ll continue the buying power with one of the largest suppliers in the world,” Seacat said.
Kukuk is no stranger to the building materials industry — having been a part of it in one form or another for the past 15 years.
He was with The Lumberyard of Hillsboro for more than seven years before leaving in 2008. Since then, he has worked with a couple of local contractors and started his own business, focusing on windows, doors, and cabinets. He ended that business in January.
“I missed being in contact with people,” Kukuk said.
He wanted to see his customers more than once every 20 or 30 years when they needed new cabinets or windows.
It will be business as usual at the store for now, as they continue to offer the same products and services. Selection will remain competitive, and the retailer will offer more lumber and building supplies.
Kukuk wants to cater to local contractors, with the hope of becoming a regional hub.
Kukuk figures by fulfilling the needs of contractors, the homeowner and weekend handyman will find everything they need as well.
“My goal is to fulfill the needs of the community,” Kukuk said.
Many of the decisions for product line and expansion will come from customers.
“This is an ag (agriculture) community, so we may explore other lines. We’ll just have to see,” Kukuk said.
A 1995 Marion High School graduate, Kukuk is married to wife KayLeah and they have a son, Noah, 10. The family lives in Marion.
“This setting offers me something to do all of the time,” Kukuk said, indicating he likes to keep busy and likes the daily challenges of managing a business.
With fresh ideas and a positive attitude toward the future, Kukuk sees the potential of the hardware business.
“I was told by an old timer that a successful community has a hospital, a school, and a hardware store,” he said. “I haven’t forgotten that.”